Shenipsit Trail

Shenipsit Trail
Blue blaze on tree near Case Mountain in Manchester marking the Shenipsit trail
Length	50 mi (80 km)
Location	Middlesex / Tolland counties, Connecticut, USA
Trailheads	Greaves Road, Shenipsit State Forest Gadpouch Road, Meshomasic State Forest
Use	Hiking, Mountain Biking
Elevation
Highest point	Soapstone Mountain, 41°57′32″N 72°24′46″W / 41.9590°N 72.4128°W / 41.9590; -72.4128, 1,075 ft (328 m)
Hiking details
Trail difficulty	Easy with difficult sections
Season	All Seasons
Sights	Great Hill, Lookout Mountain, Soapstone Mountain
Hazards	deer ticks, poison ivy

The Shenipsit Trail is a Blue-Blazed hiking trail located in Central Connecticut between 3.5 and 7 miles (11 km) east of the Connecticut River. It runs 50 miles (80 km) in a north-south direction. The southern trailhead is on Gadpouch Road in Cobalt, CT on the southern end of the Meshomasic State Forest. The northern trailhead is on Greaves Road past Bald Mountain and the Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford, CT. The trail runs primarily through the Shenipsit and Meshomasic State Forests, and Case Mountain, but also utilizes other public and private land holdings. The Native American name “Shenipsit” means “at the great pool,” referring to the Shenipsit Lake, which the trail passes by. The Shenipsit Trail is divided into three sections: South, Central, and North. The Shenipsit Trail is one of the blue-blazed hiking trails managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA).

The Shenipsit Trail covers 50 miles of rocky, hilly, forested terrain east of the Connecticut River. The trail is used for hiking, running, and mountain-biking, and in the winter snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Some sections are very rocky, steep, and technical, limiting use of those sections.

The Shenipsit Trail is marked by blue rectangular blazes. It is part of the blue-blazed trail system maintained by the CFPA. Founded in 1929, the CFPA has created and maintained 825 miles of blue-blazed trails in the state of Connecticut.

The Shenipsit Trail has three sections. The South section goes from Gadpouch Road in Cobalt to Route 2 in Glastonbury. The Central section goes from Route 2 to Risley Pond in Vernon. After a 4-mile gap between the Central and North sections, the North section goes from Grahaber Road in Tolland to Greaves Road in Stafford.