Riding the Backroads of Northwest Connecticut
May 8, 2010 — The weather this morning in Connecticut certainly scared many cyclists from getting out on the roads, but luckily I was watching the radar online and saw that the early thunderstorms and rain was predicted to clear up around noon.
I had planned a ride starting in Canaan, Connecticut that included some of the great back roads in the northwest corner of the state, and put out the word to some of my riding amigos for an afternoon start. Scott, Dave, and Ken were up for the adventure, so we loaded into Scott’s Eurovan, and drove about 40 minutes northwest toward blue sky and the start at Lawrence Park in Canaan.
River Road
We headed south from Canaan on Route 7, but quickly veered off onto Sand Road, and some other side roads. Part of the route south included River Road, a fairly smooth dirt road following the scenic Housatonic River down to the West Cornwall covered bridge.
White Hollow Road in the distance
From West Cornwall we crossed Route 7, and made a steep climb following the road west toward Sharon, CT. Another dirt road cut off brought us back north on White Hollow Road toward the Lime Rock Park where we stopped to see some of the cars testing out the auto racing track.
Lime Rock Park
From Lime Rock we headed north on Salmon Kill Road toward Salisbury. This stretch of road is very scenic and you pass by some impressive “summer cottages”. In Salibury we stopped by the town market where Scott and Dave refueled on some Sushi (they said this was a first for sushi while on a bike ride), and then filled our water bottles at a natural spring in the center of town.
The Natural Spring in Salisbury, CT
Leaving Salisbury we turned north off Route 44 on to Taconic Road to head toward Sheffield, Massachusetts. Once we crossed the Connecticut - Massachusetts line, the roads turned to dirt, and there were a number of places that had been recently covered with a fresh load of loose rock. Three of the four of us flatted on Foley Road, so I’d probably avoid that route the next time.
Heading North into Massachusetts
Since we spent a little too much time fixing flats, and touring the auto racing track, decided to cut the original planned route a little short and took a more direct route back to Canaan from Sheffield, Mass.
The Dirt Road That Cost Three Flat Tires
All in all, it was a great day on the bike. If you like staying on traffic free roads, look for the thin lines on the map and even go for some dirt roads. There are many dirt roads in northwest Connecticut, and the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts and these are some of the most scenic routes in the area.
