New Milford River Trail Association

Status of the Greenway

Western Connecticut Regional Trail Greenway

June 2025- August 2027

Led by Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG), with funding from a Federal RAISE Grant and DEEP Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant, the Western Connecticut Regional Trail Project (WCTP) seeks to connect four shared-use paths, at various stages of completion, located in western Connecticut.  The project includes the five critical gaps in the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT) which will complete the trail between Norwalk and Danbury (including towns Norwalk, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield and Brookfield); the Maybrook Trail connection to the New York State line in Danbury; connecting the Still River Greenway in Brookfield South to the NRVT and North to the New Milford River Trail Greenway; and completing the remaining sections of the New Milford River Trail Greenway. Upon completion of this project, stakeholders will have shovel-ready construction documents for all sections of the Trail except for the connection between the Still River Greenway and the NRVT which is the only section that has not been studied to date. This section will conclude following feasibility and preliminary engineering. The design and planning stage is being done by engineering firms Stantec and SLR with a completion target date of August 2027.

This project is a direct result of efforts of the Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail, Still River Greenway Alliance, New Milford River Trail Association, WestCOG and its member municipalities to advance identified priorities from previous trail studies, creating a continuous 55-mile trail system. The project builds on this planning work and represents an unprecedented opportunity to advance projects that are a shared priority across many partners.

The 55-mile greenway will connect urban and rural areas, shorelands and forest, and supports pedestrian and bicycle transportation to parks, schools and community centers. It will also connect to other significant multi-state trails including the East Coast Greenway which connects Maine to Florida, the Western New England Greenway (U.S. Bike Route 7) which connects Connecticut to Canada, and New York’s Empire State Trail which connects New York City to Canada.  The Trail will serve a great variety of users and citizens: pedestrians, bicyclists, rollers, seniors and citizens with disabilities, and underserved population groups.

New Milford River Trail Greenway Status updated:  August 2026:
There are two completed sections of greenway and a partial design for a third,

COMPLETED SECTION ONE
Sega Meadows Park to Gaylordsville (the northern end)

This section of New Milford River Trail greenway currently extends for five miles from the Boardman Road entrance to Gaylordsville.  It runs for 1½ miles on a crushed, gravel surface through Sega Meadows Park, where it joins the unpaved and lightly trafficked River Road, and continues for another 3½ miles to the center of Gaylordsville at Route 7 by the New Country Deli Store.

Parking

Limited parking is available at the southern trailhead (next to Boardman Bridge).  Another lot is located across the river, on Route 7 between the modern Boardman Bridge and the parking lot for a restaurant. There is a much larger parking lot at the northern entrance to Sega Meadows Park on River Rd. (Take River Road to where it becomes dirt. Go across the train tracks.  The entrance will be on the left).

Update 3/2026: Starting May 1- October 31 Parking permits are required for the northern parking area on River Rd, as well as along River Rd. No parking permit is required for the parking areas on Boardman Rd. Seasonal and 1-day permits are free and available to residents and neighboring towns from the Mayor’s Office in Town Hall, 10 Main St, New Milford CT 06776. Unpermited parked vehicles will be towed away. No swimming or fires are permitted along River Rd and no dumping of trash. Kayaking, canoeing and fishing are still allowed.

The Terrain

The trail itself is relatively flat, with only a couple of small hills.  It is well-suited to walking, running, or bicycling (with anything other than a road-racing bike). The 10-mile round trip to Gaylordsville is an easy ride for most families.

Note:  There are no public bathrooms along the greenway until you reach Gaylordsville.  There are also no trash receptacles.  Plan accordingly. 

Sega Meadows Park Map

Sega Meadows Park

Parking on Boardman Road

Parking on Boardman Rd, Sega Meadows

Northern entrance to Sega Meadows Park on River Road

Northern entrance to Sega Meadows Park on River Road

COMPLETED SECTION TWO
The Riverwalk at Young’s Field Park

In the fall of 2016, the town started another segment of the New Milford River Trail greenway along the river front at Young’s Field Park in the downtown section of New Milford within eyeshot of the historic Village Green that was completed in the spring of 2017.  With  $180,000 in funding from the Housatonic River Natural Resources Restoration Settlement Fund (GE Settlement Fund), Landfill Settlement Fund (Waste Management Funds), and our generous supporters, this riverfront recapture project stabilized the embankment at Young’s Field,  allowed for invasive overgrowth and dead trees to be removed, native species plantings to be added, along with a fishing dock and benches to take in the new, beautiful view of the Housatonic River, and a 1/4 mile, environmentally-friendly, paved surface to be installed that allows for bikers, walkers, runners, wheelchairs and strollers. 

This section of New Milford River Trail is connected to the Village Green via Patriot’s Way (accessible by using a crosswalk at the northern end), or by walking through Young’s Field Park to a staircase located by the skateboard park.

of New Milford River Trail is connected to the Village Green via Patriot’s Way

DESIGN OF PHASE I*:
Boardman Road to the MedInstill Entrance Drive

In September of 2021, using funding the town received from a CT Recreational Trails Grant, the following was completed by SLR Consulting:

  • Progression of design development plans to 70% completion
  • Coordination of structure detailing, particularly the boardwalks
  • Refinement of earthwork and grading to limit fill within the floodplain
  • Review and coordination of inland wetlands application
  • Preparation and submission to inland wetlands including drawing set, soil report, & consent letter
  • Field work for NDDB identified species
  • NDDB final determination report
  • Attendance at initial wetlands meeting
  • Environmental testing coordination, mapping and report
  • Initial preparation of the Flood Management Certificate application
  • Coordination of next steps with town after having to pull the inland wetlands application

*Phase I refers to the section of greenway in the Milone & MacBroom Preliminary Engineering Report dated June, 2018.  Some regulatory work and archeological work was not completed in this design phase.

History of the New Milford’s River Trail

In 2011, Eleanor Covelli, a Director with Parks and Recreation, obtained a $75,000 grant from the Housatonic Recovery Act to develop the Sega Meadows property for recreation. Tom O’Brien, one of New Milford River Trail Association’s founders approached former Mayor Patricia Murphy about using the Sega Meadows as the first leg of a town-length multi-purpose greenway. Sega Meadows Park was born and opened in April, 2012.

In 2007, New Milford received $180,000 from the Housatonic River Natural Resource Restoration Committee to stabilize the river embankment at Young’s Field, remove dead trees, establish new plantings and install a natural path along the river.

In the summer of 2016, Mayor Gronbach established the (5) person Bike & Trails Committee to focus on moving this project forward, among other things. For the Agenda and Minutes of this committee go to: Bike & Trails Committee. The committee worked with planning firm Milone & MacBroom to help with designing and planning the remaining 8 miles of proposed trail.

Riverwalk at Young’s Field

The Riverwalk at Young’s Field was completed in June, 2017. It is a 1/4-mile, environmentally friendly, paved section of the greenway in the historic downtown area. It was funded by the Housatonic River Natural Resource Restoration grant of $180,000 from 2007, $350,000 from the Landfill Settlement fund, and $16,000 raised by New Milford River Trail Association from generous donors to pay the incremental cost of paving the trail so it was ADA-compliant and accessible to everyone- including individuals in wheelchairs and strollers (those donors are named on a plaque at the Riverwalk). The bulk of the funding went to stabilizing the embankment, removing dead Willow trees, planting new trees and shrubs, installing a guard rail and trail amenities like a fishing dock, tables and benches.

All the Way to Brookfield
In 2017, thanks to funding authorized by Mayor David Gronbach and the New Milford Town Council, the planning firm of Milone & MacBroom was engaged by the Town’s Bike & Trails Committee to determine how to extend the existing 5 mile trail from it’s southern trailhead on Boardman Rd through our historic downtown and onward to the Brookfield Town Line (We hope that our trail will link up with Brookfield’s Still River Greenway at this location).

Public Forum Meeting, March 20, 2018

Milone & MacBroom presented the first draft of the Preliminary Engineering Routing study at a Public Forum meeting hosted by the Town’s Bike & Trails Committee on March 20, 2018 at 7 pm in the E.Paul Martin Room at Town Hall.  Input was sought from the community and stakeholders to help craft a final version.

Milone & MacBroom Preliminary Engineering Report and Archaeological Study

The latest version of the Milone and MacBroom study, updated after the Public Forum meeting, along with their Archaeological Study can be viewed by clicking here. (Please note that Phases identified in the study do not represent the order with which they will be built).

New Milford River Trail Association’s original map (for comparison purposes (different from Milone & MacBroom study) Our thanks to the New Milford Public Works Department for creating this for us).

New Milford River Trail- Overall Conceptual Map-2016 

Bike & Trails Committee II 

In the summer of 2018, Town Council established a (9) person Bike & Trails Committee II.   Their mission statement includes providing a safe and enjoyable place for people of all ages to ride a bicycle, running and walking-friendly areas and shall assist and advise the Town for the betterment of the community at large in regards to the needs and desires of the community for such recreational trails, the plans for maintenance of existing trails and bicycle safe roadways, and the design, development and maintenance of a contiguous Greenway from New Milford to Brookfield.  (reference Town Council Minutes August 14, 2018).  Town Council also adopted the concept of the Preliminary Engineering Report of Milone and MacBroom.

The new Bike & Trails Committee II did marketing research and started exploring funding options.

Connecticut Recreational Trails Grant:

In January, 2019, the Town of New Milford received $180,500 of $574,000 requested from a CT DEEP Recreational Trails Grant.  The money awarded is specifically for designing Phase I, Boardman Road to the entrance of MedInstill.  It needed to be used by September, 2021.

Public Forum Meeting, February 7, 2019:

Tom O’Brien, Chairman of the New Milford Bike & Trails Committee II led a presentation on the Milone and MacBroom Preliminary Engineering report.  Feedback from participants was solicited by committee member Bill Baker and responses recorded by fellow committee members.  A video recording of the meeting is available here.

Survey

A survey was conducted in March of 2019 by the Bike & Trails Committee II to ensure various sections and features of the Milone and MacBroom Preliminary Engineering report of June, 2018 meet the needs of user groups.

CT Recreational Trails Grant 

In December of 2020, Milone & MacBroom was hired by the town to do the design phase of the New Milford River Trail in the MedInstill section of trail, as specified in the CT Recreational Trails Grant.

Greenway Committee:

In December, 2020, Town Council agreed to establish a new temporary (5) member Greenway Committee whose sole focus is to focus on expanding the New Milford River Trail. As of February 2024, this committee has not been filled by Town Council.

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