The Pequot Trail extends from its northern terminus on Route 165 in an area known as Hellgate in Preston, and follows a power line south through wetland areas, rocky ridges, and forest roads to Route 2, where it crosses and follows Lincoln Park Road to Lincoln Park.

Just before the private Mashantucket Pequot Burial Ground it turns south through a wooded area to the southern terminus on Coachman Pike.

Varied terrain, views, hemlocks, rhododendron, and geologic features add interest along the trail.

Portions of the original trail, particularly the sections between the present southern terminus and Lantern Hill, were used by native Americans for centuries.

Some of what happened during the early colonial period and before are explained in displays at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and may eventually be described in interpretive signage on the trail when sections through the area are opened.

[4] The circumstances surrounding the origin of the name Hellgate, the history of Uncas' connection to the land, the relations between the Mohegans and the Pequots, the brickyard, the original occupants of homes now only showing as foundations or cellar holes, the use and reasons for some odd stone walls at the bottom of a ravine and the occasional "frog war" that happens in the wetland meadow area are all things that can give the casual hiker something to think about on his or her leisurely hike.

Trail descriptions are available from a number of commercial and non-commercial sources, and a complete guidebook is published by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Extensive flooding in ponds, puddles and streams may occur in the late winter or early spring, overflowing into the trail and causing very muddy conditions.

Some parts of the trail follow forest roads which often contain ruts from ATVs and four-wheel drive vehicles.