On 11/18/11 I went to the Rockingham Recreational Trail, the entrance located in Newfields, off of Ash Swamp Rd. Upon arrival there are two signs indicating that ATVs are not allowed on the trail. However, on the TrailLink.com web page, off to the right, in a box marked Trail Facts, sub heading Trail activities, it indicates that ATVs are permitted on the trail. Can anyone tell me for certain if ATVs are allowed on the Rockingham Recreational Trail?

My wife and I rode the length of the trail from Newfields, trail head (parking at the old depot parking area) to Manchester, NH Saturday 10/24/2011, stayed the night in Manchester, and returned on the trail back to Newfields Sunday. The trail was excellent, not the best we've been on but far from the worst. The countryside was beautiful going through marsh land, by ponds, and through the woods. The trail surface is good but there are periodic clumps of rock heads sticking up in the trail and at this time of year with a lot of pine straw and fallen leaves covering them you need to be a bit careful. The towns of Epping and Raymond gave nice breakpoints with opportunities to eat. If you plan to do like we did and stay in Manchester plan on about an additional 4 mile ride through the city streets to get to lodging which seems to be centrally located around the very busy South Willow Street and the mall area. There isn't any lodging nearby the trailhead. Our hotel operated a courtesy shuttle and since there were no airport runs when we were leaving Sunday morning, the driver gladly gave us a ride to the trailhead with room enough for our two bikes in the back of the van. Given the early morning cold and the fact that the ride back was pretty steadily uphill just to get to the trailhead, the shuttle was much appreciated. All in all, we had a great weekend and the trail again is excellent.

This is one of only a couple trails I have been on in NH so far and I had a wonderful time. Very scenic and quite peaceful, it is a perfect trail for mountain bikes. It can be rough in some places but I did see a few people on regular street bikes so they must do well. I wouldn't call it "challenging" per se but it's definitely a good workout if that's what you are looking for. Even on a Saturday i was surprised at how few people I saw on the trail. Kind of nice that way but make sure to bring a cell phone in case you need help.

To Marianna's point, sections of the trail are very buggy. The deer flies in particular can be a problem during the summer months. Prepare yourself properly before you hit the trail!

A nice trail. Too bad it doesn't extend farther east along the Great Bay. Now that would be a trail!

Well, I thought I will walk the trail instead of biking. So I started off as planned to walk about 15 miles and then back. As I was walking I thought it was good if I had bought my bike. This is very good trail to bike.
The path was good. After about 10 miles on the trail it goes off into the woods which is really wonderful.
There are no markers on the trail to give an idea to know how far one has travelled. I carried my pedometer with me so I was able to track the distance.
I walked about 22 miles (to + fro) instead of my 30 mile target in about 6 1/2 hours.
I had parked my car at the Massabesic Lake.After my long walk I took some rest at the lake reading my book which was very refreshing.

Visiting NH from Arizona and found this trail about 1/2 mile from where we were staying. It was wonderful to have such a peaceful and pretty place to ride without all the traffic and the steep ups and downs of NH roads. So delighted that it was there!! Biked it both ways, but not quite all the way to Manchester. It would have been nice to have mile markers or small signs of the street names you cross so could identify where you were. Really appreciated having such a great place to bike ... used quite a bit of insect repellant as lots of bogs beside the trail. Not paved, but hard packed and well maintained!

Just moved to Candia, been running/mtn. biking this trail. It's beautiful and a great, accessible trail, but some mile markers would be very convenient to keep up with how far you've gone. Other than that, no complaints, but I'll echo the fact that you definitely want insect repellant in the warm months! It seems after Labor Day the mosquitos aren't so much of an issue.

I decided that I would try to walk the entire length. I did and it took me 8 1/2 hours. It is an easy walk. Gravel all the way. Would also be a great bike ride. The trail is much improved from the 2004 post. Easily passable. One area had some water but there was a way around it. There are a few road crossings. In Raymond there is a place to eat. In Stratham there are also a places to eat.The map says it ends in Rockingham but it actually ends in New Fields. This trail has many other trails off of it in the Manchester area. Didn't meet many people once out of the Manchester area. This Rail Trail basically goes from exit 1, Rt. 101 to exit 11, Rt 101. There are no sanitary facilities along the route other than what you can find in towns along the way. There are a few signs pointing the way to some restaurants and Hannafords. The tunnels have been improved with planks placed inside for snowmobiles.

Started walking towards Raymond but was stopped a short distance because the trail was flooded. Turned around and walked towards town. Some work has been done on the trail from Massabesic circle to Candia rd. Beyond that you are on your own. The trail does go all the way to Elliot Hospital but it is not pretty. Am going to try walking to Rockingham tomorrow.

"Rode from East Candia to Newfields Yesterday and despite the rain later in the day it was a good ride. We stepped at Raymond for lunch and the Museum (closed) and RR equipment was interesting. The trail is not as developed as some, but this was part of its charm. No mileage markers and signage to find parking was lacking. None of the locals knew where it was located. Some muddy short sections, but very ridable "

"My wife and I have ridden rail-trails in 29 states and this trail was a real disappointment. We rode this trail in early September 2004.

The trail has great potential since it traverses some beautiful countryside, but it doesn't live up to that potential. It appears that most of the trail maintenance is done for and by a local snowmobile club.

We started at the western end of the trail, where we found ample parking. The sanitary facilities at the park (the only ones we saw in ten miles) consisted of one of the dirtiest portapotties I've ever seen.

From the parking lot, it is about 100 feet to the rail trail, but there is no signage pointing to it, and the access trail is undeveloped - just paths worn by the many users. The only signs are on the actual trail itself. They were just little signs telling who could use the trail, symbols for hikers, bikers, snowmobiles, etc. We saw no trail maps, distance markers or other useful information. There was a 45 mph speed limit posted for snowmobiles.

The trail has been converted from a rail bed, and orginally had a coat of crushed gravel. In many places the gravel has washed out, leaving ruts or patches of sand. The worst places have been patched, but the repairs have been done with railroad ballast, making it almost unusable for bikes. One of these sharp shards pierced my mountain bike tire causing a sudden blowout.

The three short tunnels referred to in the description are really large culverts under roads. They are dark with uneven surfaces and a moderately steep climb to each of them. It is recommended that bikers dismount before entering the tunnels.

This trail has a lot of users. It makes a good running or walking trail, and I'm sure the snowmobiling would be good. Road bikers beware, and mountain bikers be careful.

The next trail we rode was the Missiquoi Valley Trail in northern Vermont. That trail is a model of what rail trail can be like. New Hampshire should look around and see what can be done with their beautiful trail."

"This trail is an easy but long ride. (Of course you can turn around at any point.) Lots of excellent views of lakes, wetlands, fields and woods. There are a few short steep inclines on the approaches to tunnels which cross highways. And a few large puddles to cross if it has rained recently. The trail surface is smooth and wide. This must be even more beautiful in the fall when the leaves have turned. The lake at begining of the trail in Manchester has plenty of parking, picnic benches, a launching area for canoes and is a great place for a picnic etc."