New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail (Northampton Section)

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The New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail is a 4-mile-long multi-use trail in Northampton, Massachusetts, ideally suited for walking, running, bicycling, or rollerblading. It extends from the MassCentral Rail Trail on the north side of downtown Northampton southerly to the Easthampton Town Line (and eventually to New Haven).

The New Haven & Northampton Canal Rail Trail closely follows the path of what was once the New Haven & Northampton Canal, a man-made waterway that served as a freight transport passage between New Haven, Connecticut, and Northampton between 1835 and 1847. During its time, the canal was the most efficient option for overland transportation, as movement on the fluid, level surface made travel by canal smoother, faster, and less expensive than travel on contemporary roads. The success of the canal was short-lived, however, as just after a decade of use, portions of the canal were filled in those portions became part of the New Haven and Northampton railroad. Some canal landscape features still exist along the path of the rail trail.

The Northampton section extends from the MassCentral Rail Trail to the Easthampton Town Line, with the trail currently extending through Easthampton and eventually planned to connect to other rail trail sections to eventually create a continuous trail all the way to New Haven. In addition, the trail connects to the Hospital Hill Rail Trail Spur which leads to the former Northampton State Hospital, now known as Village Hill.

The New Haven and Northampton Canal Rail Trail is within walking distance of 50% of the Northampton community and offers connecting points to the nearby cities of Easthampton, Hadley, and Amherst.

One of the highlights of the trail is as it goes through downtown Northampton on a raised section, crossing a rail trail bridge over Main Street with a trail-related art mural on the bridge.

Reviews

Janie Walker

May 22, 2023

Now part of the Manhan Trail, main segment

Nice bike path amidst trees and leading into busy sections of Northampton. According to current maps on the website Friends of Northampton Trails, this now looks as though it is part of the main segment of Manhan Rail Trail.

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Allowed Uses:

Other Activities

• Fishing
• Heritage and history
• Snow, snow play general

• Certified as an NRT
  Jun 2, 2014