Huge!!! Trail update: July 10 2021

View from the new Spicer section access bridge.

If you’ve been wondering what the status is of the Tri Town Trail, here’s a quick update.

Current Status of the Tri Town Trail

PHASE ONE WITH THE FIELD LOOP EXTENSION AND THE SPICER SECTION OF THE TRAIL ARE NOW OPEN FOR FULL USE.

At the end of the month the last bridge will be installed providing a midpoint access. from the red barn parking lot on RT 117.

With the changes the Tri Town Trail is presently a 4.1 mile round-trip trail with freshly blazed orange markings. The trail head and parking lot is opposite the entrance to Preston Community Park off Route 117, The trail includes meadows, pristine Joe Clark Brook, a boardwalk to upland woodlands, and includes two conservation easements. There are several benches and a scenic overlook. The trail emerges to a large open field and then up a hill to a mature forest. There is a historic section with Spicer family foundation and well dating back to the late 1600’s and early 1700’s. There are numerous old stone walls and a forest of majestic 150-year-old trees.

The blazing.

Field loop starts at the north parking lot.

Tri Town Trail Association has been working with the Town of Groton Park and Recreation department and Manager of the Bluff Point State Park. Plans are to install signs at Bluff Point State Park and the Pequonnock River Walkway announcing the “Future Site of Tri Town Trail”. The Town of Groton has also received a CT Connectivity Grant for a bicycle lane on Pequot Road which will connect Bluff Point to Route 1. We continue to work on this southern section of the Tri Town Trail.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Tri Town Trail project, here’s a short history to catch you up to speed.

Project History

Tri Town Trail Association Master Plan was endorsed by the Towns of Preston, Ledyard, and Groton in 2009. The proposed plan was a 14-mile regional recreational trail that would connect the three towns from Preston to Bluff Point State Park. It is the vision of the Tri Town Trail to enhance the quality of life for the residents of southeastern Connecticut and connect municipalities as well as significant natural resources.

Original Spicer well on the new Spicer section of trail.

In June of 2019 a grant from the DEEP was completed that provided the engineering, planning and necessary permits for Phase One. In the fall of 2020, the northern section was opened.

Are you interested in helping out?

Anyone who is interested in volunteering or getting involved with the trail is encouraged to send us a message. We’re always looking for volunteers!

Bog Crossing construction.