The Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway is a great place to bring the family for a bike or walk!
Multiple Access Points:
There are a ton of ways to access the trail, which is great because you won't have to drive far to find parking. Here are a few access points with parking:
- Lazy Ln in Southington, next to the Southington Police Station. This is the start of this stretch of trail.
- Mill St in Southington, next to the Dog Park and Southington YMCA. There is a decent size lot and a porta-potty. Also great if you want to let your pup play for a bit and then take a walk!
- There are several spots along South Center St. This also gives you walking access to Center St, Southington with ice cream shops, breweries, restaurants and more!
- Mastrianni Place, off Burritt St
- Further down towards Cheshire is another lot on Canal St/Peck Ln, right past the light on Meriden Waterbury Tpke.
- 464 Jarvis St in Cheshire
- 185 Willow St in Cheshire
Doing a Google Search for "Rails to Trails" or "Linear Trail Parking" will bring up a handy map and directions to all locations.
Our Favorite Stretch:
This summer we started family bike rides! I felt my kids were old enough to keep up (at least for a few miles!) but I wanted a stretch of trail that was not too busy without too many road intersections. Our favorite so far is parking right at the Southington-Cheshire line on Canal St. There are several parking spaces, not quite an actual lot, but we've never had trouble finding a spot.
Taking a right once on the trail, towards Cheshire, provides several miles of trail with only 1 or 2 road crossings, depending on how far you want to go. We've gotten almost 2 miles with one road crossing at West Johnson Ave and have not encountered much traffic there.
Another nice option is starting at the end point at the Southington Police Station and you can go about .5 miles before hitting a road. This is nice if you have little ones who can only handle about a mile at a time! Also I feel safer parking near the police station when it's just me and the kids.
Here is the Mill St parking lot. I like to take my 4 yr old son here so he can play around on the giant rocks and in the little overhang area. Sometimes we actually get to walk too!
Stopping For Treats!
The trail near the center of Southington has so many great options to stop and snack! There is Zingarella's which has an outside ice cream window.
Witchdoctor Brewing is right next door and always has great brews on tap and live music some nights! Right up Center St are places like Paul Gregory's for homemade sandwiches, pizza and pastries, Praline's Cafe for some of the best ice cream & milk shakes, and Frootie Tooties Candy Shop for goodies.
Our family favorite is Kinsmen Brewing for an evening bike & pizza. This brewery & restaurant is right on the trail and you can leave your bikes right on the grass and walk in! There are several outdoor picnic tables and excellent service.
Be sure to get out on the trail and get some fresh air and exercise!
For more information on the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway visit https://www.farmingtoncanal.org/
