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So, you're wondering if you can hike the trail.

As things now stand, the New England Trail isn't an official trail designation, it's a proposal. While there is no "official" trail to hike, you can hike much of the "proposed" route since more than 90% of the footway is already "unofficially "in place.  Where there is no footway, it's possible to detour along roads, bushwack, or use alternate routes. 

I'd like to hike it. Tell me how. 

Okay. But first a few caveats:

• Keep in mind that camping privileges have not been established in many areas. This is the case along much of the route in Connecticut. It's also true along the portions of the route which are privately owned. If you plan on doing more than day hiking, you may have to make other arrangements in certain areas. NEVER camp on private property without permission! Hotels and guest houses are often options where camping is unavailable. 

• Please heed private property rights. Crossing regions posted as private property threatens future negotiations with landowners. While I've attempted to provide hiking descriptions for some of the gaps in the proposed route, please bear in mind that access conditions can change rapidly. 

• Before hiking on existing trails, pick up the appropriate guide books and/or maps for the portions of the route you intend on hiking.  Most of these resources are published by the organizations responsible for trails that make up the proposed route. By supporting these groups, you also help support this proposal. The New England Trail proposal has also produced some preliminary maps (see bottom of page).

• Where the proposed NET route passes through currently trailless, areas, strong navigation skills may be necessary. This is especially true in the wilderness areas of northern New Hampshire. For those unaccustomed to cross country navigation and bushwacking, road walking may be necessary.  

• So far, no one has hiked the entire proposed route route end to end. (I'd be honored to offer a website feature the first person to hike the entire route). Information on what would constitute and end-to-end hike is included below.

• I highly recommend that anyone hiking a substantial section of the route (over 50 miles) support, by way of contribution or membership, one or more of the fine local conservation non-profit organizations or outdoor recreation clubs associated with the region the proposed NET route traverses.  Those hiking more than one section should consider supporting more than one group.  
  

Hiking Information 

See the Trail Tour for route descriptions.

See our Maps page for a list of maps produced for the New England Trail Proposal  

Qualifications for an end-to-end hike of the route.

Detailed descriptions of parts of the proposed route:

Hiking the New England Trail in Connecticut
Wapack to Monadnock Connector (New Hampshire)
Monadnock to Plymouth, New Hampshire

Descriptions (with maps) of "trail gap" areas--where existing footpaths are disconnected or do not exist Shows proposed routes and alternate routes.

Lighthouse Point in New Haven to West Rock (Connecticut)

Sleeping Giant to the Mattabessett Trail on Totoket Mtn (Connecticut)

Monadnock Mtn. to the Wapack Range (NH)

Sunapee-Kearsarge-Ragged Greenway at Bog Mtn. to Mt. Cardigan (NH)

Mt. Cardigan to Squam Range (NH)