Cycling the scenery: exploring the Valley’s Rail TrailDate: 4/26/2021 WESTERN MASS. – With warmer weather and sunny skies becoming a regular occurrence, cycling enthusiasts, walkers, nature lovers and history buffs can hit their local rail trail this spring and travel over 80 miles, from Farmington, CT through Northampton and many places in between.
The trail is almost seamlessly connected, with a few exceptions, including a short piece in Westfield that is being connected this year, and the town of Southampton.
The interstate trail follows the path of the former Connecticut Canal Line and Central New England rail service, which ended by the late 1980s. As rail lines around the country fell into disrepair, they were turned into walking and cycling paths.
Congress provided funding through the Transportation Enhancement (TE) portion of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Farmington Valley Trail was formed soon after in 1992 to promote and support the conversion, according to the Farmington Canal Rail-to-Trail Association. The first sections of the “Farmington Valley Greenway” were paved in Simsbury and Farmington beginning in 1993 and 1994.
Soon, other communities along the rails followed suit, connecting the trail into Massachusetts at Southwick. The Southwick portion of the trail is simply known as the Southwick Rail Trail and encompasses six miles, from the Connecticut border to Westfield. It follows the path of the New Haven and Northampton Railroad, which had followed a portion of the Hampshire and Hampden Canal.
The Friends of the Southwick Rail Trail are an active group of volunteers that promote the trail, as well as nearby businesses. Its website, southwicktrail.org, offers a map of the trail as well as a map of businesses for those on the trail looking for restaurants and other attractions.
In Westfield, the trail follows the same path and is known as the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail, named for the Columbia Manufacturing Company, which manufactured bicycles in Westfield starting in the late 19th century. An interactive map, with businesses, art installations and more, is available at columbiagreenway.org.
The Farmington and the Hampshire and Hampden Canals were built in 1826 to carry goods up and down between Northampton and the Long Island Sound at New Haven, CT.
“The canal was a boost for manufacturing and agriculture and proved the point that improved transportation would be beneficial to a small agricultural town like Southwick,” states southwickrailtrail.org. “But it was an expensive solution, so the canal was gradually closed between 10 yea rs the Canal Company became the Northampton and New Haven Railroad, took in new investors, and began building their railroad in Connecticut reaching Simsbury, CT in 1850.”
Two railroad stations were built in Southwick in the mid-1850s but just over 100 years later, the line was not used regularly any longer.
The Easthampton portion of the trail, known as the Manhan Rail Trail, is six miles long and connects to Northampton. It begins at the Southampton line and is a multi-use trail. Maps of the trail and surrounding attractions are available at manhanrailtrail.org.
The end of the 80-mile rail trail is the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Northampton, which spans 11 miles. It links to Hadley, Amherst and Belchertown along the former Central Massachusetts Railway.
Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the rail trail, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs. Each community has its own rules, but typically they include using the trail from sunrise to sunset, unless otherwise specified, keep the trails clean of trash, no alcoholic beverages, no camping, hunting or fires.
Detailed rules can be found on each community’s rail trail websites, as well as information on how to join the local friend groups and associations.
There are walking and cycling trails in other communities that do not follow the rail trail path, including the 3.6-mile River Road Trail in Agawam and the 1.4-mile Redstone Rail Trail in East Longmeadow.
According to arrtinc.org, the Redstone Rail Trail in East Longmeadow opened in 2010. The wide asphalt path connects the industrial district to the center of town, and leads past fields, wetlands and wooded areas.
The scenic East Longmeadow trail was built on the former New York, New Haven and Hartford Armory branch, “which in turn is a former branch line of the New York and New England Railroad,” according to traillink.com. “Its name comes from the numerous red sandstone quarries in the area that gave the town its industrial beginnings.”
For those interested in heading out to the Redstone Rail Trail, there are a few access locations with parking: at 60-64 Maple St. and at 83 Denslow Rd.
Between the Norwottuck and Manhan Trails lies the a third bike path – Northampton Bikeway – that cuts east to west across the city, linking the downtown area of Northampton to the city of Florence. From King Street – or Route 5 – in Northampton, the trail continues west behind woodsy residential areas to the heart of Florence where it cuts through the grounds of Look Park, according to greatruns.com. From there, the path bends north into Leeds and follows a stretch of Mill River upstream all the way to Haydenville. According to greatruns.com, the trail runs for about 5.4 miles.
Meanwhile, the New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail is a 4-mile-long multi-use trail in Northampton. According to the NRT database, the trail is normally suited for walking, running, bicycling or rollerblading. The database also states that the rail extends from the MassCentral Rail Trail on the north side of downtown Northampton southerly to the Easthampton town line, eventually landing in New Haven. The trail used to be a man-made waterway that served as a freight transport passage between New Haven, Conn. and Northampton between 1835 and 1847. Transportation by canal was smoother, faster and less expensive than travel on contemporary roads, according to the NRT database. Just after a decade of use, portions of the canal were filled in and turned into a railroad.
The trail today is within walking distance for 50 percent of the Northampton community, and connects to parts of Easthampton, Hadley and Amherst.
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