A man hiking with his dog on a path through the woods in the fall with fallen leaves covering the ground (CTVisit)
Alert

11/20/24 - Airline State Park Trail is closed from Estabrooks/11th Section Road to Station Road in Hampton, to facilitate trail maintenance and hazard tree mitigation projects in that area.

Air Line State Park Trail

Multi-Town, CT

Stretching fifty miles across eastern Connecticut from Thompson to Portland, this multi-use trail draws walkers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, roller bladers, skaters, and more from across the region. The route once offered fashionable, rapid transit from New York to Boston, and takes its name from the imaginary line between the two cities taking the shortest possible path through the “air”. On its way to Boston, the Air Line overcame tremendous obstacles in Connecticut’s eastern highlands including ridges, valleys and, of course, politics. The trains are long gone, but today’s travelers enjoy the same inspiring panoramas and solitude that have greeted travelers since the line was constructed in the 1870s.

Traversing through state parks and forests, town parks, wildlife preserves, and more, the trail includes a segment of the East Coast Greenway and connects to the Hop River Trail in Columbia and the Southern New England Trunkline Trail at the Massachusetts state line.

Fun fact: In the 1890s, the rail cars were painted white with gold trim highlights. As the train sped across Eastern Connecticut, the seemingly luminescent cars stood out, especially at twilight, and the legendary “Ghost Train” was born. 

Views from the Park
An island in the water (Instagram@mmiller345)
TriAthlete running (Instagram@runfree_trihard)
Riding horses down a trail in the woods (instagram@alwayshappier15)
A pond with lillypads surrounded by trees (Instagram@racerxnyc)
Location

Multi-Town, CT 06237

Get Directions

Details
Park Maps
Contact

Main (860) 295-9523

Woman on beach cruiser along Air Line State Park Trail (Instagram@fotolga_)
Activities

Overview

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

SOUTHERN SECTION 

Portland – Windham (31 miles)
Colchester Spur (3.6 miles)

Maps

Trailhead Parking

Portland 

  • 82 Middle Haddam Road

East Hampton 

  • Smith Street, near intersection with Flanders Road

Colchester 

  • Route 149 near Route 2
  • Bull Hill Road, .3 miles north of River Road intersection  
  • River Road, near intersection with South Street
  • Along River Road, 0.4 mile west of intersection with Route 149 
  • Along Old Hartford Road, 0.1 mile east of intersection with Jones Street 

Hebron

  • Along Old Colchester Road. 300 feet north of Heron Hill Road 
  • Church Street (Route 85) one half mile south of intersection with Route 207
  • Lebanon Road (Route 207) 0.35 miles east of intersection with Route 85

Columbia

  • Along west side of Route 87, about 250 feet north of Columbia/Lebanon town lines 

Lebanon

  • Leonard Bridge Road, 0.35 miles north of intersection with Tobacco Street
  • Chesbro Bridge Road, 0.1 miles north of intersection with Tobacco Street
  • Along Cook Hill Road, 0.4 mile south of its intersection with Synagogue Road 
  • Along Kingsley Road, 0.4 miles west of the Windham/Lebanon town line

NORTHERN SECTION

Windham – Putnam (21 miles) 
Thompson – Mass. State Line (6.6 miles)

Maps

Trailhead Parking

Windham

  • Along Beaver Hill Road at Windham Road (Route 203) 

Chaplin

  • Intersection of Chewink and Lynch Roads

Hampton

  • Potter Road, 0.6 mile north of intersection with Route 6 in Goodwin State Forest

Pomfret

  • Pomfret Station, 13 Railroad Avenue (off Route 169)
  • West side of Pomfret Town Office, 455 Mashamoquet Road (Route 44)
  • Pomfret Senior Center, 207 Mashamoquet Road (Route 44)

Thompson

  • 121 Riverside Drive, Route 12, Mechanicsville
  • Along 388 Sand Dam Road 
  • 662 East Thompson Road, near the junction of New Road

 

Hiking

Other

Winter

Additional Park Info

Fees

Free

Accessibility

Sections in East Hampton, Colchester & Hebron, CT

Pets

Yes, on leash

Family going for a ride on Air Line Trail (Instagram@peatonrobb)
While You’re Here
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