Southern New England Trunkline Trail

May 31, 2020 Sunny

This level trail goes through 6 towns and stretches 22 miles from Douglas in the far southwest up to Franklin, along the 495 loop. We decided to explore the section from the east at Franklin, since it was a closer drive and appeared to be flatter.

The trail started off as packed gravel but was not completely smooth. This made it a little bumpy and harder going for Miles (our 7 year old). In fact, the trail was better suited to mountain bikes than comfort bikes.

The scenery in the Franklin State Forest is mostly similar, but with some rocky areas.

Unfortunately, there were some muddy spots from earlier rains, even though we visited on a sunny and dry day. On these sections we had to carefully navigate some roots and rocks, and at times had to dismount and walk our bikes.

At about 1 1/3 miles into the ride, we came to an unpassable section of the trail. It turns out that the state is building an underpass for the rail trail at Prospect Street in Franklin, so riders don’t need to detour uphill and cross that busy road. This section is closed off to riders for the time being, with project completion slated for the end of 2020.

Unfortunately for us, the trail construction marked the end of our day, so we were forced to turn back. If you try this trail, be sure to check on the construction progress, or start to the west of Prospect Street. Have a trail map handy, and be aware that there are a few other sections where the trail is discontinuous.

Given the short ride, we are still planning to try the Douglas State Forest entrance to the trail, to see more of the route.

This trail has various sections but starting from the Franklin State Forest, we found the path pretty bumpy and muddy in sections. Better for more experienced bicyclists with mountain bikes, rather than a leisure ride.
This trail might have been good, but we started in a section that was not kept up. Worth trying a different section.
It wasn’t great, but I’m adding a star for each time Miles fell off his bike.
A very bumpy bike trail with many mud spots, wasn’t so good.
super bumpy. I fell off my bike 3 times and I had like the worst day of my life :[