The
only other time I started a ride from this part of the trail, it was not paved.
It must have been 1998 or ’99, and the ride headed south in hard packed dirt,
which quickly deteriorated to soft sand. The next hazard was a stream
connecting two swamps with a bridge over it. But, the bridge didn’t have any
decking on it and my friend, Nancy, and I walked our bikes across on the 2 x
4s.
The
north section of this trail was not to be ridden on my bike. It was chunky
loose gravel. My hybrid tires would have been shredded in no time, so I never
did ride north. That’s what today’s ride is all about. This entire section is
now paved!
Today’s
ride started at the parking lot on Phelps Rd. in Granby just south of the
Massachusetts state line. The parking lot is really just a corner of a farmer’s
field…and the trail is right there.
Because
this morning was super cool I got up early, had a good breakfast, and got to
the trail about 9:45. At this hour the trail is nicely shaded.
The
first mile north is the end of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Once the
state line is crossed it becomes the Southwick Rail Trail. It travels through
farmland, swamps and marshes, and past a golf course. Very little residential
is seen, although I have to believe it is just over the other side of thick
woods. Several small paths connect to the trail and I’ll bet they go to the
neighborhoods. One nice feature of this trail is its many parking areas. At
least one of them has a Porta-Potty. I didn’t notice it because I didn’t
realize there was one there until after I finished the ride and read the trail
info one more time. I should note here that the information given in the link
at the beginning is not totally up-to-date. The trail goes about one more mile
than mentioned in the info.
Once
the trail enters the town of Westfield, it becomes the Columbia Greenway. After
7.5 miles the improved section comes to an end. As close as I can tell, it ends
at Shaker Rd in Westfield, MA. Across the road I could see the rest of the
trail not yet improved, but in the process. This is very exciting. The trail
will eventually become part of a larger corridor from New Haven, CT to
Northampton, MA. Depending on where it comes out in Northampton, it might be
close to the Norwottuck trail that goes east to Belchertown. That would be a
total of approximately 65 miles. Not something I would ride all at once, but
for those bike tours that raise funds for charities, this begins to get
interesting.
By
the time I headed back to my car, the trail was much sunnier. Thank goodness
it’s a cool day!
I
want to come back to this trail, but next time ride south toward Simsbury, just
to see the difference from my first ride. I sure hope that bridge has had some
decking put on it!
