windsor locks canal state park trail

Several small towns north of Hartford carry the name of "Windsor." There's a South Windsor, an East Windsor, a "only-Windsor" Windsor, and then there's Windsor Locks. People all over the state know the name of Windsor Locks because it's the home of the state's full-service jetport at Bradley International Airport and because, let's face it, "Windsor Locks" has a kind of ring to it, a sort of "je ne sais quoi" quality.But in addition to the airport, there really are locks in Windsor Locks!The 4.5-mile Enfield Canal and Locks (also known as the Windsor Locks Canal) ferried small boats around the Enfield Rapids (also known as the Enfield Falls), the low-rise waterfalls and sandbars in the Connecticut River that marked the northern head of travel for oceangoing vessels just north of the capital city of Hartford. Small boats could take the canal around the 32-foot fall of the Enfield Rapids in this 4.5-mile stretch of the river (nearly a full one percent of its 410-mile length from northern New Hampshire to Long Island Sound). For big boats, the Enfield Falls probably made Hartford your furthest port of call up from Long Island Sound.The canal, built from 1827 to 1829, was like many other canal structures made obsolete by the faster railroads. But the Enflield (or Windsor Locks) Canal and Locks lives on as a recreational area. The canal and the locks are intact, lining the western bank of the wide Connecticut River. A paved surface on the tow path lies on the berm separating the slender canal from the usually gentle river, which runs north-to-south in a broad straight line. The rapids gurgle and whoosh a bit. I visited on a sparkling summer day. The river was deep blue, the sky was light blue, the sounds were enjoyable, the canal was interesting -- especially the locks at the northern end whose doors and chamber are still quite interact. They contribute to the reasons why the canal is on the National Register of Historic Places.It's a 4.5-mile walk between the two ends of the canal. I didn't make the walk, but I gather from the map and a satellite picture that once you set out, you're committed to either making it to the other end or turning around and coming back. There is no bridge over the canal in mid-stream, so you cannot cross back to the mainland until you get to the locks at the other end from which you set out. The flat and well-maintained surface of the tow path seemed to attract so many types of people: bicyclists, runners, strollers, walkers, and just about anyone who wanted to spend a little while walking beside the great river on a lovely day. The northern end of the canal in Suffield, Connecticut, on the west bank of the river, contains a parking area and some facilities; it's the location for which this review is pegged. I think the southern end of the canal is in downtown Windsor Locks, but I am not sure; I haven't been there yet!I'm coming back to this place. I think it'd be a great spot for a picnic or play with the dog.History of the Enflield Canal and Locks (a.k.a. Windsor Locks Canal) is found on Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_Falls_Canal. A fascinating history summary is also found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_Falls_Canal