Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail

The Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is a 34-mile (55 km), gravel mixed-use rail trail in central New Hampshire that is currently under construction, under control of the Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail (FCLSRT). It roughly follows the course of the Concord and Claremont Railroad line, starting in Concord and passing through the towns of Hopkinton, Warner, Sutton, and Bradford, and ending in Newbury at Lake Sunapee. The trail is being designed for use by walkers, cyclists, equestrians, and cross-country skiers.[1]

Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail
Length34 mi (55 km)
LocationConcord, New Hampshire
Hopkinton, New Hampshire
Warner, New Hampshire
Sutton, New Hampshire
Bradford, New Hampshire
Newbury, New Hampshire
UseBicycling, walking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing
Hiking details
Right of wayFormer railroad line
Websiteconcordlakesunapeerailtrail.com

History

The Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail sits on the former Claremont branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The line was originally part of the Concord and Claremont Railroad that connected Concord and Claremont, which was opened on September 21, 1848.[2]

The Boston & Maine Railroad took over the line in 1887 and called it the Claremont branch.

Passenger service on the line ended in 1955. After World War II, with the decline of rail transportation and increased popularity of the automobile, the line fell into disuse, and the last freight train ran on the line in 1962. Some concrete signal bases, rail rests and mile markers can still be seen.[3]

The Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail formed in early 2018 and began negotiating easement rights on properties where the original right-of-way ran. Work is ongoing with various sections being completed.[4]

Features

The Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail travels along a flat and scenic landscape through wetlands, ponds, woods, farmlands, and for several miles travels along the Contoocook River.

Improvements to completed trail sections include bench seating, informational kiosks, bicycle repair stations, historic mile-marker repairs, railroad bridge re-decking and vehicular gates.

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See also

References
  1. "Concord – Lake Sunapee Rail Trail | Connecting the communities of Concord, Hopkinton, Warner, Bradford, and Newbury, NH". Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  2. "history". 2015-09-19. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  3. "The Depot". CONTOOCOOK RAILROAD MUSEUM. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  4. "Current Work (Blog) | Concord – Lake Sunapee Rail Trail | Connecting the communities of Concord, Hopkinton, Warner, Bradford, and Newbury, NH". Retrieved 2019-11-06.
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