There is now a pamphlet that has information corresponding to the sixteen numbered and labeled signs along Windsor Locks Canal Trail. It explains why the canal was built, its multiple uses and the purpose of canal structures. Pamphlets can be picked up in two locations, on the back wall of the shed closest to the trailhead in Suffield and at the Windsor Locks entrance.
Sign at the canal Headworks
There are 15 points of interest and a “EN’ sign indicating an eagle’s nest observation point. Number 1 is found just inside the Suffield entrance. Number 15 is a short walk north of the Windsor Locks gate. The eagle’s nest marker (EN) is generally located in between the railroad bridge andnumber 15. Although eagle pairs will return to the same nest each year, the death of a mate, weather events, or vandalism, can result in the nest being abandoned anda new one constructed in a different location. End to end the trail is approximately four and a half miles long.
Next season QR codes will be installed on each post. The QR codes will be linked to a web page with more extensive information: learn how the canal was built, why the southern part turns inland and how it improved commerce and navigation on the Connecticut
River. Walk the old towpath with a new knowledge of and appreciation for the industriousness of the peoples of the 1800s.