page_title: Shenipsit Trail
section_title: Central Section
hierarchical_section_title: Shenipsit Trail / Trail Route / Central Section
caption_attribution_description: English: Section of the Shenipsit Trail along the former Stafford Springs Street Railway right-of-way in Rockville in December 2018
context_page_description: The Shenipsit Trail is a Blue-Blazed hiking trail located in Central Connecticut between 3.5 and 7 miles east of the Connecticut River. It runs 50 miles in a north-south direction. The southern trailhead is on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt, CT on the southern end of the Meshomasic State Forest. The northern trailhead is on Greaves Road past Bald Mountain and the Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford, CT. The trail runs primarily through the Shenipsit and Meshomasic State Forests, and Case Mountain, but also utilizes other public and private land holdings. The Native American name Shenipsit means at the great pool, referring to the Shenipsit Lake, which the trail passes by. The Shenipsit Trail is divided into three sections: South, Central, and North. The Shenipsit Trail is one of the blue-blazed hiking trails managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
context_section_description: The Central Section goes from Route 2 in Glastonbury to Risley Pond in Vernon.
  The Central Section of the trail starts just north of Route 2, and can be reached from Toll Gate Road in Glastonbury. The trail stretches about 4.9 miles from Route 2 to Hebron Avenue (Route 94) in Glastonbury. The trail crosses Hebron Ave at Birch Mountain Road.
  The trail follows Birch Mountain Road for 0.3 mile before turning left into the woods and once again becomes a single track trail.  The trail crosses through many stone walls and enters the Case Mountain trail system. After crossing the power lines, the trail becomes very rocky and a section of it is referred to by mountain-bikers as “Slick-Rock”. Crossing Coop-Sawmill Road, a dirt road, the trail rolls up and down small steep hills until it reaches the top of Case Mountain in Manchester. Taking a left on the Lookout Mountain trail for 600 feet takes you to the top of Lookout Mountain where there are benches, information kiosks, and a vista with a view of Hartford and the Connecticut River Valley. The trail continues along a ridge past the intersection with the Lookout Mountain Trail, crosses Birch Mountain Rd in Manchester, then comes out on a residential street.
  After following some trails, gas-line easements, and roads, the trail picks up again at an abandoned drive-in theater on US Route 6 near Bolton Notch State Park. The trail goes through Bolton Notch State Park for about a mile, then shares its pathway with the Hop River Bike Path for about two miles between Bolton Notch and Valley Falls Park. The trail crosses Bolton Road, and drops into the Belding Wildlife Management Area then the Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area, crossing the Tankerhoosen River at the bottom of the mill pond. It then winds north between West Walker Reservoir and Highway 84, before ending at the public area on Reservoir Road at East Walker Reservoir, where there are picnic tables and fishing areas. From there, the trail follows roads for another four miles. Paved roads lead under the Route 31 underpass of Hwy 84 (exit 67) and down Route 30, then takes a turn through the Tolland County Agricultural Center, before making its way back to Route 30. The trail turns down Kingsbury Road and briefly down Route 74 before following a wooded trail (the former Stafford Springs Street Railway right-of-way) along Lake Shenipsit. At the northeast corner of the lake, the trail meets with Shenipsit Lake Road. The trail leaves public roads on Grahaber Rd in Tolland, a half mile west of the intersection of Shenipsit Lake Road and Grahaber Road/Browns Bridge Road, which is the southern end of the North section.
caption: The trail along Shenipsit Lake in Rockville
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