Hop River x Airline Trail

 

Saturday #5

The Hop River Trail has plenty of big river views and little streams bounding down to join the larger waterways. Very pretty place to walk or ride a bike. The 20-mile converted rail trail is very easy and mellow. Fun stuff. 

You can pause for lunch at Pho Delight Thai or Willimantic Brewing Company. Then continue onto the northeast half of the Airline Trail for a 45-mile ride. Airline Trail is less scenic, in my opinion, but does have some nice bridges and ponds. 

End at Main Street Gelato in Putnam for some unique flavors of good gelato. After Town Farm Road in Putnam, where the map at the link ends, the Airline Trail gets rougher, but it continues across a bumpy trail, down a hike-a-bike descent, across a bridge over the Quinebaug River and into downtown Putnam.