This section of the New Boston Rail Trail in New Boston, New Hampshire is an easy 4.7-mile out-and-back trail that runs from Lang Station to North Mast Road and back. This is the northern continuation of the southern section of the New Boston Rail Trail.
Trail name: New Boston Rail Trail part 2
Location: This section of the trail runs from the Lang Station Parking lot in New Boston NH to the termination of the trail at North Mast Road near the town line. 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.
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. No camping.
Hours: Trails are open daily from dusk to dawn.
Fees and Parking: There are no fees to park or use the rail trail. There is plenty of easy parking at Lang Station parking area. There is limited street side parking beside the entrance to this section of the trail. There is NO parking where the trail terminates at Mast Road in Weare, NH. At the Lang Station parking area there is an information sign, showing a trail map, some history about this rail trail, and upcoming events. These events help raise funds to continue to improve the rail trail system and accessibility.
Pets: Dogs are permitted, but must be on a leash. Dog waste must be picked up and removed from the trail.
Accessibility: This section of the New Boston Rail Trail has only partial wheelchair accessibility. There are improvements underway, but currently only about a ¼ of a mile is passable for wheel chairs and strollers.
Sanitation: There are no restrooms or trash receptacles at the present time, along this section of trail.
Length: This hike is an easy 4.7 mile (round trip)
trail that goes out and back.
Bugs: Some sections of the trail can be quite
wet and therefore buggy. Bring along plenty of bug spray and plan to use it.
Trail information: The trail starts across the street from the Lang
Station parking area. Use caution when crossing the road. Hikers will pass
through some boulders set at the entrance to keep people from parking on the
trail. A short distance from the trail
entrance, hikers will find a beautiful wood and metal bridge that spans the
Piscataquog River.
Most of the trail is parallel to the Piscataquog River and Route 13. The
river is swift and shallow enough to entice fly fisherman to stop and try their
luck. In summer months swimmers and tubers can also be seen cooling off on the
river.
The trail has no trail blaze
markers on it and although there are none, the path is obvious. Recent
improvements to this section of trail have turned the trail from a narrow winding
footpath, into a wide, flat accessible trail. The improvements are not complete
and so the trail changes from wide and flat with a gravel base, to wide and
flat with a dirt base and then back to the original forested path, which is not
wheelchair accessible.
In some trail sections, old rail road timbers can still
be seen jutting up along the pathway. There are sections where hikers will need
to travel single file, most other sections they can walk side by side. There is a side road along the trail that
leads hikers down to the Rivers edge where hikers can cool off in the
summertime or stop for a picnic. There are no benches or seating here, but
there is plenty of places to sit and lots of shade.
The trail meanders through
the forest and leads the hiker to Park Road. The hiker can either turn around
here, or cross the road and head to the Parking area a hundred yards from this
exit point. Signs are clearly visible from the exit of one trail to the
entrance of the other. There is limited parking at the Parker Road parking area
and there are no restrooms or trash bins.
The trail continues down a very small
hill onto the old railroad bed. The trail here is bordered by private homes.
Visitors are encouraged not to venture off of the trail onto private property.
There are several areas where wooden planks have been set to assist the hiker
to cross over the very wet, very muddy sections of the trail. Although this
section tends to be wide and flat, there were a lot of down trees during our
visit.
Hikers should be aware that this is a possibility on any trail and be
able to go over or around and tree debris. The trail terminates rather abruptly
and with little to no signage. Once you reach the North Mast Road it’s time
to turn around and head back to the parking area.
