Riverfront Trail
Rail-trail in Washington
About this trail
The Riverfront Trail is the system of paved riverwalks along both banks of the Connecticut River in Hartford and East Hartford, developed and operated by Riverfront Recapture, Inc., a nonprofit founded in 1981 to reconnect Hartford with a riverfront that had been cut off by flood dikes and Interstate 91. The organization manages four riverfront parks (Riverside Park, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza and Charter Oak Landing in Hartford, and Great River Park in East Hartford) and the riverwalks and trails that connect them. The first East Hartford riverwalk section, between the Founders and Bulkeley bridges, opened in 1990; a link over the Hockanum River to the Charter Oak Bridge followed in 1996; Mortensen Riverfront Plaza, on a platform over the rebuilt I-91, opened in 1999 with a pedestrian promenade on the Founders Bridge; Riverwalk Downtown on the Hartford side opened in 2003; and Riverwalk North to Riverside Park was completed in 2007.
On the East Hartford side, an asphalt riverwalk runs from the Bulkeley Bridge (I-84) through Great River Park to the Charter Oak Bridge. Walkways on the Charter Oak and Founders bridges cross the river, so the paths on both banks form a loop of roughly three miles between those bridges; an out-and-back loop from Mortensen Riverfront Plaza through Charter Oak Landing, Great River Park and Riverside Park totals about 5.5 miles. The East Coast Greenway lists the Great River Park Trail (1.5 miles) and the Founders Bridge path (0.35 miles) as segments of its route. A planned Hartford-to-Windsor riverwalk of about 2.5 miles, running north from the Jaycees Community Boathouse in Riverside Park along the flood dike, is funded in part by a $2.6 million federal Transportation Alternatives grant.
The riverwalks are paved and open daily from dawn to dusk at no charge. Access points include Mortensen Riverfront Plaza on Columbus Boulevard, Charter Oak Landing, the Riverside Park boat launch, and Great River Park off East River Drive in East Hartford. The paths follow flood-control dikes rather than a former railroad; a railroad bridge is a landmark on the East Hartford section.
Sources checked Oct 12, 2026 · CC BY 4.0
Photos and rider notes
Trailheads
- 1 Parking directions
- 2 Parking directions
- 3 Parking directions
Take it with you
Open data, ODbL. Attribute BikeTheRail and OpenStreetMap contributors.
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Sources
- OpenStreetMap ways for this trail, OpenStreetMap contributors · Map data · ODbL · checked Oct 12, 2026
- History — Riverfront Recapture · organization · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: founded 1981, park opening dates (Great River Park 1986–87, Charter Oak Landing 1989, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza 1999), East Hartford riverwalk 1990, Hockanum River link 1996, Founders Bridge promenade 1999, Riverwalk Downtown 2003, Riverwalk North 2007, three-mile loop planning, I-91 platform, Hartford–Windsor extension
- Hartford to Windsor Riverwalk — Riverfront Recapture · organization · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: planned 2.5-mile extension from the Jaycees Community Boathouse in Riverside Park to Windsor along the dike, $2.6M federal TAP grant and $632,000 Hartford match
- Connecticut — East Coast Greenway Alliance · organization · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: Great River Park Trail 1.5 mi and Founders Bridge Path 0.35 mi listed as Greenway segments
- Riverfront Recapture — CTvisit (Connecticut Office of Tourism) · web · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: four parks in Hartford and East Hartford connected by riverwalks, area formerly walled off by dikes and I-91, open dawn to dusk, free
- East Hartford Riverfront Recapture trail sheet — Bike New England · web · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: asphalt surface, riverwalk from Bulkeley Bridge to Charter Oak Bridge through Great River Park, Charter Oak and Founders bridge crossings, dawn to dusk, East River Drive access, railroad bridge landmark
- Hartford, CT Riverwalk — Great Runs · web · checked Oct 12, 2026 Supports: 5.5-mile loop from Mortensen Riverfront Plaza via Charter Oak Landing, Charter Oak Bridge, Great River Park, Bulkeley Bridge, Founders Bridge and Riverside Park boat launch; paths on both banks
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