Route 196 is a Connecticut state highway in the lower Connecticut River valley, running from Haddam (near the village of Haddam Neck) to the town center of East Hampton.

It heads north and crosses into the town of East Hampton after 0.1-mile (0.16 km).

The road continues through Wopowog State Wildlife Management Area in rural East Hampton for another 2.8 miles (4.5 km), also serving several farms along the way.

The road name later changes to Skinner Street, which continues generally north, crossing the Pocotopaug Creek to an intersection with Route 16.

It continues north through the town center for another mile until it ends at an intersection with Route 66 at the mouth of Pocotopaug Lake.