Rode the trail on May 29, 2010. I started from Keene and headed south. The first 4 miles are not bad. After that, it became very rough. I have a hybrid bike, so it is designed for onroad and a fair amount of off roading. Even with a mountain bike, it would have been tough in many spots. This has a lot of sand throughout the trail, making it very difficult. There had been very little rain for weeks, yet many spots were muddy. At a few points, it was hard to tell if I was on the trail or not. One spot was through a field for over 1/2 mile. No trail markers, no dirt path. The only indication was the owner of the land had run a tractor over the grass leaving a mowed path through the taller grass. Another thing was the amount of tree fall debris through the trail. Many times, had to get off the bike and lift it through the woods to get around the fallen trees. I made it to Hinsdale, and within a mile after the restored train station, there was a tree fall with at least a dozen good size trees blocking the trail. There was no way to get around it, forcing me to turn around with less than a mile to the end.
I was surprised by the lack of scenery. Granted, there were a couple of pretty spots, but much of the ride is either following power lines or through people's backyards. Not very scenic. There were many different forms of wildlife, which was nice. Deer, beaver, turtles, hawks and more.
Overall, there are much nicer trails to try. I would suggest trying them first. This one was long, hard and boring. I bike trails consistantly and this one is probably the least enjoyable of them all.

I started from the Hinsdale side this afternoon and rode half the trail. Aside from a couple of trees that had fallen at the outset, the trail was in great shape. Completely dry with many leaves to crunch through. The surface (hard dirt with some rocks, a bit of sand) combined with the flat grade was ideal for a novice mountain biker like me. Riding behind the abandoned buildings was a little creepy if you are alone and female (there was literally no one else on the trail the entire afternoon), so you may want to keep that in mind if you are riding on a weekday. The scenery was spectacular, as the leaves have just started to change. The one thing that would have been helpful would have been mile markers, even every couple of miles for orientation. Other than that, the experience was perfect, and I'm excited to start from the other end and make my way south!

I'd like to mention that people trail ride their horses on this trail. Please be careful when you approach a horse and rider, a horse cannot see you if you approach from behind. Horses are not like dogs, they can spook and throw their rider which could result in serious injury or death. If you do come up behind a horse please say something in a calm gentle voice so you don't scare the horse and wait for the rider to respond. Most riders are courteous and will either move to one side and wave to you or tell you it's ok to go. If you approach a horse from the front they could also spook because you might be going to fast towards them. In that case it's best to stop and wait for the horse and rider to pass. When you go by a horse and rider please give them plenty of room, a horse can deliver quite a painful kick (they can also kick out to the side). I've ridden on these trails with my horse long before it was opened to the general public and never seen a soul. But after it was opened to the public I've met up with many people who are just clueless about horses. I've had joggers and mountain bikers either come up behind me scaring my horse. I had one jogger that was so close I could've touched her head, if I didn't keep all 4 hooves on the ground by keeping my horse moving forward she would've had one planted in her chest. I've even met up with rude mountain bikers who kept on riding by me when I've asked them to stop because my horse is ready to buck or bolt. I had one that said to me "I pay taxes I have the right to ride here" and she kept going while my horse was trying to rear up.

So please be careful so we all can enjoy the trails together.

We rode the trail for about ten miles from Hinsdale toward Keene on 8/25/08 -- a beautiful sunny day with temps in the 70's. Had read previous reviews about sandy conditions after about the ten-mile point so turned around at Monadnock Speedway and returned. Very scenic trail mostly through wooded areas. We rode Trek hybrids, with comfy seats and fairly wide tires due to the roots and rocks. Definitely not suitable for road bikes, as other reviewers have mentioned. Enjoyed the trail very much despite some bumpy parts and short sections that were sandy, but overall, trail is in fine shape, considering the surface is not *improved*. Had some difficulty finding the trailhead, but with some directions from the local firemen washing vehicles at the fire station, were able to find it. Recommended trail with beautiful new Hampshire scenery!

"This trail is home base for me. I think it's silly to hear people complain about short segments of a trail. Sometimes some sandy parts are sandier than others. If you bicycle through the rain, it will be muddier. But the trail is very good throughout, and if you don't like dirt or bicycling when it gets ""tough"" for a minute, then either don't go bicycling, or keep your opinion to yourself. Every day is a different day outside in NH and this is an excellent trail to use. As a mountain cyclist, I appreciate challenge. There's always a challenge cycling or hiking, and a true outdoors person doesn't complain about the outdoors."

This trail follows the Connecticut river and provides some really spectacular scenery. It is particularly beautiful this time of year. This trail is not really suitable for a road bike because of the rocks, but it is easily ridden with a mountain bike. We started at the southern most point (a parking area) on the trail and road 6 miles north. The first two miles are loose ballast but because of leaves, the ride wasn't too bad. Watch out for the first bridge since the spaces between the boards could catch even a mountain bike tire. The next two miles are shared with cars who are using a local lake (no real traffic). The road is potholed, but is a fairly easy ride. Beyond that is packed fine gravel. We went as far as the Citgo station (about 6 miles from our start point). Beyond this, it appeared that the trail was less travelled and there was a fair amount of overgrowth. It was nearing sunset, so we turned back at this point. One last comment - beware of hunters who share the trail in the fall. They seem to like sunset in particular.

"Date: Sept 16, 2006
Weather: great
Starting point (mile 0): parking lot off Rt 63 near S end of trail
Bike: Hybird 700 x 38 tires with tread for mixed dirt and pavement

The good news is the southern end of this trail has great views of Ashuelot River and by NH unimproved trail standards the trail surface condition is OK but not for narrow tires (don't think about using a road bike ... my son's mountain bike would have a better choice.)

At the 10 mile mark all this changes ... soft sand and then much worse, soft dirt. I had to walk the bike for about 1 mile.

From about 11 mile mark to 16 mile mark you need to watch for soft dirt and in place may need to walk your bike. This section mostly follows power lines and is not very interesting.

At the 16 mile mark first you encounter very soft dirt and the water ... a real marsh. Don't think about riding thru it. Walk you bike and get wet feet.

From this point to Keene the trail has been improved but it is not very pretty.

My advice:

1) Go to the fairly nearby Sugar River bike path or

2) Take a round trip on the 10 most southern miles of the trail. Because I had to be in Keene and the soft sand / dirt cut my speed to 8 MPH I did not have time to explore the towns along the way. I wished I had had time to do so.

The middle part of this trail is not a good bike path ... too much loose dirt and sand."

We road a short segment including the Ashuelot crossing south of Westport. Rideable in parts; deep sand elsewhere. NH trails are not to be recommended for bikers.

"Left Winchester at 11am on a cool day that warmed up later.
The first 1/3 up to the Monadnock Speedway is sandy and slow going. The trail crosses Rt.10 and other roads quite frequently and after the speedway got better. It is a scenic trail and in what seems to be the NH tradition of not being well graded but trimmed of grass and brush with nice bridges. There was on very wet section under an overpass in west swanzey that you can use the road to go around. The covered bridges you pass near are worth the extra side trips. Take the time to find out where they are in relation to the trail. We had lunch in Keene about 2pm and returned the same way, but cut the last sandy mile off by jumping on a road that paralleled the trail."

"8-2-05 started at Dole Jct. Trail head was 2.2 miles south of Hinsdale on rt.63 and from south is shorter to find from Northfield and head north on rt.63. parking on rt.63 on west side of rd. Head north on east side of rt.63 for Ashuelot. First mile some weeds and wet, but rained the night before. at Hinsdale found nice restored station. biked to Winchester and had lunch. On return route we took right down hill into Hinsdale and after asking directions, found a different return rt. I think it is the Conn. river RR and starts at boat ramp on conn. river and gets you right back to your vehicle. Trail varied from nicely packed dirt to very rough, but steady climbs and great views. Don't miss the covered bridge. "

"The section of this trail between Hinsdale and Winchester is very pleasant; the trail is like a constantly curving and tunnelling through the woods. Two or three miles immediately south of Keene are also pleasant. However, there are about five or six miles just north of Winchester that are just long, straight stretches of recently bulldozed dirt, with some stretches of thick sand, that run under a power line. These are not pleasant and I recommend avoiding them, especially on hot days. Hopefully, the trail will not be bulldozed or graded with large earthmoving equipment again."