The sections from New Haven to Tariffville totaling 47.6 miles (76.6 km) are part of the East Coast Greenway, a 36 percent completed trail intended to link Maine with Florida.

In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) provided states the ability to utilize federal funds to finance the conversion of derelict railroad corridors into rail trails.

The trail runs from downtown New Haven, Connecticut, to Northampton, Massachusetts, closely following the path of the original Canal and Route 10.

[3] As of October 2018, the trail extends uninterrupted from Northwest Drive in Northern Plainville to the Massachusetts border in Suffield (24.6 miles).

The site of the greenway was originally used by the native Quinnipiac tribes as a path prior to its expansion as a road by the colonists.

"[7][10] The developed section within state park boundaries runs 17.7 miles (28.5 km) south from Hart Street in Southington to Todd Street in Hamden and includes the Farmington Canal's restored Lock 12, located south of Brooksvale Road in Cheshire.