mystang52

I have a few hours to kill in Bridgeport while my son takes care of a business transaction. Starting from Beardsley Park heading north, is the trail paved so I can take my road bike, or do I need my hybrid? Any safety issues I should be aware of? Any tips/suggestions? I only plan to do 12-15 miles round trip.

UniChris

Would be interested if you find out more - have family not far from there.

Did see one yelp review from a baby stroller / dog walking perspective https://www.yelp.com/biz/housatonic-...rails-trumbull

which included "The path is mostly gravel over dirt"

That seems to match this:


and this:


And then there's "The single track portion of the Housatonic trail from Newtown into Monroe with a GoPro while riding a Specialized Mountain Bike." or at least there was in 2014


Construction company that did the part in the park paved that and posted video, too.



Also saw some indications that there are pieces that may not connect yet.

hdkct

I just did this ride last week for the first time, starting like you in Beardsley Park. You can park at the zoo, but I believe the lot closes at 4:30, so if you plan to return later than that, park elsewhere. There are plenty of other places to park. No safety issues as far as I was concerned.

Traveling north from the zoo, the trail is fully paved and you may encounter a number of pedestrians, but I had no issues. Some of this section is shared walkways and sidewalks. A really nice brand new section crosses the Wilbur Cross Parkway on the old train trestle. If my memory is correct, about 4-5 miles north of the zoo, the trail ends in a residential neighborhood on Manor Dr. Follow Manor to Gregory Pl to Laurel St to Daniels Farm Rd to Church Hill Rd to Tait Rd. This detour is no longer than ¾ mile. Tait will take you directly to the main trail head for the Pequannock Valley Greenway/Housatonic Rail-Trial.

From this point the trail is mostly stone dust with some paved sections. I was on my hybrid bike and handled it easily. The trail was fairly well graded and dry when I was there, however I would not suggest using a road bike in this section. Most of the trail goes through a beautiful gorge as shown in the videos above. Well worth the trip. At several points, the trail will dump you onto short connecting sections on residential streets. I went as far as the terminus in Newtown. The farther north you go, the rougher the trail. Near the Newtown terminus, the trail is definitely single track as shown in one of the videos, following the old train tracks which are still in place. Hopefully this last section will be cleaned up in the future.

A 12-15 mile round trip starting at the zoo will take you into the best part of the trail. You might experience more of it if you start slightly farther north, perhaps at Twin Brooks Park or at the trailhead on Tait Road. Let us know how it goes.

mystang52

Damn...long story, but we ended up in White Plains NY instead. I rode Bronx River Greenway, not nearly as much fun as Pequannock apparently would have been. But, it's now on my bucket list.

UniChris

Is there any good way to get to this from the train station in Bridgeport? What I'm seeing seems to involve a section on Route 1 that doesn't look appealing, and a few other issues between Beardsley and the next park...

TL37

I didn’t see an answer to UniChris’s question above. I live nearby and ride this trail end-to-end a few times a month, so hopefully this info is useful.

From directly in front of the Bridgeport train station, Housatonic Ave runs straight north and is a bike route. The bike lane is actually raised at the curb like a wide, asphalt sidewalk. You then indeed have to join North Ave/US-1 for about half of a mile. It’s busier but sufficiently wide and as long as you follow the lights through the intersections you should be fine. I’ve tried a few other ways to Beardsley and this is the best option IMO. Once you cross Chopsey Hill Rd. (near the BMW dealership) it turns into a quieter street that brings you right to the bike path entrance at the park.

I’ve never had concerns about personal security riding this stretch. Other areas of Bridgeport are a different story, and you have the normal city drivers everywhere but there’s enough room for everyone on these streets.

Last year a connector was completed from Quarry Rd (by the movie theater) under the Merritt Parkway which brings you to a marked crossing of Rt 127 in Trumbull and then directly into Twin Brooks Park. It’s a HUGE improvement over the previous setup and is now possibly the nicest part of the entire trail, with just a short and quiet on-road stretch before crossing into Twin Brooks. It shows on Google Maps now as a bike trail, too.

UniChris

Thanks!

I'm not sure if I'd realized that the wide asphalt "sidewalk" up Housatonic Ave was a bike path, now it's clear that it is. It's the next part on US-1 that worries me though; I get that it would be fine for many, but will have to think about that more.

I see the start of that, and at least quiet residential streets that seem to go into Twin Brooks. But I'm unsure how you get from there over to Pequonnock River Valley State Park - Manor Drive which seems most direct looks like it dead ends, I guess Laurel St would go through, hmm, that could work.

I guess worst case I have to walk about a mile if I chicken out of US-1.

Might be something I'll have to check out sometime, especially when the days start to get short for trips to longer trails.

TL37

You’re exactly right that Laurel St. is the way. There’s a right immediately after exiting the park to get you there. Then across Daniels Farm Rd and onto Taits Mill to the trailhead.