Connecticut trails · Lillinonah Trail

Lillinonah Trail

A 6.3-mile network in Connecticut, with 294 ft of climbing. Reaches Lake Lillinonah. Managed by the state.

Open in the interactive map →

Length

6.3 mi

Elevation gain

294 ft

Difficulty

Hard

Max grade

35%

Steepest mile

+294 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.0 mi

Shape

network

Bikes

Horses

Managed by

State

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 953 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Lake Lillinonah (lake)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Lillinonah Trail access. About 24 min drive (12 mi) from Danbury. 41.45702, -73.32523 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:35 a.m., the sun rises at 7:03 a.m. and sets at 6:14 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:42 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.3-mile route takes roughly 2 h 29 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:33 a.m. — 8 h 41 min before sunset.

Loop options

Unnamed trail + Upper Gussy Trail + Lillinonah Trail — 1.9 mi loop, 433 ft gain
Unnamed trail + Lillinonah Trail + Paugussett Forest Trail — 3.3 mi loop, 533 ft gain
Unnamed trail + Upper Gussy Trail + Lillinonah Trail — 5.8 mi loop, 1,331 ft gain