Tag: new england rail trail

September 11, 2021 – Ashuwillticook Rail Trail – Massachusetts

Yesterday Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Cheshire, Massachusetts. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is an almost 13 mile trail that runs through the towns of Adams, Lanesborough, and Cheshire. The Trail is ten foot in width and as expected is the site of an old rail trail. Views along the Trail include the Cheshire Reservoir and the Hoosic River.

We had a lovely adventure to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. I was thrilled to finally get to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as I had always wanted to visit due to the great reviews, scenic location, and my interest in rail trails in general. We found a map online and parked at Church Street as I wanted to make sure we were able to see the Reservoir with the mountain backdrop. I was thankful for a brief chat with a fellow dog walker who told me which way to head toward the Reservoir and off we went on our walk. The trail was smooth and most of the time edged with greenery, until of course we arrived at the Reservoir. As you may expect my favorite part was the route parallel to the Reservoir, with the gorgeous mountain views, so pretty and quite peaceful. We walked and walked spending about 1.5 hours on this trail. Gus loved giving his sister constant kisses, and picking up any and all sticks he could find. Wilma enjoyed walking and exploring the new smells on our walk. Definitely one of the prettiest rail trails I have been to on our adventures. So glad we could visit the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail (Rating: 4).

January 5, 2019 – Northern Rail Trail – New Hampshire

Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to the Northern Rail Trail in Lebanon, New Hampshire.  The Northern Rail Trail is a 58 mile multi-use trail popular for dog walking, running, skiing, biking, and snowmobiling.  It runs from Lebanon to Boscawen and is the longest Rail Trail in New Hampshire

We had a simple Adventure to the Northern Rail Trail.  I planned this stop to break up our trip which involved various Adventures throughout Vermont.  I was quite curious to explore this Trail as I had read that it often parallels the river and has bridges along the route.  There was a brief jaunt where we were able to see the River, which I believe was the Connecticut River.  We were able too locate a little trail that went directly to the River’s edge although too far above the River for Shadow and Wilma to drink or swim.  (The video below is from the River as we walked back to the Trail).

Throughout our walk I was glad to see that the trail was not just behind backyards, but also traversed the woods, paralleled the river, and went through field-type landscape.  I was disappointed to only spot one bridge, concrete, and dull, but yet had realized we might not see any bridges due to the sheer length of the Trail.

Along our walk we saw many dog walkers, and were quite glad to not run into any snowmobiles.  So overall I would say this was typical to my other visits to Rail Trails, a simple, and long walk with no memorable landmarks.  However, likely a much different experience for those on a bicycle.  Nevertheless still glad we could walk on the Northern Rail Trail today (Rating:  3).