Classic New England Back Roads: Route 32

Route 32 travels from Keene, New Hampshire to New London, Connecticut. Recently, after exploring towns in western and central Massachusetts, I decided to take Route 32 home to Norwich, Connecticut from Royalston, Massachusetts at its border with New Hampshire. Not particularly thinking about writing about my journey, the photos I took were minimal. The journey is on one of the classic New England back roads; from country to city, colonial to industrial, Route 32 is a drive worth taking.

Luckily, fellow Backyard Road Tripper, and podcast cohost (and damn good photographer) Jim Wheeler lives on this picturesque road in the town of Franklin, Connecticut. He has some amazing photos taken right off of Route 32 in Connecticut which are used for this article. Even though I’ll be describing other sections of the road, the photos stem mostly from the Connecticut section

The Trip

As stated previously, I spent a day out wandering an area of Massachusetts that I was not familiar with. From Norwich, Connecticut, I drove up to Brattleboro, Vermont, then to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, and over to Turners Falls. At Turners Falls, I decided to take Route 2 east. From Route 2, I headed east onto Route 2A through the towns of Orange and into Athol. From Athol I headed north to Royalston, which borders New Hampshire. 

At Royalston, the charge on the phone died, leaving us GPS-less. I saw a sign for Route 32 and knew that this would take me all the way back to Norwich since Route 32 travels right through my Connecticut hometown. The GPS wanted me to travel highway, eventually Interstates 395 or 91. I had no desire for that; it was time to take the back road. Route 32 I knew was one of the classic New England back roads. I was ready to explore.

Athol and Orange are both blue-collar factory towns. Orange is pretty small, with Athol being the veritable metropolis of this region. Royalston is a rural town known for serene spots such as Doane’s Falls and Tully Lake. 

Classic New England Back Roads: Route 32

Heading south on Route 32 from Royalston to Athol, I decided to continue south. Most of these towns are small and rural, including Petersham. At Petersham, I veered onto Route 32A since it was a straighter shot. This road hugs close to the eastern shore of the Quabbin Reservoir but it is never in view. 

The centerpiece of the ride is Hardwick. It has a gorgeous town center based around the town green. Route 32A passes straight through this charmer. There was a concert on the green. Just south of the common, Mimi’s Coffee House of Hardwick was doing well and looked inviting. With the hour growing late, I had to keep on driving through. 

Route 32 connects back with 32A and continues south. Gilbertville is the next village and is part of Hardwick. I passed the Lost Towns Brewery (in reference to the nearby towns that were flooded to construct the Quabbin Reservoir). It was not open but looked inviting. 

Continuing South

The rest of 32 in Massachusetts passed through towns that included Ware, Palmer, and Monson, the first two with a former industrial vibe. Long gone was the quaint ride of the northern and central sections of Route 32. Hitting the Connecticut border in Stafford, it passed through the appealing village of Stafford Springs. Continuing through towns of Willington, Mansfield, Windham, Franklin, and into Norwich, the Connecticut leg was already familiar to me. 

From the countryside of Mansfield and Franklin, the road is beautiful. Willimantic’s route passes near the iconic Frog Bridge, currently with the frogs sporting masks on their mugs. 

Meandering down one of my favorite New England Back Roads, Route 32, from Royalston, Massachusetts on the New Hampshire border, to Norwich, Connecticut, took a really long time, like two and a half hours. I hadn’t done a marathon trip on a single road like this for years. It was quite fun. It was nerve-wracking at times since the pace was so slow, but I was able to discover towns in Central Massachusetts that have only been placenames on a map for me previously as well as revisit familiar villages in Connecticut. If you have the time, I would recommend a Backyard Road Trip on this quintessential New England back road.