Touring the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail

Community activists in favor of completing the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail are pushing to get in place a preliminary version the project, which could link up the pedestrian/biking trail to major cultural attractions like the aquarium and Stepping Stones Museum.

The trail would link parks including Norwalk Green and Veterans Park and is close to major employers and train stations, which might make it more than just a tourist attraction, but a commuter resource as well.

The trail is a partly off-road route that largely follows the shoreline on the east side of the river, goes through parks and a pedestrian/bike trail on the west and north sides and city streets at the south end. The route has been envisioned for decades, but hasn't quite been finished, even though it's been a part of a number of city master plans for development.

Today there are gaps in the trail (see map accompanying this article), but it's still usable if pedestrians or bicycle riders detour to streets at some spots. So activists say they want to get signs and pavement markings in place in order to make the trail more popular.

Those are also the least expensive improvements the city could make. Once the trail is more popular, the activists reason, more people will push for the expensive elements of the overall plan, like footbridges over some spots.

In order to get the trail completed, Michael Mushak, who's donated the work of his landscaping company to clear brush away from the trail in spots, together with Deborah Lewis, a member of the steering committee for the Norwalk River Valley Trail, led the walk around the loop. The event was organized by the Norwalk River Valley Trail citizens group. The tour took place for about 2 1/2 hours on Sunday.

Mushak said that if people use the trail, they'll start pushing their elected officials at the state and local level to get it finished.

An explanation of why organizers think its so important to complete the loop is on the back of a map that organizers have been distributing. In part, the explanation says:

"[U]sing existing sidewalks and on-street connections as many other cities have, and wayfinding signage and pavement markings which we hope to have installed sometime next year, it will be feasible to complete a mapped 'loop' by the end of 2012. It won't be perfect, but it will be the essential first step to the transformation of Norwalk from a 'car city' to a modern and more sustainable 'bike and pedestrian' city. [...]

"The immediate benefits include recreational and commuting use by residents and visitors, and economic benefits from the ability to promote this unique asset to new residents, tourists and businesses. No other city in the area has an asset such as this, and it will allow Norwalk to brand itself as a forward-thinking city that has actually invested for decades in multi-use trails, but which few even know about. [...]

"Walk, jog or ride the Loop, tell your friends, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, tell all of these folks below how important the Loop is to the future of Norwalk! Phone, email, write letters to the editor, and vote for those who support the Loop!"

At some point in the future, the long Norwalk River Valley Trail, a potential biking and walking trail that organizers want to stretch from Calf Pasture Beach to the Danbury Mall or Danbury Airport, is expected to pass through parts of the loop trail.

Activists have started a Facebook page on the Norwalk Harbor Loop Trail, The Norwalk River Valley Trail has a website and Facebook page.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with some additional information on the Norwalk River Valley Trail.