My copy of the Connecticut Walk Book was shelved for more than a year until winter blahs recently caused me to look for some new walking trails. With a perspective refreshed by a long absence, I opened the book and was reminded of the state’s remarkable Blue Trail system.

To see why the blue trails are remarkable, first contemplate some of the facts of our geography.

Connecticut is among the top five states for tree cover. We are also among the five most densely populated states. Yet we also have the 62-mile Metacomet Trail, for one example, and it crosses 12 towns in the center of the state. This is but one example out of a system that totals 825 miles.

Furthermore, these trails are not new-fangled inventions of modern environmental consciousness. The Blue Trail tradition began almost a century ago and has been stewarded ever since by volunteers.

The Connecticut Walk Book and Interactive Trail Maps

I purchased my first copy of the Connecticut Walk Book in the ‘90s; it was a simple collection of black-and-white trail maps in those days. The book is curated and published by Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) in Middlefield, and the same organization coordinates the trail system. It is now in its 20th edition.

Blue trails are blazed by signature squares of (what else?) blue paint. But, beyond the blazes, what makes a Blue Trail blue?

“They are single-track footpaths that traverse a wide variety of terrains, including some of the state’s most remote ridges and largest forest blocks,” says Clare Cain, CFPA’s trails director. “What makes them different is that they cross state parks, state forests, land trusts, and, remarkably, many miles of private land.”

In other words, the trails cross a collection of parcels, but they also involve hundreds of cooperators and volunteers.

The trail system originated in 1929 when a group of like-minded individuals met in New Haven under the auspices of CFPA. A trail committee was formed at that meeting, and continues to this day, as does the tradition of managing the lengthy network through volunteers. Clare Cain manages those volunteers.

“No one is certain how the original trails were selected,” says Cain, “but it is likely these were informal corridors that were already in use, and some may have been for hundreds of years.”

These trails offer walkers a level of continuity that can be difficult to find in a crowded place. In a way, each Blue Trail is like a miniature Appalachian Trail—along with many of the same issues. CFPA manages the complex process of working with private landowners to keep trails open.

Today, the system covers 825 miles scattered throughout the state. Almost all blue trails are for foot travel alone.

The 20th edition of the Walk Book features full-color maps, mileage/destination tables, and a lay-flat design. (It is also available on Kindle.) The book has hike descriptions, difficulty indicators, parking information, and trip-planning essentials.

Of course, no reference book today is complete without an online counterpart. In this case, CFPA hosts the Interactive Blue Trail Map. See bit.ly/CFPA-Map.

Lucky for us, eastern Connecticut hosts many blue-blazed trails. The 25-mile Pachaug Trail traverses Voluntown, Sterling, and Griswold. The Nehantic Trail stretches more than 12 miles in Griswold and Voluntown. The Quinebaug Trail offers more than six miles in Plainfield and Voluntown. The Pequot, Narragansett, Nyantaquit, Cockaponset, Chatfield, Mattabessett, and Stony Creek trails offer scenic walks in other parts of the shoreline region. Most Blue Trails are reserved for foot travel alone. Find links to the interactive map and the Walk Book at www.ctwoodlands.org. But don’t stop with the Blue Trails. Our region hosts another connected trail system.

Wander Our Watershed: Yellow Trail Maps and Websites

The Eight-Mile River Watershed contains such natural treasures that, in 2006, it joined the National Wild and Scenic River System. The watershed’s boundaries encompass 62 square miles, primarily in East Haddam, Lyme, and Salem. Despite the “eight-mile” label, the watershed contains 150 miles of rivers and streams. The name refers to where the watershed meets the Connecticut River, eight miles north of Long Island Sound.

The watershed is also home to most of the 14 miles that form the Goodwin Trail. This yellow-blazed corridor is bookended on the southeast by Darrow Pond in East Lyme and, on the northwest, the entrance to Chapal Farm Preserve on Route 82 in East Haddam.

“It’s remarkable that, this close to the coastline, you can feel deeply immersed in the woods,” says Pat Young, Eight-Mile Watershed program director. “Traveling from Darrow Pond in East Lyme, you can see some fantastic hills and overlooks. And the crossing at the west branch of the Eight-Mile River is a favorite spot.”

Among her many roles in the watershed’s management, Young coordinates the Goodwin Trail’s stakeholders, including four towns, several land trusts, The Nature Conservancy, the state, and the National Park Service.

Lucky for us, her office and those stakeholders have distilled the trail and many other treasures into two easy-to-use trail maps and an interactive website. First, scroll to the bottom of the www.eightmileriver.org homepage, where you’ll find the Goodwin trail map and directions. A second link delivers a PDF version of “Wander Our Watershed.” This beautifully illustrated map, produced in 2020, provides 44 points of interest and trails in the watershed’s preserves, parks, and forests. The third link connects to wanderourwatershed.org. The interactive map offers seven filters to help you find an activity that matches your interests, of which outdoor recreation is only one. Within the outdoor category alone there are 15 choices, from walking or canoeing to birding or cycling.

As for the future of the Goodwin Trail, Young says it may someday connect with other regional green corridors. She mentions connectivity with the Airline Trail.

“It’s just an idea right now, but it’s always a good idea to look ahead,” she says.

In other words, the greenways haven’t stopped growing.

Kathy Connolly writes and speaks on landscape design, land care, and landscape ecology from Old Saybrook. Reach her through her website www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.