Connecticut trails · Tower Trail

Tower Trail

A 4.1-mile loop in Connecticut, with 408 ft of climbing. Reaches Talcott Mountain and other summit destinations. Managed by the state.

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Length

4.1 mi

Elevation gain

408 ft

Difficulty

Moderate

Max grade

26%

Steepest mile

+281 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

1.2 mi

Shape

loop

Bikes

Horses

Managed by

State

Elevation profile

Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 74% of the ascent, between mile 2.7 and mile 4.1. It gives back about 575 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Talcott Mountain (summit)
King Phillip Mountain (summit)

Heads up

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Tower Trail junction. About 29 min drive (11 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Hartford. 41.83552, -72.79769 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:34 a.m., the sun rises at 7:02 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 4.1-mile route takes roughly 1 h 44 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:45 a.m. — 9 h 26 min before sunset.

Loop options

Tower Trail — 4.1 mi loop, 769 ft gain
Nature Trail + Tower Trail + Sleeping Giant Park Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 319 ft gain