Connecticut trails · Meshomasic Forest Trail
Meshomasic Forest Trail
A 27.8-mile network in Connecticut, with 412 ft of climbing. Reaches Meshomasic Mountain. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,169 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Meshomasic Mountain (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Meshomasic Forest Trail junction — parking nearby. About 27 min drive (15 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Hartford. 41.64335, -72.52405 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:32 a.m., the sun rises at 7:00 a.m. and sets at 6:10 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:38 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 27.8-mile route takes roughly 10 h 29 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:30 p.m. — 41 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Unnamed trail + Shenipsit Trail + Meshomasic Forest Trail — 3.6 mi loop, 574 ft gain
- Shenipsit Trail + Unnamed trail + Meshomasic Forest Trail — 3.8 mi loop, 596 ft gain
- Shenipsit Trail + Meshomasic Forest Trail + Unnamed trail — 5.2 mi loop, 986 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Charter Oak Greenway — 8.0 mi
- Millers Pond Park Trail — 13.6 mi
- Vista Trail — 14.5 mi
- Hop River Trail — 15.0 mi