Windham Greenway Rail Trail, NH
• 3-star trail
• 3 miles each way
• Moderate | Low gradient
• Windham NH | Merrimack Region
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The old railroad alignment cuts in half a pond at the South end.
Not to be confused with the popular paved Windham Rail Trail (linked below), the Windham Greenway Rail Trail follows an old rail route in a South Westerly direction from Windham Junction towards the city of Nashua. Plans are afoot to upgrade this two-and-a-half mile route into a fully paved rail trail, but that doesn't stop anyone with a rugged bike or just a pair of hiking boots from exploring this fun trail today.
The easiest way to join this trail from the parking area at Foster's Pond, mid-way along the route. However, most will likely want to pick it up from Windham Junction. Presently there is no established route from Windham Junction - ride a short distance down Depot Road towards the big red farm silo and cross a child daycare center parking lot on land that is owned by the State of New Hampshire. Please keep a respectful distance from the daycare center as you pick up the wide gravel road that leads under the I-93 and onto the main part of the rail trail.
⬤⬤ 3★ Windham Greenway Rail Trail
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions GPX? |
The Northern part of the trail is the narrowest. We had fun barreling along it over occasional rocks and bumps, through an avenue of pine trees and past an un-named pond by Haskell Road. This half of the trail is also the most likely to have occasional muddy patches - we were able to circumvent them but they may be harder to tackle in wetter months.
South of Londonderry Road the trail is now wide, yet still rocky to a degree, as you pass the trailhead for Foster's Pond and toward a picturesque pond that is bisected by the railroad embankment. The trail ends suddenly where the old route becomes under the ownership of several residences. Informal trails leading to roads are clearly visible here but it's apparent that these are on private property, though they are not signposted as such.
We were also able to locate the rail route again just South of Kendall Pond Road, but presently this area is full of dense vegetation and the route quickly becomes impossible to navigable.
⚠ Trail Conditions: Compacted ground, occasional rutted, muddy, rocky sections good for mountain bikes and rugged bicycles. Mostly flat.
Nice flat trail through down an avenue of pine trees.
Tangents:
• Official: Windham Rail Trail Alliance
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Rail Trails of New England
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The first and only complete rail trail map. With photos, reviews and downloads.
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