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Rail Trails Report

Updated: September 23, 2011

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HENNEPIN CANAL PARKWAY - October 2010 - We camped right next to the canal in Geneseo, Illinois and did a thirty-two mile ride from the campground east to Annawan and back. The canal, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was to be used for commerce, however, it never was due to errors in construction that made it obsolete before the first voyage was made. In 1951 the canal was opened to recreational boating and that resulted in a good place to go fishing. We saw lots of boats and lots of fishermen; not so many cyclists. There is a Visitor Center near Sheffield but is was closed while we there. The trail surface is good, with a few sections of gravel. There is little to no shade. After all this is corn country. We thought that the trail was a good place to get some exercise, but did not offer much more.

We rate this trail...  Two out of five stars.

ROUTE OF THE HIAWATHA -  September 2010 - We camped at the Blue Anchor RV park in Osburn, Idaho. The campground is right across the road from the Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes. However, the main attraction is the Route of the Hiawatha. We did walk on the Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes with Sophie, but the Hiawatha is what it is all about here. There are two approaches to the Hiawatha, top or bottom. Both trail heads involve about a twenty mile drive. During the season the top is most popular because the fees include a shuttle back to the top. We would recommend starting at the bottom. The drive to the bottom is twenty miles of back country gravel road though beautiful hills and valleys. The ride up the Hiawatha is spectacular! The route climbs gently up crossing multiple high trestles and through dark tunnels. Lights are a must here. The final tunnel, at the top, first if you start at the top, is over 8000 feet long! It sure gets dark and spooky in there. Here is a link to some photographs… flickr.com. On the day we did the ride the weather was gorgeous! The views were great and we sure had a fun time. This ride has made it to the top of our ratings chart!

We rate this trail...  Five out of five stars.

HERITAGE RAIL TRAIL COUNTY PARK - June 2011 - We camped at the Codorus State Park with the intention of riding this trail. It turned out that we were able to get in two days of riding going from end to end, plus a bonus ride on the Northern Central Railroad Trail. But, more about that in the report below. The Heritage Trail begins on the Mason Dickson line near New Freedom, PA and winds north to York, PA. There are three restored train stations. The most notable is the one at Hanover Junction. Know for it’s importance to commerce in the area and for the station that President Lincoln transferred at on his way to Gettysburg to give the famous address in 1863 shortly after the Civil war battles. Another land mark is the Howard Tunnel. It is named after Walter Howard. Famous for his contribution to the winning of the Revolutionary War. The tunnel is also the oldest continuously used railroad tunnel in the US. It was built in 1838! The ride is very nice with nice road side cafés and shops to explore. I especially liked that one of the original tracks has been left in place all along the trail. Many of the vintage signs are still guiding the way. We started at Glen Rock each day. Day one took us north to York. Day two took us south to New Freedom and then continued to White House, MD after crossing the State Line.

We rate this trail...  Four out of five stars.

North Central Railroad Trail - June 2011 -  After riding the Heritage Trail south to it’s end we connected to this trail right on the Mason Dickson line. The trail continues twenty miles south to Ashland, MD. This part of our ride was great fun because it descends, just a bit, all the way to White House, MD. We turned around at this point and started our fifteen mile climb back to New Freedom. After that it was back to descending back to our truck at Glen Rock. The North Central is a decent trail. However, we enjoyed the Heritage a little more. It just seemed that the North Central is not as well developed and lacking something. Maybe the fact that all the rails were gone. I guess the steel was worth something to the State. We were joined by many other walkers and riders over our weekend on the trails. It was terrific to see so many peole out enjoying these recreational resources. 

We rate this trail...  Three out of five stars.

FRANCONIA NOTCH STATE PARK MULIT-USE TRAIL  - July 2011 - This trail is not a “rail-trail” but a recreational trail that was built over the entire length of the park (nine plus miles). We did the round trip (about twenty miles) starting at the northern end of the park descending though beautiful stands of pine trees and intersecting with all the major attractions in the park. Actually riding the trail is a great way to get to know the park. Riding at an easy pace and stopping at the attractions worked well for us. The ride took us down to the southern end of the park and the “Flume”. The Flume is the big attraction in the park and draws a lot of people. We did not spend the money to have the privilege of hiking the two mile loop, but many do. After exploring the visitor center and having a snack we headed back north. Just about all uphill we were feeling the effort. The good news it that the trail is paved and in great shape. The bad news is that there are some sections that are 15% grade! We made it and actually enjoyed the trail very much. We would suggest starting at the south end and then enjoying the nice easy ride back. Take the time to stop and see the Old Man of the Mountain, the Basin, and Echo Lake. They are all great features and worth the time.

We rate this trail...  Five out of five stars.

CROSS VERMONT TRAIL - July 2011 - We rode a rather rough section of this trail in the Groton State Forest. We started in Marshfield riding southeast to Ricker State Park on Ricker Pond. The trail stated out on a gravel road out of Marshfield up, very up,  for about two miles. Then we found the actual trail that was not much more that a sand path that was almost impossible to ride. We persisted and eventually came out at Marshfield Pond. The trail improved form this point on. At least the sand was much more compact and mixed with some gravel to make the riding a little better. The grade on the trail is quite easy. However, the surface made us concentrate on the riding rather than the views. We stopped several time to take in our surroundings, especially around Lake Groton and Ricker Pond. WE had planned to camp at Ricker Pond, but made a last minute change due to the very hot weather. We felt that we would need full hook up to survive the heat! The bottom line is that we did not like the trail, but the State Forrest is nice.

We rate this trail...  Two out of five stars.

MISSISQUOI VALLEY RAIL TRAIL - August 2011 - This nice trail stretches from St. Albans City east 26.4 miles to Richford, Vermont. The route follows it’s name sake river closely the entire way. Actually there are some great views of the river as well as distant mountain tops, endless corn fields and lots of cows. This area is all about milk. The old railroad was know as the “Milk Train”. We started our ride in the middle near Carmi Lake State Park, where we were staying, and went east to Richford. It was a pleasant ride through Enosburg Falls, home of the “Bridge of Lights and Flowers”, and then up stream to the end. We stopped for an ice cream treat and then returned down stream but into a head wind back to our truck. The trail surface is good and hard making for easy riding. However, the trail does cross busy roads frequently. Care must be taken to assure safe passage.  Overall this is a pretty good trail. If not for the highway crossings maybe a five star.

We rate this trail...  Four out of five stars.

PRESIDENTIAL RANGE RAIL TRAIL - August 2011 - I did this trail myself. One afternoon after a morning hike I had some left over energy and felt the need to do some GeoCaching. I must say that the trail is not very good. The surface has been neglected and is very rough in places. Even washed out by heavy rains. The route is not very long, only stretching from Gorham to Randolph, NH. A mere seven miles, making my round trip around fourteen miles. The Caching is great though! I think several locals have got together and placed a cache every tenth of a mile on the trail. I hunted down five with 100% success. It was a nice diversion for a few hours, but not the type of bike trail that we would seek out.

We rate this trail...  Three out of five stars.

GREENBRIER RIVER TRAIL - September 2011 - Two day of terrific riding is the best way to describe this rail-trail! The Greenbrier is a 78 mile long multi-use trail that follows the Greenbrier River from Caldwell, WV at the south end to Cass, WV at the northern end. It is fitting that this trail ends in Cass because of the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park featuring a vintage steam engine train ride through the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. The tail has an excellent hard surface, and is paved in some areas close to towns such as Marlinton (no “G”) at mile marker 56. Our two rides started at mile marker 45, Seebert. We were staying in the River Campground in Watoga State Park. The largest State Park in West Virginia! We went north on day one, passing Marlinton, to our turn around point at Thorny Creek. On our return we stopped in Marlinton for a snack and look around this old historic town. Day two took us south from the park toward Horrock and the Droop Mountain Tunnel. So we covered the trail from mile marker 30 to mile marker 61. Adding in the approach from the park we did a total of 74 miles in the two days of  riding. I think this would be a great trail to do as a four day, three night excursion. With the State Park cabins at the mid point, a group could ride end to end, and back, using B&Bs and cabins to make for a fun few days!

We rate this trail…  Five out of five stars.