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Connecticut trails · New England National Scenic Trail

New England National Scenic Trail

A 278.1-mile section of the New England National Scenic Trail in Connecticut, with 1,020 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 235 miles. Reaches Hatchett Hill and other arch/summit destinations.

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Length
278.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,020 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
34%
Steepest mile
+552 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
51.5 mi
Shape
loop

Elevation profile

9 – 903 ft13569103137171205239273

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 32,976 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of New England National Scenic Trail

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T3 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.
Sections reported faint or hard to follow — carry a map or download this area offline.

Getting there

Dave Houston Trail access. About 55 min drive (31 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Waterbury. 41.42276, -72.67306 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:33 a.m., the sun rises at 7:01 a.m. and sets at 6:11 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:39 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 278.1-mile route works out to roughly 103 h 30 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Across the border

Nearby trails