A couple of dads from Western MA with a couple of Surly Dummys filled with camping equip and a couple of toddlers are interested in doing 50 miles of the Airline Trail. We'd love to hear anyones experience riding this, especially with kids.
Few specific questions
- Any recommended camping spots around mid-point?
- Is the full 50miles completed? Online reports say it's in process, but who know of when these State websites were updated
The trail is packed gravel and mostly flat. You should make good time.
The middle will be a road ride through the Town of Willimantic. Not a nice place.
There's a campground for youth groups in Goodwin state forest. I'm not sure if you can use that. If you take the Hop River Trail there's a boy scout camp that might let you have a site. Hop river connects ot the Airline in Wilimantic.
Here's the junction of Airline and Hop river around Wilimantic and location of the bridges that are out.
ETA- there are stealth camping opportunities in the Salmon river state forrest it you're into that kind of thing.
Yes, Goodwin State Forest has youth group camping. You should contact them. The bridge over the Willimantic river is repaired, not sure if is officially open yet however. Either way it is a couple of miles on the road in Willimantic then the path is paved for a while before it turns back into dirt. The trail after Pomfret station is a bit rough but doable but about 2 miles after that it is incomplete. You will have to ride the road about 7 miles or so to get around Putnam. I recommend not riding through Putnam. You get back on the trail in Thompson then it is about 7 miles or so to the Mass line and the end of the trail. It would be helpful to do some advance scouting in these areas as it is unmarked. I think your trip is a great idea.
There are some gates at road crossings that barely have room for a single bike. It's to keep the atv's/motos out. You may have to do some lifting of the Big Dummy to get around/through.
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