The New Boston Rail Trail at Lang Station State Forest in New Boston, New Hampshire is an easy 3.3-mile out-and-back trail that runs parallel to the south branch of the Piscataquog River.
Trail name: New Boston Rail Trail.
Location: This section of the trail runs from the Hillsborough County 4H Youth Center to the Lang Station State forest.
Allowed activities: walking, hiking, geocaching, picnicking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, fishing, bicycling, bird watching and horseback riding.
Forbidden activities: No motorized vehicles. No fires.
Hours: Trails are open daily during daylight hours.
Parking: There is plenty of easy parking at either end of the trail. The trail head at the 4H center is at the end of a dirt road at the New Boston Fairgrounds. From the center of New Boston, take a left off of Route 13 (River Road) heading toward Goffstown, onto Hilldale Lane. Cross a one lane bridge and take right on the dirt Fairground roadway. Pass the “Charlie Buck Barn” on the right, and continue down the dirt road passing the last large wooden building, the “Hillsborough County 4H Youth Center” and “TR Langdella arena” on the left. Just past this building is the parking area for this end of the trail. The other end of the trail is located at The Lang Station State Forest. To get to the Lang Station trail head take route 13, coming from the center of New Boston toward Goffstown. Take a left off of Route 13 onto Gregg Mill road. Lang Station parking area will be just over the bridge, on the left side of the road.
Pets: Dogs are permitted, but must be on a leash. Dog waste must be picked up and removed from the trail.
Accessibility: New Boston Rail Trail is wheelchair accessible and baby stroller friendly. The trail is very well maintained and there are no trip hazards whatsoever. There are several small benches along the trail for resting or taking in the view of the River. About a 20 minute walk (roughly the half way point) from the 4H end of the trail head is a picnic bench that is also wheelchair accessible. This bench was contributed to the New Boston Rail trail in 2016 by Jack Lazott's Eagle Scout troupe. This trail is good for any hiking ability or age. It can be hiked all year round, weather permitting.
Sanitation: There are no restrooms here. There are restrooms at the fairground buildings, but they are only open during scheduled events. There is a trash barrel at the 4H trailhead
Length: This hike is an easy 3.3 mile (round trip) trail that goes out and back .The trail has no colored blaze markers on it, but it does have several conservation markers. The markers have a white background and an orange circle with trail location data on them. The trail is wide and its substrate is graded gravel.
Trail information: At the 4H trailhead, next to the parking area, there is a small information sign, showing the allowed activities on the trail. At this end of the trail there is no information Kiosk or maps. However the trail is straight and level and a map is really not needed. At the Lang Station end, there is a Kiosk with a posted map and information about the trail or upcoming events. The trail runs parallel to the south branch of the Piscataquog River. The trail is not far from Route 13, which is heavily trafficked, so there will be noise from motorist traveling just over the river. However, the sound from the river and the songs from the birds, will more than make up for the car noise you may hear. The New Boston Rail trail was originally part of the Boston and Maine Railroad and was built in the late 1800’s so that goods from the New Boston farms could be shipped down to Boston MA. The large stone building at Lang Station was built to protect travelers from the weather. There is also a historical marker along the trail marking the spot where The Wilson-Dickey Mill used to be.
This section of Route 13 is VERY winding, and it is extremely dangerous to travel this road on foot or bicycle. The New Boston Rail Trail has as its ultimate goal, to connect this trail with the Goffstown and Manchester Rail Trails. Accomplishing this goal will create a 16 mile (one way) corridor for people to safely enjoy these activities without the dangers associated with traveling on a major traffic route. To help accomplish this goal, the New Boston Rail Trail sponsors several fun family events throughout the year. For more information about the trail events, please check out the following link: www.nbrailtrail.com.
