Larkin State Park Trail | |
Location: | Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, and Naugatuck, Connecticut |
Designation: | Connecticut state park |
Established: | 1943 |
Trailheads: | Southbury (41.4723°N -73.2069°W) Naugatuck (41.5125°N -73.0656°W) |
Use: | Hiking, biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing |
Sights: | Woodlands, horse farms, ponds, wetlands |
Surface: | Various: sand, packed dirt and cobbles, railroad ballast and cinders |
Maintainer: | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
Website: | Larkin State Park Trail |
Larkin State Park Trail is a Connecticut rail trail that follows the former New York & New England Railroad roadbed across the towns of Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, and Naugatuck. The trail is 10.3miles long; its eastern terminus is at Whittemore Glen State Park, the western at Kettletown Road in Southbury. The trail is open for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing.
The rail line was in operation from 1881 until 1939. Four years after the line's abandonment, Dr. Charles L. Larkin bought a ten-mile section that he donated to the state for the purpose of creating an equestrian trail. The park was named in his honor.