Find the top rated birding trails in Rutland, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I was involved with the development of this trail so my review is somewhat biased. The eastern half in Merrimack County (Danbury to Boscawen) is in beautiful shape (due to federal financing) with a nice stone dust surface. The western half (Grafton to Lebanon) is much more scenic but was done mostly by volunteers with some local funding so has a highly variable surface, great in areas and poor in others.
Highlights include the trail in Lebanon as it crisscrosses the Mascoma River, in Enfield where it runs several miles alongside Lake Mascoma and downtown, and all of Merrimack County thanks to its trail surface.
I dearly wanted to give it a 5-star rating but had to admit that it was a bit of a slog going through the central (and high point) towns of Grafton and Orange. Wish the state of New Hampshire would put some resources into this trail, which would truly make it a premiere destination and top-rated trail.
We rode mountain bikes from Claremont to Newport. Nice easy ride. Only met a few others on the trail. We saw a blue heron, 2 hawks, blue jays, and beautiful mushrooms. There were spots on the trail that had a good bit of gnats. The covered bridges are wonderful.
Biked this well kept trail start to finish. Well marked. There are a couple of challenging uphill climbs but doable by most people. Historical plaques along the route are very informative. There are some rest areas with benches. Highly recommend this trail. Looking forward to riding it again.
There's another couple of miles of mostly paved trail that goes beyond the parking lot in Lebanon. That's an excellent section of the trail. It took us all the way to Glen Road in West Lebanon.
Tough to do on a mountain bike, unless you're an expert. not maintained at all. I would say an ok hiking trail. But not all that scenic. Not what it's billed to be by a long shot.
Went north out of Keene on the trail, and was quickly in a lovely wooded area, then soon at a side trail to Stonewall Farm, where visitors are welcome to wander. The birds were singing happily! We did 6.5 miles out before turning around but there was plenty more trail to explore. If you are expecting a super flat trail and a packed surface this may not be your kind of fun. If you don’t mind dismounting for a rickety bridge, or adventuring on side trails, then check this trail Out ,
We started at the marina restaurant at the south end of the trail and rode 3.5 miles on the rail trail section, with another 2 miles on Rice Farm & Quarries roads. Beautiful vistas of the river, rock formations, changing leaves. Esp impressive was the overhead highway bridge built with long tapering multicolored stone supports, representing tree branches. Under the arched stone supports is a picnic table & patio area. A few protruding stones/tree roots need to be managed but biking is very possible on this trail and should be included in the list of options for use.
This Trail has been all redone we started at Ricker pond and went to Kettle pond was so much fun the views were amazing
The trail is sandy for approximately the first one and a half miles on the Newport end. So what. If you fall off your bike, it will hurt less. The rest of the trail more than makes up for it. You get to ride across two railroad covered bridges - name another bike trail in New England that has that. There is also a microbrewery backed right up to the trail, and they are open early on Fridays so you can do 3/4 of the out and back ride and then grab a slice and a beer before finishing in Newport. Very scenic - saw several turkeys and a heron in back to back years.
Short trail that is very much an extension of Sugar River trail, but without much scenery, other than the last .5 mile. The first portion of the trail that runs along the road is safe and wide, but its surface is a little soft. If you ride the Sugar River Trail, you should ride this trail as it is short, it adds to the exercise and the road portion is unique. I applaud and support all trail extensions.
This is one of the prettiest trails in the state. It runs along the Sugar River almost the entire ride and there are numerous bridges, including two covered rail bridges. I rode and e-bike with 2.1" tires. I agree with the other reviews concerning bikes, sandy but rideable. I left from Newport, and the sand was only an issue during the first 1.5 miles and then sporadically thereafter. I found the best way to deal with the back tire sliding out in the sand was to use higher levels of assist than I would normally have used. This trail can easily be top rated if it had a firmer surface. I passed 2-ATVs and 2-motorcycles and all four were exceptionally courteous. I did the Bobby Woodman trail too as part of my ride as the two trails are seamless.
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