Planted:                 Farmington Valley Greenway Letterbox; August 29, 2001

                                Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Letterbox; June 8, 2003

Length:                  Farmington Valley Greenway; 21 miles

                               Meadow Road Trail; 1.7 miles

                               Brickyard Road parking lot to Farmington Valley Greenway Letterbox; 4 3/4 miles

                        Brickyard Road parking lot to Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Letterbox; 1.1 miles 

                        Drive by; Avon Center                      

From I-84, take exit 39 and follow Route 4 east. 

To start from the Brickyard Road parking lot; Pass by  junction of Route 10  in Farmington and cross over the Farmington River. After 1.5 miles, take a right on Brickyard Road and proceed about a mile. On your left will be a parking lot and the trail.  

To start along the Meadow Road Trail; Turn left off of Route 4 onto Route 10 south. Less then a mile on your right will be Meadow Road. Go a short distance down Meadow Road where an unpaved parking lot will be on your right just after crossing over a small river. This is the Conklin Nature Trail parking lot. There are two other parking lots further along if you wish to start closer to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail (See clues). 

To start from Phelps Road near the CT/MA border; From Routes 10 & 202 in Granby, CT, just over the line from MA, take Quarry Rd east from "Five Points" to Phelps Rd on your left. You'll travel underneath the trail and come to a small parking lot on your left.

For the Drive-By; Simply take Route 10 north to Routes 10 & 44 into Avon Center and park at the Avon Town Hall. See clues.

From the start of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail; The trail is flat and straight and is also very shaded, which is nice on a hot summer day. There are millage markers roughly every 1/2 mile along the trail starting from Red Oak Hill Road. After 3/4 miles and just before the bridge over the Farmington River look to your right and you'll  notice a gravel pullout and a small knoll. This is just before the start of a split rail fence. Facing this knoll, spot a two trunked Birch tree near the base of the knoll and a small Oak tree in the shape of a Y to the right. Next, look between these two trees for a Pine tree that resides on the opposite side of this knoll. Climb over the knoll to the Pine tree and at its base, under some leaves and an old iron grill is the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Letterbox. Continuing along the trail you cross a bridge high over the Farmington River. Fantastic views.  After 1.1 miles you cross over Route 4 via a rebuilt railroad trestle bridge. To your right to spot an old railroad siding that ran to an old brick building. The rails are still in place. Travel along a berm and down to your right will be a pond. You come to the Brickyard Road parking lot after 1.8 miles. Use Caution as the trail crosses over a sometimes busy Brickyard Road. Soon, you'll cross over into Avon. After you pass through a marsh, the Thompson Road parking lot will be on your left around the 3 mile mark. Keep a sharp eye out for remnants of the old rail line. I spotted old telephone poles and old whistle stop markers (a granite post with a large W carved into it). Just after crossing over Scoville Road an old train station will be on your right behind a high  fence. This red stone station was built in the 1920’s by the founder of Avon Old Farms School and is used today for faculty housing; hence the fence. When you get a break in the tree-line along the right side of the trail, you’ll have a nice view of Talcott Mountain and the Heublin Tower atop it. After crossing Sandscreen Road at 5 miles you'll pass by a lumber yard and at 5.8 miles the trail ends at the Town of Avon’s Public Works lot (a parking lot is also located here). A short 1/4 mile on-road detour follows. There are green "Bike Route" signs leading the way. Pass through the parking lot and turn right down the access road. Cross over Arch Road and head up Security Drive. There is very little traffic and a bike lane, but it is a bit of a hill. Turn right and head downhill along Darling Drive. Just before the traffic light, cross over the crosswalk where a tunnel takes you under Route 44 and you emerge in the rear parking area of the Avon Police and Town Hall at mile 6. You are now on the site of the old Ensign-Bickford Company. These striking brownstone buildings were constructed by the Climax Fuse Company in 1884 and then acquired by Ensign-Bickford in 1907. Safety fuses were manufactured there until 1968. Today the buildings are used by the Town of Avon, a business park and the Farmington Valley Arts Center. As you wind your way through this complex you will cross over a small canal with old gate locks. The paved trail picks up again straight ahead, however, for the Letterbox take a left and proceed down a small paved path, passing by an old stone lantern. To seek your prize, follow this code; 9-13-23-8. Where the black ends and the path to R&C begins, take a compass reading of 276 and head straight for the four "Patient Parking" signs. Starting from the furthest sign to your right, take approximately 17 paces (2 steps = 1 pace) right down Redstone Lane. Off the road to your left should be a Pine tree. Directly behind this tree will be a large Norway Spruce tree (the branches look like they are raining down). Behind this tree, underneath 2 flat rocks, will be the  Farmington Valley Greenway  Letterbox. Head back to the canal. For those who prefer a Drive-by, simply park at the Avon Town Hall (near Routes 10 & 44) and start at the canal. Continuing along the road from the canal, cross over Ensign Drive and head left where the paved trail picks up again next to the Avon Green. There are shaded benches, a Veterans Memorial and a nice gazebo.  After a short distance, you’ll cross over Route 10, where a parking lot is located , along with a map board. Next, you'll come to a T in the trail. Go left. Right brings you to Sperry Park. You’ll now be riding along the Farmington River and Nod Brook Wildlife Management Area. Great views of Talcott Mt. and Heublin Tower. After about 1 1/4 miles from the Green, you pass by an Avon/Simsbury Town Line marker. You cross over Route 10 at 8.1 miles (use caution, as there is no cross-light) and after 9.6 miles, you must cross it again. However, there are two cross-lights for this busy intersection. The trail continues along the old rail bed and then detours out alongside Route 10, bypassing the Ensign-Bickford Munitions Company. The trail now travels alongside Route 10 and the Ensign-Bickford Munitions Company. You cross over Hop Brook, which flows through the Ensign-Bickford compound. The next section utilizes a sidewalk, but plans call for an easement for the trail all the way to Iron Horse Blvd. Construction is slated to begin sometime in 2009. Here, the trail follows the sidewalk along Route 10 up a small hill where you'll come to a cross-light at 4  3/4 miles. The Farmington Valley Greenway continues straight. You may also access Stratton Brook State Park by crossing over Route 10 and following the sidewalk alongside Routes 309/167 for about 3/4 miles. See;  Stratton Brook Spur Trail Letterbox for more directions. Continuing north along the Farmington Valley Greenway, follow the sidewalk right when you reach Drake Hill Road. Head straight down Drake Hill Road. You will see a bike route sign directing you to cross over Drake Hill Road where the paved trail begins again. You will have a clear view of Talcott Mountain in the East. A quick detour of only a few hundred yards by continuing straight along Drake Hill Road  will bring you to the Bridge of Flowers. This is a pedestrian bridge decorated with live flowering plants over the Farmington River. Continuing north, this section of the trail runs alongside Iron Horse Blvd in Simsbury Center. There are tons of parking lots along this section. This section also has green "period" lamp posts and historical markers explaining the areas railroad history. At about the 5 1/4 mile mark you will see a sign for a conservation area and a signpost that says Helens Way. Across the street you will see an old railroad station now converted into the "One Way Fare Pub" eatery along with an old red caboose. For a short side trip you may proceed down Helens Way which consists of a long wooden boardwalk. Just up the trail a bit further is the Rotary Park Playground. Kid heaven. There is also a large amphitheatre here. The trail forks before reaching Route 10. Head right past the little plant island and bench. The trail now follows alongside the Simsbury Wildlife Management Area and Farmington River. You get a glimpse of the Farmington River as it bends near the trail. At the 7 mile mark you pass by another parking area and come to a cross-light across Tarriffville Road, by the junction of Route 10. Next comes a long straightaway across a berm through wetlands. The paved trail then crosses Wolcott Road and travels over a culvert with a scenic red barn to your right and a stream on your left coming from Lake Basile. You come to the end of  Lordship Road at 8.7 miles. Right takes you to the Simsbury Tri-Town Airport. We saw a Bobcat here in June 2003. The trail detours left, bypassing a large plant nursery and brings you out to Route 10. Turning right the trail follows Route 10 for a ways and then turns right alongside Floydville Road. Eventually, you'll turn left, bringing you back along the old rail trail at 16.5 miles. The trail travels along the nursery before entering the woods along a high berm. You cross over an old railroad trestle bridge high above Salmon Brook. If you look to your right, downstream, you can see Cranbury Park. You pass by the old Granby Railroad Station and then cross over Route 189. Check out the old railroad tracks along the right side of the trail. After heading back into the woods you'll come to Route 20 and a map board at 18.5 miles. Use Caution crossing this very busy road. The Newgate Wildlife Management parking lot is located here. You head into deep woods along this ramrod straight trail and after a 1/2 mile a Horse Path crosses the trail. After 20 miles you come to Copper Hill Road, where a left brings you to another parking lot. After crossing an iron rail bridge you travel through a large wetland and then through open cropland. After crossing another iron rail bridge over Phelps Road at 21 miles, a parking lot is located to your right. The paved trail ends and the last 0.3 miles of unfinished trail continues north to Massachusetts. As of September, 2009, work has begun on two culverts along this last segment. The trail continues into Massachusetts as the Southwick Rail Trail. See; Southwick Rail Trail for more information. The Southwick Rail Trail will in turn connect to the future Columbia Greenway, in the town of Westfield. This trail is currently funded. The trail will eventually continue along the old rail line through Southampton and into Easthampton on the already completed Manahan Rail Trail. See; Manahan Rail Trail Letterbox . The Manahan Rail Trail will eventually to the Northampton Bike Path in Northampton. See; Northampton Bike Path Letterbox .You'll then be able to access the Norwottuck Rail Trail, which travels from Northampton to Amherst. See; Norwottuck Rail Trail Letterbox .

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