{"id":246145,"date":"2026-05-20T07:15:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=246145"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:46:41","slug":"uconn-ct-trails-program-know-before-you-go-with-ct-trail-finder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/05\/uconn-ct-trails-program-know-before-you-go-with-ct-trail-finder\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn CT Trails Program: Know Before You Go with CT Trail Finder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although Connecticut is the third smallest state in the nation, it is home to more than 2,700 miles of mapped trails (and counting) and three National Recreation Trails<\/a>. This means the chances are good there are trails close to you waiting to be explored. To help you plan your next excursion, the UConn CT Trails Program<\/a> project team, including Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE) associate professor Anita Morzillo<\/a> and Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) geospatial educator Emily Wilson,<\/a> have made the process much easier with an easy to use, free resource called CT Trail Finder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Though there are many trail apps and resources available, Morzillo and Wilson explain that CT Trail Finder is unique because it puts in one place the information for trails in Connecticut that are open to the public, with details vetted by land managers so users can be sure they are on the right path.<\/p>\n

This is key, because although exploring trails can feel like discovering a different world, these routes can also be hard to find and frustrating at times. For example, finding an outing that includes a playground or restroom might be best for young children, or a path to a summit and view for active individuals, or a different trail with accessible features for those with mobility limits. Managers can share guidance and rules, what uses are permitted, such as bikes and horses, and if an area should be avoided for safety or other reasons. CT Trail Finder helps with this because each trail post includes a wealth of information including detailed descriptions and tips, accurate maps, where to park, and users can also add notes and photos on each trail\u2019s landing page to inform others.<\/p>\n

The project is ongoing, and Wilson says they are adding more trails all the time. Now the goals include sharing this handy resource with as wide an audience as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interface is also about connecting the users with the people that do the work to make that trail available, which are often land trusts, state parks, municipalities, or nonprofit groups,\u201d says Wilson. \u201cThere are a lot of people behind this work to make public land and public trails available.\u201d<\/p>\n

By partnering with the state<\/a>, CT Trail Finder is filling a gap in resources for users and land managers. Wilson explains that Mansfield is a great example, because after compiling all of the information, a large and surprisingly interconnected network of trails – managed by different groups like Joshua\u2019s Trust, the Town of Mansfield, Connecticut Forest and Parks, CT DEEP State Parks, and the UConn Forests – was evident. Users and land managers all gain from this effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with a few towns like Mansfield, and we hope to see more examples like this where, by putting this all together, it gives users a great experience with lots of options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the help of the UConn Forest director Robert Fahey, we updated the UConn Forest trail maps that are now available on CT Trail Finder along with others nearby<\/a>. This is informing Nature RX<\/a> and other campus efforts as well,\u201d says Wilson.<\/p>\n

CT Trail Finder is also a great resource for students, says Morzillo, because students tend to be most familiar with Horsebarn Hill and some of the UConn Forest, and now have the information to explore the many other options located near UConn Storrs. Wilson recently helped map the newly created Avery Point Discovery Trail<\/a>, which features digital signs that display facts coinciding with the changing seasons. Wilson points out that UConn Hartford is within walking distance of the Riverfront Recapture trails<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity to highlight some of those other properties that are within walking, biking, or bus line distance, so that students know they have other options and they don’t necessarily need a vehicle or a lot of time,\u201d says Morzillo.<\/p>\n

Another feature of CT Trail Finder is that users can log activities and earn different badges<\/a>. If they meet the criteria specified by a badge, from number of new trails explored, to miles logged or paddled, and more, the badge is added to their account dashboard and can be shared on social media. Some of the badges were designed as a NRE class activity where students worked with CT Trails program coordinator Laura Kelly<\/a> to develop a badge each, and CLEAR graphic designer Kara Bonsack<\/a> to design the badge graphics.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura and Kara took each student\u2019s idea and made something measurable. The badges can be a good motivation to explore new areas across the state, throughout the year,\u201d says Morzillo.<\/p>\n

With the rich and detailed information in CT Trail Finder, the hope is more people will be inspired to get out to experience the many physical and mental health benefits of being out in nature<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople seem to always be on the lookout for new places. If they have a couple of hours, they may want to go out and find somewhere new,\u201d says Morzillo. \u201cWe have a lot in the works, a lot more coming. There’s no shortage of interest in CT Trail Finder, and that is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The UConn CT Trail Program is a partnership with the Connecticut Greenways Council, CT Department of Energy and the Environment (DEEP), the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG), UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), and UConn Extension.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A comprehensive resource for exploring Connecticut\u2019s plentiful trails<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":246499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2224,1715,2460,2193,2650,2256,2300,2199,2235,2198,173,92,2225,2195],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2093],"class_list":["post-246145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cahnr","category-community-impact","category-faculty","category-hartford-county","category-blue-impact","category-innovation","category-natural-resources-environment","category-new-london-county","category-today-homepage","category-tolland-county","category-uconn-avery-point","category-uconn-hartford","category-uconn-storrs","category-windham-county"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-27 18:24:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246145"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246249,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246145\/revisions\/246249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/246499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246145"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=246145"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=246145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}