Epic Gravel Ride: SNETT-ASP (Franklin, MA-Pomfret, CT)

There and There Some More: 90 Miles on the Southern New England Trunkline Trail and the Airline State Park Trail

Well, I finally did it. After two previously failed attempts, I finally rode the infamous Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) from start to finish aboard my trusty new Cannondale Slate. In addition, I rode about 20 miles on Connecticut's Airline State Park Trail. In total, I rode about 90 miles of dirt, trail, pavement, singletrack, doubletrack, no track, mud, sand, and stone. It was a ten hour epic journey that I meticulously documented like a dutiful tourist with my Panasonic digital camera.

Enjoy the show.

I rolled out at 7:30 AM on a bright sunny August morning. I started from the parking lot on Grove Street in Franklin, MA. From there, I embarked west along the trail. 

The initial trail conditions were good along the SNETT. Although the gravel was soft in some parts, my fearless stallion and her 42c tires, handled the loose stuff with ease.

Around Bellingham, the trail becomes nicely packed and well groomed. While it only lasted for a few miles, it was really the ideal surface for the Cannondale Slate, or any gravel bike for that matter.

After this section, the trail crossed the street and took a turn for the worst. It continued on again at the entrance to a subdivision and the conditions were very rough. It was not maintained except, evidently, by local dirt bikes that plow through the sandy gravel and engrave whoop-de-doops along the way. The vegetation was also overgrown and spilling into the trail quite a bit from this point all the way into Blackstone, MA.

The coolest thing between Bellingham and Blackstone is probably this newly renovated underpass that looks like it could still fit a train. Obviously, the trail going through it was overgrown and unmaintained, but I believe it has since been graded and smoothed.

After the underpass, the trail was very rocky and very loose until it ended in Blackstone at the corner of a small multi-unit subdivision.

At this point, the trail disappeared through Blackstone center, but when it picked up again (off Canal street I believe) it blossomed into a mature and respectable paved bike path that will supposedly connect with the Blackstone River Bikeway in Rhode Island someday.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. When the Blackstone bike path ended, the SNETT simply disappeared. I had to ride underneath the highway overpass (146 I think) and then take an immediate right down a dead end street in order to find where the SNETT continued. From there, it was a tight rocky singletrack climb up a hill for about a half mile. After that, the SNETT reappeared next to the highway and in a swampy, rocky, buggy, mess. This was probably the worst section of the entire SNETT and also made me with I had a mountain bike instead of a gravel bike.

After a few miles, the trail became somewhat recognizable again as it headed into Millville and Uxbridge. The surface was loose, but at least it was somewhat clear of overgrown vegetation.

As the SNETT headed into Douglas State Forest, it became a lot wider, but also rather sandy. Going out was a lot better than coming back (especially since there was still some shade cover for me).










I know I've snapped this photo before, but this was probably the most impressive landmark along the route. It really speaks to the former glory of this bygone railroad.

In Douglas State Forest, there are some interesting ponds and lakes with a few native residents.

Also located in Douglas State Forest is the Tristate maker which I've actually visited before in one of my previous forays along the SNETT.












At the end of the SNETT, the Air Line Trail picked up immediately. In my opinion, the Air Line Trail is much better than the SNETT, especially when it gets into more rural Connecticut, where I had to unfortunately end my journey and turn around.

Like the SNETT, the Air Line Trail was great for the first few miles. However, it didn't take long for me to get into some rough patches where again, I wished I had a mountain bike. The Cannondale Slate performed well overall, however, since it was designed for these types of surface changes. However, if it weren't for kids on ATVs, theses trails would be completely overgrown.

Eventually, the trail surface got a lot better and a lot wider, especially as I headed towards Putnam, Connecticut which turns out to be a nice little town along the Quinebaug river.

In Putnam, the trail ended and it become difficult for me to follow. Luckily, I found someone to help me and I had brought a paper map anyway. The roads between the the two ends of the trail are really hilly, but the scenery is fantastic.

The trail picks up again at Wright's Crossing Road and is really a mess. It's under construction, which I didn't realize until I headed back home on the return leg. This was definitely the roughest section in Connecticut along the Air Line Trail.

Once I made it through though, I came across this old train station in Pomfret, CT. Another cool historical landmark.










The Air Line Trail continued on, but I had to turn around and head back due to time (and water) constraints. Even though it was incredibly hot, this ride was really nice. If I were going to revisit any part of the trail, I would probably start back in Pomfret, CT and work my way west.

My sojourn ended, or really just half of it, at Brooklyn road in Pomfret, CT. The trail surface was fantastic and the scenery was beautiful. From here, I could tell that there was a lot of open fields and farms heading west. I'll have to go back and ride some more of this wonderful section in the future.

The ride back was exhausting, especially since the sun was high and the temperature picked up. At one point, I ran out of water. Twice, I had to stop just to rest. The sections that were just a little rough on the way out were intolerable on the way back. At about 5:00 PM, I arrived back at my car, mostly wishing I had a mountain bike instead of a gravel bike for this epic journey.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with how my bike handled the different terrain along the trail. I think the only other bike that would be as well suited along the SNETT or Air Line Trail is a fat bike. I saw a couple of riders on fatties in Douglas State Forest and it looked like they were having a blast.

As for me, I can't wait to ride some more of this trail again someday soon.

The End