SpiderMuse t1_je4xf6h wrote on March 29, 2023 at 1:20 PM

TL;DR

Park behind Save A Lot, Walgreens, Home Depot or Stop & Shop (all located on Dixwell Ave in Hamden). Also park on Hamden Park Dr.

The rest of the post...

I'm going to list MOST of the possible parking locations starting from the beginning of the trail on Temple St in New Haven, up to Quinnipiac University in Hamden. It's a lot of info, but I'm posting it for everybody's benefit reading this thread. You can follow along on Google Maps if you search "Farmington Canal Trail New Haven".

So the Farmington Canal Trail "begins" in Downtown New Haven, on Temple St between Trumbull and Grove. I say "begins" because the trail technically begins at Long Wharf, but it's not finished yet. But anyway on Temple St. there's metered parking, but it's free on Sundays. There's also a pay parking garage on Whitney Ave in this area.
Going up the trail towards Webster St, you'll find Scantlebury Park. It doesn't have a dedicated parking lot, but you can usually find street parking on nearby Bristol St.
Near the trail on Munson St is the Science Park area, which is an office park complex. If you don't mind walking a short distance, there's plenty on surface parking lots there on Winchester Ave.
Along the trail, between Division and Bassett St, is a residential neighborhood. You can usually find street parking at any of the streets in this area....if you feel comfortable. I say that because it's kind of a ghetto and a TINY bit of an urban hellhole. They do the best they can with the trail in this area and it has a charm to it. I personally feel fine parking in this area, but I would scope out the area for yourself and make that call.
On the trail between Brewster and Bassett St is what used to be the CT Dept of Social Services Bldg, but now the bldg is vacant. It has a surface parking lot that is right next to the trail that is great! BUT IIRC, it's currently fenced off and inaccessible. You'll have to check it out.
Along the trail between Bassett and Morse St is more residential neighborhood, but it's inconvenient parking, so we're going to skip it. At Morse St is a nearby Burger King that you can easily park at and the trail is right there.
Next to the trail in this area, you'll see Hamden Park Dr. There's plenty of street parking here. Right at the curve in the street, near Columbus St, is an abandoned parking lot. It's a little gem that nobody knows about and I personally use it every day to hit the trail. It's my most recommended spot on this list. Just ignore the burnt out husk of a RV, it's a safe and regularly patrolled area since its an industrial park complex.
Further up the trail is Putnam Ave. There's quite a few parking lots here that you can take advantage of! You can park behind the Save A Lot and Walgreens. You can also park across Putnam at the big surface lot. The trail here is a raised bridgeway, but there's little entry ramps on Putnam that you can use to access the trail.
Past Putnam, there a long stretch of trail where there's very little parking. There's a small secluded office park at the trail intersection of Treadwell St. You can use that if you don't want to deal with the hassle of parking in a store parking lot.
The next significant parking is behind the Home Depot near Benham St. It's been mentioned a lot in this thread, it's a very tried and true parking area that I have personally used countless times and I highly recommend it.
Past the Home Depot, there's another stretch of trail with very little parking. On Connolly Pkwy, there's a CVS Pharmacy and an office park complex on the other side of the highway. The office park is a quiet and safe area that I recommend, but it's slightly inconvenient. The trail is on a raised bridge in this area, so there are some rather steep ramps that you can use to access the trail.
A little further up the trail is a Stop & Shop complex. It's another great parking location that everybody recommends, including me. I recommend parking next to TJ Maxx, since the trail is literally right there. You can also park on the side of Stop & Shop and you'll see the trail behind the bldg.
A tiny bit up the trail, you'll see a tiny shopping location on Dixwell Ave that has a Tommy's Tanning, a great coffee shop and other small stores. You can park here and access the trail via a nearby ramp (the trail is on a raised bridge in this area). This is the LAST parking area for a few miles of the trail.
This part of the trail leading up to Qunnipiac University is gorgeous and secluded. I adore this area a lot! There's also NO parking at all in this area. The next parking is an official Canal Trail parking lot on Sherman Ave, near the QU York Hill Campus.