==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Friends of the Northern Rail Trail -- Merrimack County, Andover, NH
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View of the Merrimack River from NRT, March 2008
Introduction:
Organized in 2004, the FNRT-MC aims to continue the conversion of rail bed into a four-season rail trail from Danbury to the Boscawen-Concord line. In 2006 it received a $206,000 Transportation Enhancement grant to take the rail trail from Potter Place to Danbury, where it will connect with the Northern Rail Trail in Grafton County. Ultimately the Grafton and Merrimack County sections together will total 59 miles of continuous rail trail, the longest rail trail in New Hampshire, and will allow people to ride their bikes or hike from the Connecticut River Valley to the Lakes Region.
Currently the trail has been completed as a four-season trail from Lebanon, NH through Grafton, NH and from Potter Place to Switch Road in Andover NH, but not yet into the Merrimack County towns of Danbury, Wilmot, Franklin, and Boscawen, NH.
Project updates:
October 2011 update:
The Friends of the Northern Rail Trail in Merrimack County (FNRT-MC) recently resurfaced 2.5 more miles of rail trail at the West Franklin end of the rail trail extending its length that much closer to the ultimate goal of Concord, N.H. Thanks to a recent N.H. state Recreational Trail Program grant, the city of Franklin and lots of volunteer help, the rail trail in Merrimack County now reaches from the Grafton/Danbury town line to Webster Place in Franklin, a full 25.3 miles of wide and smooth rail trail with no more than a 1% grade change throughout.
With
approximately 9 more miles of rail trail building to go, FNRT-MC is hoping to
finish the job beginning with a major fundraising effort. Anyone interested
in assisting either with trail maintenance or fundraising is encouraged to visit
the rail trail website www.fnrt.org to contact the organization.
August 2011 update:
Friends
of the Northern Rail Trail - Merrimack County
recently released three detailed maps (links below) of their section of the
Northern Rail Trail plus a general map of the complete 46-mile trail from Franklin
to Lebanon. Parking areas and rest room facilities are included on these maps
which may be downloaded from their web site www.fnrt.org
or on the rail trails page of this BWA-NH web site. Also, the "Golden Spike
Ceremony" on July 31 was a success as that event marked the connection
of the Merrimack County section to the Grafton County section of the rail trail
allowing the full 46 mile trail to be useable all four seasons of the year.
Congratulations to all involved in making this longest rail trail in NH a reality!
NRT
map - Overview of complete 46-mile rail trail and facilities
NRT
map - Franklin area
NRT
map - Webster Lake to Potter Place
NRT map - Potter
Place to Danbury
There is so much activity concerning this trail we had to add another web page!
Please click here to view the latest updates, details, and good news.
Web site:
http://www.fnrt.org/
Contacts:
President: Bob Ward ~ Andover, NH
Vice President: Alex Bernhard ~ Andover, NH
Secretary: Myra Mayman ~ Andover, NH
Treasurer: Charles Martin ~ New London, NH
Recording Secretary Peter Southworth ~ Andover, NH
Friends of the
Northern Rail Trail in Merrimack County
P.O. Box 154
Andover, NH 03216
603-735-5061
Email: Info@FNRT.org