09box

I'm going to be tagging along with the Mrs to a conference the weekend of October 14th to Hartford, CT and will be bringing my bike along. Any recommendations for riding in the area? I found a couple rail trails in the area and also some gravel roads. I have a Fuji Sportif disc that I run 35c road or 32c gravel tires on (depending on terrain)..

PeterCT

Considering the bike you have with you... head east from Hartford (check out the short rail trails along the CT River in Hartford and New Haven) and use google maps to follow the bike trails (that are broken up into sections) through Manchester till you get to the Hop River State Park Trail, which runs all the way Willimantic (the whole rail trail is 20 miles long, and the whole trip to Willimantic will be 30 something).

In WIllimantic, you'll intersect with the Airline Rail Trail which runs almost from the CT River to the Mass border, which then picks up more rail trails that will eventually get you to Providence. Probably more than you want to do .

If you prefer paved, head West to the Simsbury area. There is a great 35 mile loop on the Farmington River and Farmington Canal rail trails that are really pretty and paved, though you could take the Farmington Canal trail north into Mass or south to New Haven.

Have fun! CT is actually quite good for bike riding... courteous drivers and a fair amount of dedicated bike lanes as bike trails/roads.

dennis336

Depends how far you want to go from Hartford and how long you'd like to ride. One area I sometimes ride that's not too far from Hartford is out in New Hartford. If you park in town, you can ride up along Lake McDonough, then between Lake McDonough and the Barkhamsted Reservoir. Make your way over to People's Forest and up East River Road along the Farmington River and back down the other side on West River Road, then back on to New Hartford. A lot of variations depending on how many miles and how much climbing you want to do. Foliage may be starting around then so should be quite beautiful.