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Print Friendly MapThe wildly scenic Upper Coos Recreational Trail parallels the Connecticut River, which divides New Hampshire and Vermont. The rail-trail begins in Colebrook and travels north to Beecher Falls near the Canadian border.
As the railroad tracks are still in place, you’ll need to use caution. The unpaved trail is best used for hiking and horseback riding in the warmer months. In the winter, the trail is popular for snowmobiling, cross-county skiing, and mushing.
A parking area is available on Route 3. On street parking is available in Stewartstown and in Colebrook.
We started at the River Walk parking area in Colebrook. We intentionally waited for a nice day in mid-week to try and avoid the possible ATV traffic mentioned in other reviews of the trail. It worked out - we only saw a total of 4 ATVs, with very courteous drivers, and two senior women in a golf cart! No other bikers or walkers were encountered.
The weather could not have been any better. Blue sky, sun, low humidity, and a slight breeze.
The scenery was wonderful. We passed several fields where the farmers were haying. The mountains, river, and other sights were great. We took our time to enjoy the ride going just over 20 miles and taking 3.5 hours from Colebrook to the border and then returning via VT102, like some other riders have done, to experience a different view of the area.
Were the trail conditions great? No. Were the trail conditions bad? No. Our Schwinn hybrid bikes with, us, who are two seniors, did just fine. There were clearly areas that would have not been fun if we had a big rain the day or two before but the 'pot holes' in the trail were dry and we rode right through them. We loved the bridge and dam in West Stewartstown, took lots of pictures, and crossed from NH into VT. We rode right up to the border and then returned to Beecher's Falls. We were sad to see The Local Scoop, a local ice cream shop, was closed that day.
The return ride back on VT102 was fun because of the sights and the very small amount of traffic. Typically, we avoid biking on roads but the 10-mile ride back was fine.
Overall, a wonderful day and a very enjoyable experience!
The trail starts in Colebrook, NH and ends at Beecher Falls, just past Stewartstown, NH. One way distance is @9.5 miles. You would want to use a gravel bike or a mountain bike. The trail is easy to follow to the end. The scenery is spectacular as you follow the Connecticut River. There are 2 easy to navigate road crossings and at the end we went up to look at the Canadian border. For the way back, we rode VT102 thru Canaan all the way to RT26 (Bridge ST) that crossed back over the river into Colebrook. One note, there are ATV's on the trail. We saw a few. Everyone was very respectful of us by slowing down or waiting until we passed by. Can't say everyone would be that way, but today it was a wonderful experience. Be sure to bring water and snacks too.
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