Author Archives: Kristen Riley

Thank you for supporting CLSRT through NH Gives June 8th and 9th, 2021

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Over 40 donations came in to Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail through the NH Gives program between 5pm Tuesday, June 8th and 5pm Wednesday, June 9th. Well timed donations generated an additional $1,670 in matching funds! Thanks for all your help!

Donate to CLSRT through NH Gives site HERE

To optimize your donations to CLSRT, donate up to $250 at the top of each hour starting at 5pm Tuesday, June 8th. You can get all the details for the hourly matching rules and other prizes for NH non-profits at https://www.nhgives.org/prizes

We raised over $5,000 towards the $14,000 we need to extend the finished surface of the Concord portion of the trail from Fisherville Road to beyond the driveway at the Barn at Bull Meadow.

View looking west from the entry point at Tire Warehouse.

CLSRT Trail Maps

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Stevens Rail Trail – Warner Exit 7 Davisville to Hopkinton

In Warner, park to the right of the trail gate alongside Old Warner Road in Davisville. In Hopkinton, park to the right of the Hopkinton library by the kiosk and walk/ride along the back access road to the intersection of Spring Street and Krzyzaniak Lane. Cross the road here and you will see orange trail gate.

  • new surface ready for action
  • mile post on the Stevens trail in Hopkinton
  • Nordic skiing in Hopkinton

Bradford – Tilly Wheeler Trail and Lower Lake Todd

  • Bike fix station
  • Stop and enjoy the view

Warner story walk – Depot Street to Joppa Covered Bridge

  • enjoy the story walk year round
  • Matt Esenwine's Flashlight Night story walk
    Local author Matt Esenwine reads his book “Flashlight Night” at the story walk opening in October 2018.
  • Bike fix station and refreshments at Schoodacs on Main Street

Warner Rail Trail at Bagley Field in Warner, NH

  • Snowshoe tracks at Bagley Field
    Snowshoeing at Bagley

Concord, NH Fisherville Road to Carter Hill Road

The parking area at 25 Fisherville Rd is now open. You will find parking for 7 vehicles, a bicycle fix station with pump, and a kiosk with trail information. Three quarters of a mile of trail starting at the parking area has been completed with a fine stone dust surface. That is shown above in the green and yellow sections. The remaining 1.75 miles can be biked or walked on the existing surface.

In December of 2021 we put down a base layer to reach gate by Bog Rd. This is the section in red above. We anticipate putting the final surface on that section in late spring/early summer of 2022. Your donations will help this happen sooner.

The final section shown in orange we are also raising funds to complete. The NH Community Development Finance Authority has granted us Tax Credits to fund $200,000 of this project. You can help by asking businesses to support the trail by paying their tax bill with tax credits. (Link for businesses to make a pledge.) Click here to see a video we produced talking about tax credits.

Please DONATE to help us build more trail

Enjoy our new benches overlooking Lake Todd in Bradford

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Two railcar wheel-based benches have been set alongside the trail in the Lake Todd area. Wheels from the Conway Scenic Railroad were media blasted by Jeremiah Johnson from Bear Blasting and painted by Fred Nystrom and Andrew Blagden. Seat brackets were welded by Jason Allen at Merrimack County Customs, who then delivered the bench frames to the site with an escort from the Bradford police department. CLSRT board members provided materials and did the final assembly June 5th.

The bench closest to the bridge will be dedicated as a memorial to Robert Saturley, whose friends and family contributed generous donations for this portion of the trail.

We expect the trail surface to be installed in this area over the next couple weeks.

Adjust your bike on the trail with CLSRT’s new bike fixit stations

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Bike repair stations are springing up along the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail. CLSRT nearly doubled the number of repair stations in the state of NH by aquiring 5 of the self-contained fixit stands. Each solid bike stand has a variety of built in tools and QR code stamp to access instructions on fixing the most common issues with bicycles.

Today we installed 4 stands along the trail. One in Bradford by the Appleseed Restaurant and Catering,one at Schoodacs and another at Bagley Field in Warner. The fourth fix station is at the Contoocook Riverway Association in Contoocook. The fifth bike Fix Station is now available for use at the trail head parking area at 25 Fisherville Rd in Concord, NH.

Thank you to our sponsors: Central New Hampshire Bicycling Coalition, Warner Fall Foliage Festival, Kearsarge Area Chamber of Commerce, Hopkinton Rotary, Lake Sunapee Snowmobile Club, Rural Heritage Connection of Bradford, Inc., Northeast Delta Dental and Granite State Wheelers.

For a map of bike fix stations across NH and the United States, see Dero’s public bike fixit map.

    “Good Morning, Snowplow” story walk on the Warner Rail Trail

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    It’s the perfect time of the season for a snowshoe, ski or walk along the river in Warner while reading the recently released “Good Morning, Snowplow” picture book by local author Deborah Bruss. The vivid illustrations and rhythmic verse are a colorful addition to the beauty of the snow-covered trail.

    • Good Morning, Snowplow, by Deborah Bruss at the Warner story walk

    Hopkinton connector open for Winter use

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    The improved trail from exit 7 in Davisville now connects to the end of the Stevens Rail Trail, providing 2 miles of uninterrupted winter riding or skiing. Due to early snows, the trail is set for winter use, but the surface will need to be modified and final hard pack applied after the spring thaw.

    • Another skier checking out the Davisville section of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail
    • View from the Hopkinton/Warner town line of the Stevens Rail Trail section of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail.

    Bridge over Lake Todd open for winter use

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    Over several weekends, a crew of volunteers from the Lake Sunapee Snowmobile Club, Rural Heritage Connection of Bradford, and CLSRT built a pedestrian bridge over Lake Todd to increase safety and provide walking options from the Tilly Wheeler trail to the Appleseed Restaurant in Bradford. The bridge will be dedicated in Memory of Robert Saturley.

    • Snowmobile about to cross Lake Todd Bridge
      Snowmobile about to cross Lake Todd Bridge
    • Bridge over Lake Todd
      Bridge over Lake Todd

    Learn about assembling rail trail corridors from Craig Della Penna on March 8th in Warner.

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    Nationally recognized rail trail expert Craig Della Penna is coming to Warner to speak on how to assemble rail trail corridors. This is a great opportunity to hear from a person who:

    Craig Della Penna

    Craig Della Penna

    • worked for the railroad company that used to own the Concord & Claremont line
    • worked for Rails to Trails Conservancy
    • is a realtor specializing in properties near rail trails.
    • runs a Bed & Breakfast next to a rail trail.

    He knows the benefits trails bring to rural communities and how – even though its not easy – its worth the effort.

    Craig will be speaking at 7:00 PM at the Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. The library is located at 18 East Main St, Warner, NH 03278.  We hope to see you there.

    Ausbon Sargent Land Trust Encourages people to “Opt Outside”. CLSRT Agrees.

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    The Winter 2017 edition of the Ausbon Sargent Newsletter “Chatter” has the theme “Opt Outside”. “Opting Outside is one of the least expensive ways to stay healthy.” We couldn’t agree more. They also write, “there are many positive benefits that result from a casual walk on a woodland path.” We hope you agree and will help make the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail a reality with your donations and support.

    Thank you Warner businesses!

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    Businesses from across Warner are supporting the trail by displaying our donation cards.

    Concord Lake Sunapee Rail Trail donation card

    CLSRT Donation Card

    Please thank these retailers for their support.
    Aubuchon Hardware
    Bella Capelli Salon
    Brown Family Realty
    Caldwell Banker Real Estate
    Charlie Macs
    Circle K Stores, Warner
    Country Cobwebs
    Cyr Lumber
    Evans Expressmart, Warner
    Foothills of Warner
    Knoxland Equipment
    Mainstreet Bookends
    Pizza Chef of Warner
    Pleasant Lake Estates
    Schoodacs Coffee & Tea
    School House Cafe
    Sugar River Bank
    The Local
    Warner Barber Shop
    The Velvet Moose
    Warner Laundromat & Dry Cleaning
    Warner Pharmacy
    Warner Police
    Warner Town Hall
    Yankee Farmers Market

    If we missed your business and you would like to help please get in touch.