[1] The 215-mile (346 km) route extends through 41 communities from Guilford, Connecticut, at Long Island Sound over the Metacomet Ridge, through the highlands of the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, to the New Hampshire state border.

[4] In March 2007, Representative John Olver (D-MA) introduced the New England Scenic Trail Designation Act.

[1] This measure was subsequently rolled into the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009.

[6] On March 30, 2009, the New England Scenic Trail was officially designated by United States Public Law 111-11 Section 5202.

[7] This section defines the trail as extending from Long Island Sound in Guilford, Connecticut, to the Massachusetts / New Hampshire border.

In 2012 and 2013 the remaining four miles to Long Island Sound was completed, primarily traversing the historic central downtown Guilford district south to the town harbor.