In one embodiment, a connection verification (CV) message is initiated from an initiating maintenance end point (MEP) for an MPLS LSP, the CV message carried in a packet having a time-to-live (TTL) value of 1. Each maintenance intermediate point (MIP) along the MPLS LSP receives the packet and decrements the TTL, and in response to determining that the TTL equals 0, examines a payload of the packet to determine that the packet carries the CV message. The MIP may then append its MIP ID to a route record field of the payload having any previous MIP IDs of upstream MIPs, and forwards the CV message downstream along the MPLS LSP in a packet having a TTL value of 1. The end MEP receives the CV message, and sends a CV reply having the route record field with MIP IDs and an end MEP ID to the initiating MEP.