Friends of the Northern Rail Trail

One word to describe the Northern Rail Trail. Wow. It is a gem in New England if not the nation.
I have been in the process of doing the entire trail now for some time. Since I’m doing it by myself, I am doing it in a series of out and backs. That way I can also check the different parking lots, country stores and snack bars nearby for when I do the trail again with friends and we can stage cars with bike racks in different segments. Which will happen.
The trail begins (0r ends) just a couple of blocks from the picturesque Colburn Park in downtown Lebanon NH, next to the Witherell Recreation Center parking lot with a huge parking area. The first 35 miles of the trail follow a path nearby State Route 4 to Andover along the Mascoma River to Mascoma Lake and then the Indian River until the Connecticut Valley divide, where the watershed changes to following the Blackwater River to the Merrimack River and the Atlantic Ocean watershed. This segment climbs a total of 492 feet and descends 413 feet at Highland Lake in East Andover.
The trail’s maintenance is done by local towns as well as different bicycling and snowmobile clubs with an apparent lack of standardization among them, and therefore the conditions on the trail vary significantly between different segments in different towns. As a result, I would recommend a «fat tire» or mountain bike if one is going to ride trails outside The conditions in the Lebanon — Enfield segment are quite comfortable, with packed crushed rocks suitable for all mountain and even thicker hybrids, but from Enfield to Grafton they can be spotty and the Grafton-​Canaan segment needs repair, In Canaan and Grafton, the conditions can range from overgrown to thin sand patches unsuitable for thinner tires, to large ballast rock that slow down travel considerably.
There are numerous parking areas along the trail, allowing out and backs as well as staging vehicles to accomplish the entire trail in segments or just to do a part of the trail. The segment from Lebanon to Enfield is quite beautiful, although a detour that will likely last for at least another year presents a significant detour. The picturesque segment meanders through the Mascoma River to Lake Mascoma where it follows the Northern side of the lake presenting some amazing views of the lake, Shaker Village, the historic Shaker Bridge and on to the little town of Enfield. Beware in Enfield, as picturesque, quaint and historic as the village happens to be, it has no suitable eating establishments in the immediate vicinity that offer any quality food. There is Mickey Roadside Café on Route 4 ( Unilocal rated) less than a mile outside the trail.
The segment from Enfield to Canaan can be a bit sketchy and worn out with some rough patches. At Canaan, there is a parking lot and a few eating establishments. East of Canaan, one of the most beautiful scenic spots on the trail affords amazing views of Mirror Lake and the above-​treeline summit of Cardigan Mountain in the background. Continuing on to the Southeast, the trail begins a very gradual but noticeable descent to the Southeast with rough areas more suitable for horseback riding than for bicycling (it is maintained by a Winter-​oriented snowmobile club), meandering towards Tewksbury Pond that sports amazing scenery, then continuing on to Grafton with a nice country store under new management, passing Danbury Center, where the trail becomes well maintained once more, and then on to Andover, perhaps the best maintained segment of the trail, perhaps due to its location in the immediate vicinity of Proctor Academy. Past Andover, it borders more spectacular scenery as it passes the shoreline of Highland Lake and Webster Lake until it reaches Franklin and then Boscawen where it ends.

Great place to ride your bike. Well maintained, although there are some rough spots with crush stone near the Lebanon side. Otherwise, this trail is in great condition. The volunteers keep it well maintained and marked. There are numerous stopping points along the way, such as country stores. Lots of covered bridges, lakes and rivers. The only caution is the end point is not clearly marked. After you end in Boscawen, you need to keep going on the road until you get to the parking area/​monument.