410 Miles of Paddling Through The Heart of New England

With hundreds of access points and over 50 primitive campsites, the Connecticut River provides a unique experience to paddle through the heart of New England.

The Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail is a series of primitive campsites and river access points from its headwaters in New Hampshire’s Great North Woods south to Long Island Sound. A variety of organizations assist with trail development and stewardship.

With its consistently navigable waters, few portages or difficult rapids, a rich cultural history, and a varied natural landscape, the Connecticut River is a wonderful introduction to canoe camping adventures.

While most of the river shore is privately owned, a number of generous landowners have agreed to host the public at primitive campsites on their land. In the early 1990s, the Upper Valley Land Trust was instrumental in establishing formal river campsites in Vermont and New Hampshire. Since their initial effort, over twenty other groups have joined together to developed additional campsites and completed access improvement projects. As a result, the river provides one of the northeast’s best options for multi-day paddling trips.

Today, the Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail is managed as a loose collaborative effort of partner organizations and community members who aid in trail development, build and maintain campsites, improve access points and portage trails, and disseminate information to visitors. With the support of the community, work continues to protect the river corridor, construct new campsites and portage trails, and steward the Paddlers’ Trail from source to sea.