The state departments of Energy and Environmental Protection and Transportation announced Tuesday that they have launched the CT Rail Trail Explorer website to provide information needed to plan a visit of a few hours or a full day on the state’s network of rail trails.

The CT Rail Trail Explorer can be found at www.ct.gov/deep/railtrailexplorer.

This new online feature was developed by DEEP’s State Parks Trails & Greenways Program, in cooperation with DOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program to guide visitors to trails that provide a great way to easily explore some of CT's unique landscapes on foot, bike or horseback, DEEP said in a news release.

Users can plan their visit by either clicking on a state park trail logo or using an interactive map.

Users also can find the parking area nearest to them and get directions, and can see how many miles they will have to travel from a parking lot of choice to a destination, or measure distances between parking lots or other trail features of interest.

There is an option to print out a map once users have settled on a route.

Other map functions include a user-generated profile map of trail elevations along a selected route, photographs of sites along the trails and parking areas, and links to associated state park maps and websites for more details.

In addition to being a resource for Connecticut trail users, The CT Rail Trail Explorer is a pilot project for a central source of trail use planning information, DEEP said.

The project was supported in part by funding provided by the Federal Highway Administration’s National Recreational Trails Program administered by the DEEP in partnership with the DOT’s Transportation Alternatives Program and designed by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc.

There are four State Park Rail Trails in Connecticut: the Air Line, Hop River, Moosup Valley and Larkin.

In addition, many sections of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail are part of the state park system.

The Air Line and the Hop River State Park Rail Trails were re-connected this summer by a restored bridge over the Willimantic River in Windham. The Air Line and Hop River trails also are connected to sections of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail System.

All trails welcome nonmotorized uses and have stone dust surfaces, except for the Farmington Canal trail, which is paved.

These rail trails cover 88 miles and pass through the 22 towns: Andover, Bolton, Chaplin, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, East Hampton, Hampton, Hebron, Lebanon, Manchester, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Southbury, Sterling, Thompson, Vernon and Windham.

For information, contact the DEEP CT Recreational Trails & Greenways Program at (860) 424-3578.