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Connecticut, United States

Hiking trails near Branford

170 quality-checked hiking routes are currently mapped within 40 km of Branford, Connecticut, United States. Together their route lines cover 541 km. The average route is 3.2 km with 68 m (223 ft) of recorded ascent.

170
Trails
40 km
Search radius
92
Easy routes
2.9 km
Closest

The directory difficulty mix is 92 easy (54%), 72 moderate (42%) and 6 hard or expert (4%). 39 routes (23%) are recorded as loops. Difficulty is calculated from available distance and elevation data; it is not a statement about technical terrain or current conditions.

The most frequent route tags are forest (19), river (12), mountain (5), waterfall (4). The highest recorded point in this set is 266 m (873 ft). The place-level planning field lists varies by region as the preferred season; check each route and official notices for live access and weather. Mattabesett Trail, North Summit Trail, Paugussett Trail currently lead this page’s directory ranking, which uses route completeness and computed route scores rather than editorial field testing.

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

1.3 km

North Summit Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

10 m

North Summit Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →
Comparison of the first 6 listed routes
RouteDistanceAscentMoving timeShape
Mattabesett Trail95.2 km1,205 m24 hrPoint to point
North Summit Trail1.3 km10 m17 minPoint to point
Paugussett Trail20.9 km508 m5 hr 17 minPoint to point
Beacon Falls Yellow Trail2.8 km153 m49 minPoint to point
Quinnipiac Trail31.5 km848 m8 hr 20 minPoint to point
Menunkatuck Trail25.8 km277 m6 hr 7 minPoint to point

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

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