Southern New England Ride
Route
New Haven, CT to Providence, RI
Miles
181
Start Location
Canal Dock Boathouse, New Haven
Visitors to the East Coast Greenway in Connecticut and Rhode Island will enjoy a number of the Greenway’s earliest and most beloved stretches of protected paths on this mostly on-trail route.
The Route
From the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail to the Charter Oak, Hop River and Air Line State Park Trail in Connecticut to the Washington Secondary Trail across Rhode Island and the East Bay Bike Path alongside Narragansett Bay. The two states have some of the highest percentages
of completion among the Greenway’s 13 states — 50 percent for Connecticut, 68 percent for Rhode Island. In both cases, that progress is thanks to leadership from the top along with grassroots advocates: governors over the years who have championed the vision of a long-distance trail and whose transportation and parks departments have made it happen alongside dedicated trail advocates who have made their vision for trails a reality.
For more details than we can fit in this description we’ve created a guide that provides detailed historic information, food recommendations, and more information about local attractions along the route. Learn more and purchase the digital guide here.
Know Before You Go
There are Amtrak stations in New Haven and Providence at either end of the route. Amtrak Northeast requires bicycle reservations. They also require that you remove your front wheel to load your bike on the train. Camping options are available in Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island.
South New England Ride Segments
Between New Haven and Providence, the Southern New England Ride route is comprised of a number of popular trail segments for locals and visitors alike. Read on for route overviews.
New Haven to Simsbury
Begin your travels from New Haven at the Canal Dock Boathouse, the canal’s historic origin along the harbor front and mile zero of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Part of this segment travels through a new tunnel including lighting and interpretive displays as well as ramps and stairs for bike and pedestrian access. Back at street level, you’ll pass through a bit of Yale’s campus, then through a number of affordable housing developments as you head north.
Two-thirds of the way north to Simsbury you’ll encounter a four-plus mile segment of the route that is still on roads in Southington and Plainville. Construction of this final stretch of the trail is fully funded and scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Simsbury to East Hartford
The recently updated route leaving the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Simsbury travels north to Tariffville to a new section of greenway connecting to the two miles of Bloomfield Greenway ending at Old St. Andrews Church. From here you’ll be on roads until you reach downtown Hartford.
The Capital Region Council of Governments recently published a plan proposing two off-road options to connect Bloomfield with Hartford, opening long-awaited access to the capital for residents to its west.
In Hartford, scenic stretches of greenway run through the city’s Bushnell Park, along a beautiful bike-pedestrian bridge across the Connecticut River, and on the Great River Park Trail in East Hartford.
East Hartford to Willimantic
This route is nearly all on protected greenways, including some of the oldest and most beloved stretches of East Coast Greenway as you head east across Connecticut.
The Charter Oak Greenway extends approximately 17 miles from East Hartford through Manchester to Bolton. The City of East Hartford is beginning design work on over a mile of trail that will close a gap between the Great River Trail and the start of the Charter Oak Greenway along the I-84 and Silver Lane Corridor.
You’ll climb one long hill, two-plus miles, on the Charter Oak Greenway in Manchester. The rewards of your climb include ten miles of the Hop River Trail, a mostly crushed-stone path passing through a number of dramatic stone cuts and forested areas before eventually bringing you into Willimantic.
Willimantic to Putnam
The peaceful stone-dust Air Line State Park Trail takes you from downtown Willimantic to charming Pomfret Center with just one small gap in Putnam, which is designed and soon to be in construction. The trail is paved for a short distance through Willimantic before entering woods and changing to a stone-dust surface with a lush tree canopy. The former rail bed offers an easier grade than the surrounding roads which climb up and down a few ridges. A number of the trail’s bridges, tunnels, and street crossings were upgraded in recent years.
In downtown Putnam find restaurants, shops, and a stretch of greenway along the Quinebaug River’s banks.
Putnam to Coventry, Rhode Island
This is the most rural of all the East Coast Greenway segments through Connecticut and Rhode Island. The first half of the route is due south roughly following the path of the Quinebaug River with the Rhode Island state line just a few miles to your left. The route starts off along the 1.3-mile Putnam River Trail. A combination of road and off-road path follow, including the paved Quinebaug River Trail in Danielson and six new miles of the Moosup Valley State Park Trail through wetlands and and along the namesake river.
Eventually, with surface improvements, an extension of Rhode Island’s Trestle Trail will connect with the Moosup Valley State Park Trail.
Coventry to Providence
Enjoy 12 miles of the resurfaced Washington Secondary Trail as you head east and north to Providence. The multi-use path travels from Coventry through West Warwick, Warwick, and Cranston, ending just shy of the Providence line. From there you’ll wind your way on roads through increasingly urban areas to reach Broadway, a main east-west artery for the city with bike lanes on both sides, and into downtown Providence.
BONUS: Providence to Bristol & Back
From India Point Park in Providence, travel up and over the George Redman Linear Park, a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Seekonk River, then two blocks to the start of the 14-mile East Bay Bike Path. The scenic, mostly flat paved rail trail stretches north to south through East Providence, Barrington, Warren, and Bristol, Rhode Island.
Note two detours midway south, where new pedestrian bridges connecting Barrington and Warren are under construction. Until sometime in 2026, the route detours to protected sidewalks crossing the rivers along the main road.
The East Coast Greenway’s complementary coastal route from Providence follows the East Bay Bike Path south about 10 miles to Warren, then heads east onto the South Coast Bikeway and through coastal Massachusetts communities, including Fall River and New Bedford, and on to Cape Cod.
For a 30-mile round trip, travel from India Point in Providence south to Bristol and back. In season, from late June to mid- October, the Seastreak ferry between Providence and Newport offers occasional stops in Bristol, and bikes are no extra charge.
Future Connections
The Southern New England Ride route is poised for continued development by 2030.
More Itineraries
With a 3,000-mile route spanning Maine to Florida, the possibilities are endless for day trips, multi-day excursions and long-distance rides along the East Coast Greenway.
More Itineraries
With a 3,000-mile route spanning Maine to Florida, the possibilities are endless for day trips, multi-day excursions and long-distance rides along the East Coast Greenway.