NH - Northern Rail Trail in New Hampshire

[Jeff Smith]

Here's a nice write-up on the thread title namesake trail:

http://news.yahoo.com/hampshires-longes ... 50742.html

DANBURY, N.H. (AP) — Paying homage to the past, organizers of New Hampshire's longest rail trail have marked the efforts of two counties and the route that spans them with their own "golden spike."

In 1996, the state acquired 60 miles of the Northern Railroad, one of the longest surviving rail corridors in New Hampshire when it stopped carrying passengers and freight by the early 1970s. The goal was to convert the route into a recreation trail.

Since then, volunteers have worked to remove old rail ties, clean up the area and help secure grants and donations to resurface the route for year-round use. Today, 46 of the 60-mile Northern Rail Trail have been completed in western and central New Hampshire, including an 8.3-mile chunk recently finished near where Grafton and Merrimack counties meet. That's where organizers had a spike ceremony at the end of July, in remembrance of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869.

...

In addition to bicyclists and hikers, the flat, year-round trail can be used by horseback riders, cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and dog sleds. The trail passes through Lebanon, Enfield, Canaan, Orange, Grafton, Danbury, Wilmot, Andover, Franklin and Boscawen.

[RussNelson]

Rode a portion of it in September of 2008. It's a nice trail. http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling//1220871810.html

[Obershnaus]

Rode a portion of it in September of 2008. It's a nice trail. http://blog.russnelson.com/bicycling//1220871810.html

familiar places... was there in 2005 (if i'm not mistaken). that was real fun to ride there