MethuenRailTrail

On the other hand someone scrawled traditional graffiti on the wooden trestle. This is a much bigger crime against nature. Hopefully much of the paint will not survive the winter, making removal easier in the spring. Small amounts of graffiti can be ignored for the time being but this will appear in every picture shot at this location.

Tags: cleanup, graffiti

Apparently someone at the Village Mall decided it was easier to toss their bags of leaves over the hill onto the trail. These are from the last 2 months or so; they were not there before that. Tim Vermette has been getting out there quite regularly to clean and this kind of thing is disheartening.

Tags: illegal dumping, methuen Rail Trail, village mall

Tags: blog, Clean-up days, images

Googlemaps: Southern N.H. Rail Trails
A compilation of all rail trails in southern New Hampshire.


View Southern N.H. Rail Trails in a larger map

Tags: Derry Rail Trail, maps, Southern N.H. Rail Trails, Windham Rail Trail

Another late post, my apologies. Last Sunday had incredible weather…the kind that you read about in old books about New England. On the spur of the moment, we got a few folks together for a quick trip on the Windham Rail Trail…we were NOT alone.

Odd some days I get out there and it seems that everyone called ahead and arranged the day. From my experience it seems Monday holiday mornings are FAMILY days, and it seems Sunday mornings are DOG day, or rather BIG DOG day. It seems a new trick is for walkers to bag their Dogs leavings and then leave the bag on the side of the trail for the return trip…as practical as this is. I and the other trails users found this habit slovenly and rude. If you are reading this…knock it off.

If you want to ride for long stretches pretending you are alone on the trail, weekday mornings are ideal. Basically all day week days until about dinner time you can be alone for most of your ride, but the more I ride the busy times, the more i LIKE the happy communal atmosphere that a busy trail gives off. Everyone is smiling, everyone nods as you go past. Dog people talk to dog people, children people try to rein in their kids as they go tearing up ahead unmonitored, it has a very town and country feel to it.

We are hoping that if we keep doing group rides at the drop of a hat, we will eventually build up a base of interested riders to have ‘Official’ group rides.

Tags: event, Windham Rail Trail

I meant to post this about five times in the last 2 weeks. I have been a little busy and I can count the number of times i have ridden my bike on one hand. I wanted to try out Derry’s new pavement..and the decision is that pavement is SWEET – no pavement is painful.

Derry has paved what looks like a bit over half their trail. Where the trail had originally led you inside a large culvert under Bowers Rd, it now veers off to one side and up and over the street through a new set of bollards, and continues unpaved on the other side of the road about 60 feet away.

The paved section is as sweet as Windham or Nashua River, nicely spaced room enough for people and bicycles to pass nicely. The unpaved section is actually much better than I had expected, the only unfriendly sections were either rocky or sandy. Quite navigable by wide tire bikes, but it would be inappropriate for children or any bicycles that aren’t designed for serious offroading.

When Derry finishes their pavement project and connects to Windham, it will serve as the anchor for Salem and Methuen’s eventually link up. I ride these sections and it breaks my heart that I can’t continue on for another leisurely 7 miles and end up at my own door.

Tags: Derry Rail Trail

By Laura Schweizer from WickedLocal News
Mon Aug 31, 2009, 02:54 PM EDT

Chelmsford – Music of the Chelmsford Community Band Jazz Ensemble bellowed over the excited chatter of more than 200 people gathered on the second floor of Old Town Hall. Saturday, Aug. 29, marked the long-awaited (20-plus years) official opening of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, BFRT.

Eighteen board members of the Friends of the BFRT and more than 40 volunteers oversaw the festivities, which included speeches, attendance of Westford’s Boy Scout Troop 759 and the Honor Guard, booths for non-profit organizations, a rail trail “ticket” self-guided historic tour, and an afternoon cookout at Agway.
(continue reading)

Tags: Bruce Freedman Rail Trail, Chelmsford

Phase one of rail trail to open Sat.
Boston Globe. August 27, 2009

After nearly 25 years of planning, funding constraints, environmental obstacles, and privacy concerns among abutters, the first phase of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail will officially open Saturday.

The 6.8-mile, 10-foot-wide paved trail, which traverses woods, wetlands, open fields, and shopping areas, starts at the Cross Point Towers in Lowell, goes through Chelmsford, and ends at Route 225 in Westford. It cost $4.8 million in state and federal funds to build.

“I never gave up on it, but I really wondered if I’d be here to see this,’’ said 84-year-old Daphne Freeman, widow of Bruce Freeman, a former state representative from Chelmsford.

Bruce Freeman started researching the idea for a bike path in 1985 after seeing one in California. He died in 1986 before the project got off the ground.

The northern phase, which took two years to build and was funded with state and federal funds, is just the beginning of a 25-mile trail along former railroad routes that will go from Lowell through Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, and Sudbury, and end in Framingham.

“I think it’s such a happy thing,’’ Daphne Freeman said. “It’s good for people’s health, it’s safe, and it’s good for the environment.’’

Freeman and her family will attend Saturday’s ribbon cutting, which will be held at 10 a.m. at the Old Town Hall in Chelmsford center. An opening celebration on the town common will follow.

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Tags: Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Chelmsford

from WickedLocal News:

CHELMSFORD – On Saturday, Aug. 29, after more than 24 years of planning, working, and waiting, the 6.8-mile section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Cross Point Towers in Lowell to Route 225 in Westford will officially open! This is the first completed section of the rail trail that is planned to extend southward through Sudbury into Framingham.

The MassHighway ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at Old Town Hall in Chelmsford Center, followed by a gala celebration sponsored by the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail on the Chelmsford Town Common with music, balloons, and refreshments.

The 6.8 miles of trail will be open, with activities suitable for children and adults scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Join the activities by using any non-motorized form of transportation, and enjoy this new trail. A barbeque with hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks, for $1 each, will be available at Agway on Maple Road in Chelmsford from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

This section of the planned 25-mile multi-use rail trail has been under construction for two years. The trail will be accessible to users of all ages and abilities. It traverses woods, wetlands, open fields, and shopping areas and also features an artwalk with renderings of historic Chelmsford buildings painted by local artists.

The ceremony will be held rain or shine. We encourage you to take part in this day of celebration and fun!

Tags: Bruce Freeman Rail Trail