RIVERFRONT TRAIL LETTERBOX:
HARTFORD/EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted: June 6, 2003
Length: Riverside Trail Loop; 4 1/4 miles if biking. Less then 3 miles if hiking.
Riverside Park Spur; 2 mile round trip.
Riverside Park Trail Loop; 2 3/4 miles.
Great River Park to Letterbox; less then a 1/4 mile.
Difficulty: Easy. Mostly paved and flat.
Detour sections not recommended for kids on bikes.
Directions:
To start at Great River Park: From I-84 westbound, take exit 54 towards downtown Hartford, then exit 3. At end of ramp turn left onto Darlin Street and another left onto East River Drive. Follow for less then a mile to the park entrance on your right. From I-84 east bound, take exit 53 and follow signs for East River Drive. Right off the ramp onto East River Drive and follow for about 3/4 of a mile to the park entrance on your right. There are brown signs indicating the way.
To start at Charter Oak Landing: From I-91 northbound, take exit 27, turn left off the ramp onto Brainard Road and go 0.8 miles. Turn left onto Reserve Road and go a 1/2 mile to the park entrance on the right. Southbound, turn left off the ramp onto Airport Road, then left onto Brainard Road and go 0.7 miles. Turn left onto Reserve Road and go a 1/2 mile to the park entrance on the right.
To start at Riverside Park: From I-91, take exit 33 and turn east onto Jennings Road. Next turn right onto Leibert Road and go less then a 1/2 mile to the park entrance on the left.
Hartford's waterfront along the Connecticut River, has been greatly improved thanks to "Riverfront Recapture", which was started in 1981. Charter Oak Landing was completed in 1989 and East Hartford opened Great River Park in 1990. The Riverside Plaza was opened in 1999 and a new boat house was erected in Riverside Park in 2002. All these parks are now interconnected through a mostly paved trail system along the banks of the Connecticut River and the Founders and Charter Oak Bridges. For more information visit EAST COAST GREENWAY or RIVERFRONT .
Note: During times of flooding, parts of the trail may be submerged, especially along the eastern shoreline.
Starting from the Great
River
Park; Head south or
downstream from the parking lot along the paved trail. You'll immediately come
to a fork in the trail. Left brings you to the outdoor amphitheater, so head
right. At this point, start counting the lamp posts, starting with the first one
just past the fork, next to the two stone benches. The trail runs alongside the
Connecticut River
and this section especially, is prone to spring flooding. Just before you reach
the 9th lamp post, look to your left for a small path. This is less then a ¼
mile from the park. Part of it contains asphalt. Walk up this short path and
cross over an oblong red boulder and chunk of cement blocking the path. From
these rocks, walk 14 paces (1 pace = 2 steps) further along the path. Look to
your right for a multi-trunked, small diameter tree about 10 feet off the path.
Behind this tree, lift up the cinder block to find the Riverfront Trail
Letterbox under a small piece of cement. Please replace the cement as it
helps to protect the box. Be careful of this tree as it has thorny branches.
There is also some Poison Ivy below this location, so watch your step.
Continuing south along the trail, after a ½ mile, you'll next encounter a very
ornamental bridge that crosses over the
Hokanum
River.
Note; If you’re hiking, cross over the bridge and head for the
stairway that leads up to the Charter Oak Bridge.
If you’re biking, you'll
need to take a short detour to cross the Charter Oak Bridge. Just
before this bridge, there is a gravel trail on your left called the Meadow
Hill Trail that is part of the Hokanum River Linear Park. There is a
sign board just down this trail. Head down this trail alongside the
Hokanum
River
and pass under Route 2. You'll come to an open field where the
trail takes a sharp right and passes underneath the power lines. At this turn,
you'll have to push your bike up a small incline and lift it over the guard rail
to the sidewalk. Follow the sidewalk along East River Drive
as it crosses over the
Hokanum
River. Turn right at the I-91/Routes 5 &15 onramp and follow the trail
over the Charter Oak Bridge. After about a mile detour from the Hokanum
River Bridge, you'll come to the top of the pedestrian stairway.
Continue across the bridge and enjoy the great views of the
Connecticut River
and the Hartford
skyline. Another ¼ mile brings you to a second set of stairs down to Charter
Oak Landing. If biking, continue down the ramp to the road. Here you will
see a remaining support from the old Charter Oak Bridge, which is now
used as an entrance sign for Charter Oak Landing. Cross the road and
railroad tracks and follow the sidewalk into Charter Oak Landing. Here
you will find a parking lot, pavilion, ferry dock, picnic tables and a playscape.
The playscape is about the 2.5 mile mark if biking. From the playscape, you will
need to take a short detour on a rough trail to bypass an unfinished section of
the Riverfront Trail. To your left will be the paved road. Look for the
gravel trail that starts between two orange poles, just below the highway. Take
the gravel trail and continue north. You'll
quickly come to a fork in the trail. Turn left and push your bike up a short
section of trap rock to just below the highway. Turn right and a short dirt
trail will bring you down to the paved service road. Follow the service road to
the right. Left will take you underneath I-91 to the Colt
Building. You will soon be traveling alongside the
Connecticut River
again. You reach
Riverfront
Plaza
at the 3 mile mark, where a ramp takes you up to the elevator. If biking, this
elevator is the only way to get your bike up to the top of the plaza to cross
the Founders
Bridge.
Note; Before heading up the elevator you may continue north past the plaza seating and ferry dock along the Riverside Park Spur. This section of trail winds through a nicely landscaped park with stone benches and lamp posts. This takes you below the Bulkeley Bridge where you can check out the high water marks for all the big floods. The trail then continues alongside the river all the way to Riverside Park, which contains a playground, picnic tables, Porto-potty's, boat launch and a boathouse. There is also a bike/pedestrian bridge that takes you over I-91 to Hartford's north end. The Spur Trail is about 1 mile from the Riverfront Plaza to the boathouse. Behind the boathouse are a series of mountain bike trails called the Riverside Park Trails. A map board is located here. Head straight along the "blue trail", although I couldn't find any trail markings in blue, on a flat, dirt trail. You pass underneath a railroad trestle and come alongside the dike. A gravel trail continues straight and is very rough for biking. Instead, take the trail up to the top of the dike (trap rock only until you reach the top) at a ½ mile. The top of the dike is a hard packed grass lined trail. Take a quick detour by heading right along the dike, passing by the Hartford Police Station and Fire Training School to your left until you come alongside the landfill at 1 ¼ miles. Here, the trail turns to trap rock and is not worth riding. Good views of the river however. Head back along the dike and continue past where you accessed the dike. You'll come to the railroad tracks, where you'll need to push your bike over the tracks and back up the dike. Caution; this is an active freight line. Follow the dike around to Leibert Road, where you head left down this road and back to Riverside Park. You'll reach the boathouse after a 2 ¾ mile loop.
Continuing from the Riverfront Plaza, take the elevator up to the top of the plaza. After reaching the top of Riverfront Plaza, you may wish to explore Constitution Plaza by crossing over the Phoenix Gateway Pedestrian Bridge and also check out the ongoing construction of Adriaen's Landing and the CT Science Center. When you’re ready, cross over the Founders Bridge Promenade back to the East Hartford side of the river. Just after crossing over, look to your right for a ramp that will take you down to East River Drive. If hiking, a stairway will bring you directly down to the Riverfront Trail. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left and travel under the Founders Bridge. A paved trail on your left will then lead you up to the top of the flood wall and over to the Bulkeley Bridge. From here you can travel back down to the Riverfront Trail. The trail heads south alongside the Connecticut River, passes underneath the Founders Bridge and returns you to the Great River Park after a 4 ¼ mile loop (not counting the detours to Riverside Park).
HH
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
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