We started in Walpole at Blackjack Crossing. First few miles were tough! But the remaining 12 miles into Keene were great. Some great views and remnants of the railroad. Some beautiful cuts in the stone. Highly recommend!

Though the trail roughly parallels a major road, you are away from it at least half the time. You need to cross it twice but they have walking signals. Every car at the other side street crossing stopped and waved you on. There are some benches, but didn't notice any picnic tables.

The mostly tree-shaded path itself is either improved or unimproved dirt, on this dry late-summer ride I'd rate the surface a B+ with mountain bikes. Roots, just a few patches of sand and a few raised sewer covers. Path to Goffstown is definitely uphill most of the way, but just enough to keep you pedaling. Going toward Manchester is a delight. Mid week there was sparse but steady traffic, probably the most parking places I've seen on a trail.

Beautiful swimming spot around mile 4.2, just off the path . Probably other places, too, as the trail parallels water much of the way. Goffstown end has shops and eateries, there is an ice cream in the middle. The southern end continues to Manchester, we started on a paved continuation trail about 1/2 mile toward Manchester (Douglas Street football field parking lot).

A very nice ride I'd highly recommend for most non-street casual bikers (or walkers/joggers). The wooded swimming spot on the lake is a real bonus.

For several years, I have taken my dogs for a walk/run on this trail. Other than being in the path of the airport, with planes flying overhead, it was a quiet and wonderful place. Wild life and beautiful flowers were very much enjoyed. The last 6 months, has made me seek other places to walk/run my dogs. There are homeless camps, trash, and graffiti everywhere. I wish this short trail were better maintained by the City

I rode the northern section today. Actually started near the Walpole bridge and rode some other snowmobile trails and some side roads to the junction with the rail trail, then on to Keene. Saw no one until I reached the dump. Trail was a lot of fun, but in much better shape south of the dump then to the north. Very slow grade, north of the dump it was great in places and pretty bumpy in others. I rode a basic mountain bike and had no trouble. Heard there was a bad section somewhere but never encountered anything that was really unrideable except one bad embankment. Trail was also easier to follow and more obvious the further south you went, multiple snowmobile crossings further north. This was the first time I tried this sort of thing and I had a very good time. I enjoyed the terrain and seeing where the remnants of the old line.

Mason resident here. A great place for visitors to park and access the rail trail is on Depot Road (which is a paved road). The parking area has ample space to park cars, horse trailers, etc. for setting up. This parking access point is up the road past the town fire station on the right hand side if you're accessing it via Valley Rd. There's also a board the town set up with a trail map one can review before setting off on your journey. Otherwise, it's a nice flat surface to walk, bike, and ride on. Hope this information is helpful to someone new who is looking to find a safe and proper place to park and go.

September 5, 2020. My wife, her friend and I rode this trail yesterday from Massabesic Lake Park to Epping and back. All three of us have eBikes with no suspension, so they're classified as road bikes. All three of us are in our 70s.

The write-up of this trail reads, 'There are a few at-grade road intersections east of town, as the old railbed passes beneath the roads. Some of these underpasses have low ceilings, however, as the bottom of the culverts are planked with wood, so cyclists and equestrians should be prepared to dismount.' The culverts aren't so bad although they are very dark inside. What the write-up fails to mention is that the culverts are at the top of a steep incline about 50 feet high and this incline is strewn with large rocks. It is necessary to push the bike up these inclines and it is extremely difficult going. These inclines need to be made less steep and the rocks need to be removed.

The trail itself is tiring because there are no paved breaks. Parts of the crushed stone trail are smooth, but there's a reason New Hampshire is called the Granite State. While riding it's necessary to keep you eyes on the trail to avoid hitting outcropped rocks. And roots. These are the things that cause bicycles to have flat tires so be sure to bring a flat repair kit with you. Our day was beautiful but the sunlight was shaded on the trail making it difficult to distinguish the rocks and roots in the shadows.

This trail would be beautiful in October with the fall colors but it would be a sure bike basher because the fallen leaves will further hide the outcropped rocks and roots. I had to stop along the trail to tighten a screw on the right side of my bike that holds the rear fender brace and luggage rack. On the way back the screw on the left side had vibrated completely out so my bike was falling apart on this trail.

To make matters worse we ran out of battery power on the way back and our bikes weigh about 60 pounds! Not fun.

Perhaps much younger and more athletic folks with fat tire bikes would enjoy this trail but it was not for us.

P.S. In Epping the DG Cycle Sports shop is very near the trail. We had lunch at The Beach Plum, which is our favorite restaurant for lobster rolls and fried clams.

Parked at lot at ballfield at end of Depot Street in Boscawen. Go to very end of Depot Street and lot is on the right. Took trail for about 16 miles to town beach at Highland Lake on Channel Road. Slightly uphill all the way. Very few soft spots. In general all trail all packed gravel. Public beach also at Webster Lake ( about 13 miles from Depot St.).

I rode from the East end in Newfield, and went as far as the East Candia Depot parking lot. My odometer had it at 17 miles.
The trail is tree lined for the vast majority of the way. A nice spot to take a break was at Onway Lake, 15 mile point.
There are two major road crossings, but other than that the crossings are on residential roads with minimal traffic.
Go and enjoy it !!

My husband, my dog and I walked the trail this weekend. The weather was perfect. The trail is really three separate sections. We parked at the Watson Rd entrance and that portion terminated at the end of Whittier Falls Way. You then cross the street to find the unmarked second entrance into a field. You follow that until it comes out at 4th St. The third portion of the trail starts at the end of the parking lot of the Dover Transportation Center and ends at Fisher St. We were able to navigate it by referencing the map in the App. River views were pretty and it was relatively flat.