huckepack

New England National Scenic Trail

Length

Stated
353.1 km, the sum of the 36 main stages (New England Trail)
Map line
Not used: only 88 % matched on its weakest stage
Search
Compares this trail by the stated length

353.1km

Ascent · descent

This trail
10,609 m up, 10,328 m down
Source
The sum of the 36 main stages (New England Trail)

10,609m ↑10,328m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingClimbing: 30 m per km
  • Climate: Moderate in Sep–OctHeat: 23 °C by day (September)
  • Effort: DemandingLongest day: ≈ 6 h 30 (stage CT 9)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Moderate in Sep–Oct; Effort: Demanding
Suggested
14–28days

Per stage

How
The 36 main stages' totals over their number
Source
New England Trail, so the averages come from one source

9.8km· 290 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 96%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 2%
  • Farmland and villages: 2%
  • Water, snow and ice: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by MConradWard, H. Morrow Long, Hallettx, Craig R, John Phelan, Chris Rycroft and Morrowlong; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
United States
Regions
Connecticut, Massachusetts
Start
Chittenden Park, Guilford (Long Island Sound)
Finish
Massachusetts–New Hampshire state line, Royalston
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Guilford station (Amtrak, Shore Line East)1.8 km by road · 5 min
  • Bradley International Airport (BDL)89 km by road · 89 min
  • Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD)134.9 km by road · 109 min
  • Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)234.1 km by road · 178 min
Protected areas
Cockaponset State Forest; Trimountain State Park; Talcott Mountain State Park; Penwood State Park; Robinson State Forest; Mount Tom State Reservation; Wendell State Forest; Mount Grace State Forest; Warwick State Forest
Managed by
National Park Service, Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Appalachian Mountain ClubOfficial website
Waymarking
A NET marker throughout, and the whole trail blazed with painted or nail-up rectangles about the size of a dollar bill at eye level: light blue in Connecticut, white in Massachusetts.
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Variant
  • By boat
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T2 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The trail is well marked and easy to follow, single track along traprock ridges and through forest with several road walks, but rugged in some sections: steep, rugged climbs over loose rock (CT 14), scrambling climbs (CT 15), cliffs that are dangerous when wet (CT 11) and a steep pitch where some may need a rope (MA 9). Mountain hiking on marked paths (T2), with short steeper scrambles.
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbing30 m per km
  • Steep stretches5 % of the way
  • Natural ground83 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Sep–Oct

  • Heat · September23 °C by day
  • Cold · October4 °C at night
  • Wet days · October10 days
  • Snow · October1 day
  • Wind · October17 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Demanding

  • Longest day · stage CT 9estimated 6 h 30

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
8–23°C
Nights in season · highest point
−6 to 10°C
Wet days a month
8–11
Daylight
9.7–14.5h
SeasonSeasonDay high and night low−20 °C−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight9.4 h10.5 h11.8 h13.3 h14.5 h15.2 h14.9 h13.9 h12.4 h11.0 h9.7 h9.1 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January3.3 / -2.6-2.3 / -11.2107.630.49.4
February4.2 / -2.2-0.6 / -10.59.17.22810.5
March7.6 / 0.73.9 / -6.110.56.327.811.8
April12.9 / 5.610.7 / 0.111.33.215.713.3
May18 / 10.916.9 / 6.411.10.20.914.5
June23.2 / 16.422 / 11.811.50015.2
July26.8 / 20.325 / 14.910.60014.9
August26.2 / 20.124.1 / 14.39.70013.9
September22.7 / 16.719.9 / 10.48.20012.4
October16.9 / 11.212.9 / 4.49.50.54.111
November11 / 5.36.2 / -1.49.32.7209.7
December6 / 0.70.6 / -6.910.67.228.89.1

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevationTime
CT 5Chittenden Park (Long Island Sound), Guilford Clapboard Hill Road, Guilford5.1 km36 m ↑0 m ↓0 → 40 m1 h 15
CT 6Clapboard Hill Road, Guilford Willow Road, Guilford7.2 km101 m ↑94 m ↓40 → 50 m2 h 00
CT 7Willow Road, Guilford Guilford (Timberlands)5.8 km66 m ↑38 m ↓50 → 80 m1 h 30
CT 8Guilford (Timberlands) Mattabesett Trail junction, North Guilford8.7 km135 m ↑61 m ↓80 → 160 m2 h 30
CT 9Mattabesett Trail junction, North Guilford New Haven Road (Route 17), Durham20.4 km526 m ↑561 m ↓150 → 100 m6 h 30
CT 10New Haven Road (Route 17), Durham Wallingford Road (Route 68), Durham10.6 km345 m ↑351 m ↓110 → 110 m3 h 30
CT 11Wallingford Road (Route 68), Durham Meriden Road, Middlefield9.8 km563 m ↑528 m ↓110 → 130 m4 h 15
CT 12Meriden Road, Middlefield Atkins Street, Middletown11.6 km564 m ↑617 m ↓150 → 50 m4 h 30
CT 13Atkins Street, Middletown Summit Wood Drive, Berlin19.3 km434 m ↑431 m ↓60 → 150 m6 h 00
CT 14Summit Wood Drive, Berlin Carey Street, Southington18.5 km658 m ↑624 m ↓150 → 130 m6 h 15
CT 15Carey Street, Southington New Britain Avenue, Plainville17.5 km318 m ↑369 m ↓140 → 80 m5 h 15
CT 16New Britain Avenue, Plainville Farmington13.0 km311 m ↑267 m ↓80 → 130 m4 h 00
CT 17Farmington Hartford Road, Simsbury16.6 km337 m ↑319 m ↓130 → 150 m5 h 00
CT 18Hartford Road, Simsbury Mountain Road, Simsbury9.7 km281 m ↑360 m ↓140 → 60 m3 h 15
CT 19Mountain Road, Simsbury Turkey Hills Road, East Granby7.7 km233 m ↑193 m ↓50 → 90 m2 h 30
CT 20Turkey Hills Road, East Granby Mountain Road, Suffield8.2 km259 m ↑222 m ↓110 → 140 m2 h 45
CT 21Mountain Road, Suffield Connecticut–Massachusetts state line (Rising Corners)4.0 km48 m ↑101 m ↓140 → 90 m1 h 15
MA 1Connecticut–Massachusetts state line (Rising Corners) Southwick3.7 km84 m ↑56 m ↓90 → 110 m1 h 00
MA 2Southwick Westfield River (Agawam bank)6.1 km132 m ↑198 m ↓110 → 50 m2 h 00
MA 3Westfield River (West Springfield bank) Old Holyoke Road, West Springfield5.8 km139 m ↑83 m ↓30 → 100 m1 h 45
MA 4Old Holyoke Road, West Springfield Holyoke6.3 km280 m ↑230 m ↓120 → 150 m2 h 15
MA 5Holyoke Old Easthampton Road, Holyoke7.2 km288 m ↑269 m ↓160 → 190 m2 h 30
MA 6Old Easthampton Road, Holyoke Underwood Avenue, Easthampton (Connecticut River)10.9 km520 m ↑643 m ↓170 → 40 m4 h 30
MA 7Old Mountain Road, Hadley (Connecticut River) West Street (Route 116), Amherst8.9 km648 m ↑527 m ↓90 → 170 m4 h 15
MA 8West Street (Route 116), Amherst Harris Street, Granby8.0 km439 m ↑479 m ↓180 → 140 m3 h 30
MA 9Harris Street, Granby Federal Street, Belchertown4.3 km163 m ↑180 m ↓140 → 130 m1 h 30
MA 10Federal Street, Belchertown Mount Lincoln, Pelham6.6 km309 m ↑34 m ↓110 → 380 m2 h 15
MA 11Mount Lincoln, Pelham Shutesbury Road, Pelham9.2 km143 m ↑173 m ↓380 → 370 m2 h 45
MA 12Shutesbury Road, Pelham Cooleyville Road, New Salem9.7 km136 m ↑307 m ↓360 → 190 m3 h 00
MA 13Cooleyville Road, New Salem Jennison Road, Shutesbury6.3 km207 m ↑110 m ↓180 → 290 m2 h 00
MA 14Jennison Road, Shutesbury Lakeview Road, Shutesbury (Lake Wyola)7.4 km72 m ↑101 m ↓290 → 270 m2 h 00
MA 15Lakeview Road, Shutesbury (Lake Wyola) Route 2, Farley (Erving)15.0 km278 m ↑415 m ↓260 → 130 m4 h 45
MA 16Route 2, Farley (Erving) Gulf Road, Northfield11.1 km471 m ↑219 m ↓150 → 390 m3 h 45
MA 17Gulf Road, Northfield Route 78 (Winchester Road), Warwick17.5 km514 m ↑709 m ↓380 → 200 m6 h 00
MA 18Route 78 (Winchester Road), Warwick Athol-Richmond Road (Route 32), Royalston14.3 km571 m ↑373 m ↓190 → 380 m5 h 00
MA 19Athol-Richmond Road (Route 32), Royalston Massachusetts–New Hampshire state line1.1 km0 m ↑86 m ↓370 → 300 m0 h 15
Variants
CT 4Mattabesett Trail junction, North Guilford Foot Hills Road, Haddam11.1 km241 m ↑186 m ↓3 h 15
CT 3Foot Hills Road, Haddam Saybrook Road (Route 154), Middletown8.2 km99 m ↑247 m ↓2 h 30
CT 2Saybrook Road (Route 154), Middletown Bear Hill Road, Middletown9.0 km335 m ↑196 m ↓3 h 00
CT 1Bear Hill Road, Middletown River Road, Middletown (the Mattabesett's eastern terminus)8.2 km173 m ↑328 m ↓2 h 45

Totals and averages count the main stages only. On stage MA 7, from Underwood Avenue, Easthampton, the way on is by boat to Old Mountain Road, Hadley, not walked and in no figure (New England Trail); the map shows it. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m; walking times from each stage's distance, ascent and descent by the German hiking standard DIN 33466 (4 km/h, 300 m/h up, 500 m/h down), without breaks.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
499m high1m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
27 % (15°), 137 m up over 500 m, stage MA 6
Steepest descent
−20 % (11°), 99 m down over 500 m, stage CT 13
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

27% ↑−20% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
7.6 km up, 7.4 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

15km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 83%, 264.1 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 14%, 44.3 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 3%, 10.7 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
  • Unknown: 0%, 0.2 km. Stretches whose surface OpenStreetMap doesn't record.

83% natural14% gravel3% paved
0 m200 m400 m499 mCT 5CT 6CT 8CT 10CT 12CT 14CT 16CT 18CT 20MA 1MA 3MA 5MA 7MA 9MA 11MA 13MA 15MA 17MA 190 km319.5 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 44% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest96%Grassland and shrubs2%Water, snow and ice0%Farmland and villages2%CT 5CT 6CT 8CT 10CT 12CT 14CT 16CT 18CT 20MA 1MA 3MA 5MA 7MA 9MA 11MA 13MA 15MA 17MA 190 km319.5 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is prohibited. Camping is allowed only at the designated overnight sites; much of the trail is on private land, and stealth camping is not permitted. Campfires are not allowed at overnight sites in Connecticut, and only at existing designated fire rings in Massachusetts.

133.3 km without a bedCamping7Huts0Hostels0Rooms0CT 5CT 6CT 8CT 10CT 12CT 14CT 16CT 18CT 20MA 1MA 3MA 5MA 7MA 9MA 11MA 13MA 15MA 17MA 190 km319.7 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 7 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 158.3–291.6
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
133.3 km without clean water, km 158.3–291.6, stages CT 20–MA 17
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 2 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 3 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

133.3kmScarce

Any water

This trail
133.2 km without any water, km 0–133.2
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 3 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

133.2kmScarce

Shops

This trail
106.3 km without a shop, km 213.4–319.7
Counted
41 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

106.3km
Water · 133.2 km withoutPublic drinking water · 183.6 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 162.8 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 158.3 km withoutShops · 106.3 km withoutSupermarkets · 106.3 km withoutConvenience and general stores · 106.3 km withoutCT 5CT 6CT 8CT 10CT 12CT 14CT 16CT 18CT 20MA 1MA 3MA 5MA 7MA 9MA 11MA 13MA 15MA 17MA 190 km319.7 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official sources: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Blacklegged tick ModerateBlack bear LowNorthern copperhead Low

Blacklegged tick (deer tick)

Moderate danger

The operator calls ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease, one of the most common threats on the trail; the CDC says they are most active from April to September.

If you meet one

  • Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin
  • Walk in the center of trails
  • Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone
  • Check your body for ticks after being outdoors

Don't

  • Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter

Advice: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Level: ours. Silhouette: Guillaume Dera (Ixodes ricinus), PhyloPic, public domain.

Black bear

Low danger

Hikers sometimes meet black bears on the trail; Connecticut's population is growing fast, but black bear attacks on humans are exceptionally rare.

If you meet one

  • If you see a bear when hiking or camping, make your presence known by making noise and waving your arms
  • If you surprise a bear at close range, walk away slowly while facing the bear
  • Black bears will sometimes "bluff charge": stand your ground and shout at the bear
  • Use a rope to suspend food 10 or more feet off the ground and at least 6 feet away from tree trunks
  • Make sure your dog is on a leash and under control

Don't

  • Do not run
  • Do not climb a tree because black bears are excellent tree climbers
  • Do not cook near your tent and do not store food inside your tent
  • Never attempt to feed or attract bears

Advice: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.

Northern copperhead

Low danger

Connecticut's copperheads are most abundant on the traprock ridges the trail follows, active April to October; docile, their bite is painful and can make one severely ill but rarely kills.

If you meet one

  • Observe it from a distance and allow it to go on its way
  • In trap rock areas, be careful of where you place your hands and feet
  • Seek medical attention immediately if bitten

Don't

  • The killing of this snake is strongly discouraged

Advice: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Level: ours. Silhouette: Blair Perry (Crotalus viridis), PhyloPic, public domain.