May 28 2010

Ashuelot Rail Trail in New Hampshire

For updated Ashuelot Rail Trail information including a trail map, trail description and trail photos visit the Ashuelot Rail Trail page on Trailsnet.
 
The town of Keene serves as a hub to both the Cheshire Rail Trail and the Ashuelot Rail Trail in New Hampshire.
 
 
So I found it rather odd that a.) no two people seemed to pronounce Ashuelot the same way (so let’s go with ash-wheel-ot) and b.) no one and I mean no one in Keene could tell me where I could find the trailhead for the Ashuelot Rail Trail. This became especially puzzling when I finally found that the trailhead was located pretty darned close to the heart of the town. So once you get to Keene, just find “The Center at Keene” and the trailhead is directly across Emerald Street from there. Another helpful hint for finding this trail and many other rail trails in the New England area is to get one of the tourist (illustrated) maps of the town (Keene, NH in this case) and they are sometimes easier to follow than other maps.
To start, if you are biking the Ashuelot Rail Trail, I recommend you use a mountain bike. Although a hybrid bike or recumbent bike may be possible to navigate on most parts of this trail, knobby tires and a little bit of suspension prove to be quite helpful on certain parts of the trail. Having said that, I wouldn’t categorize this trail as a strictly mountain bike trail, and it’s not too difficult to ride since it is fairly flat and is never far from one quaint community or another.
Speaking of quaint communities, I loved some of the towns and villages associated with the Ashuelot Rail Trail. For starters, Keene is a nice New England town with a pretty downtown area, a couple small colleges, and plenty of tourist amenities. 
 

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/28/ashuelot-rail-trail-in-new-hampshire/

May 28 2010

American Cycling Association

Although I’m not much of a racer (quite the opposite, actually) I wanted to send a shout out to the American Cycling Association. It is a non-profit organization that sanctions most road and cyclocross racing in Colorado and southeast Wyoming.
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For information, schedules, and results about races, go to www.americancycling.org

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/28/american-cycling-association/

May 27 2010

Boulder Creek Path is going to the dogs (in a good way)

Boulder Creek Path is a great trail for hiking, biking, and inline skating. But it seems like the trail is especially useful as a dog walking path.

During our most recent volunteer stint at the Boulder Valley Humane Society, we took a very active dog, named Red, for a walk on the Boulder Creek Trail (Path). Everyone benefitted from the outing.

We all got our exercise. We all got fresh air and sunshine. One of us got to poop beside the trail, but I’m not naming names. And we all ended up with smiles on our face the entire time.

Normally, I recommend trails in this blog. And I won’t hesitate to sing the praises of the Boulder Bike Path. (I know I keep giving it a different name, but that’s because everyone in Boulder calls it something different, so I’ll please them all by calling it by all its names.)
But I’m also going to recommend volunteering for the Humane Society. If you are reading this blog, you probably like trails anyway. So as long as you’re on the trail, why not take along a pooch. They’ll love the exercise and frolicking on the trail; and by extension, they’ll love you.

For more information on Boulder Creek Path, an excellent dog trail, bike trail, & people trail visit this link.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/27/boulder-creek-path-is-going-to-the-dogs-in-a-good-way/

May 25 2010

Some Hotels Offer Free Bikes

When I posted information about the Tammany Trace Trail in Louisiana, I mentioned the complimentary bike provided by the bed & breakfast where I stayed. It was nice to have one less thing (renting a bike) to worry about.

So I thought I would dedicate today’s blog to hotels that offer the use of bikes, for free, when you stay at their property.  So here are links for six hotels that promote bicycling to their customers:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/25/some-hotels-offer-free-bikes/

May 23 2010

The score is 42 to 43. Helllllllppppp!!!

As you can see by the following tally, we are sooooo close. Please go to the Members Project website and cast your vote for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. It’s easy and costs you nothing to help RtTC raise $200,000 for building a great network of trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/23/the-score-is-42-to-43-helllllllppppp/

May 20 2010

What you should know about the Santa Fe Rail Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico

I  recently rode the Santa Fe Rail Trail (also known as the Santa Fe bike trail). It was one of the best mountain bike trails I’ve ever ridden. But you should know that it is very different than other rails-to-trails projects. So I’ve come up with a list of important information about the Santa Fe Rail Trail:

  • It is 15.1 miles long.
  • It is 3.5 miles of paved trail followed by 11.6 miles of dirt single-track mountain bike trail.
  • It starts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
  • It can easily be accessed by using the Rail Runner commuter train that runs between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM.
  • You should plan on using a mountain bike on this trail.
  • The trail is more of a “rail beside trail” as opposed to rail-to-trail.
  • It is a pretty darned good trail during the spring & fall but can get beastly hot during the summer and quite cold during the winter.
  • It is best accessed via the South Capitol Rail Runner station.
  • It has a microbrewery (Second Street Brewery) located alongside the trail, but not many other refreshment stops.
  • One of the easiest hotels from which to access the trail is The Santa Fe Suites near St. Francis and Zia streets.
  • Spending a little time in Santa Fe before and/or after your ride is highly recommended.
  • You will see lots of cactus on your bike ride.
  • You may see coyote or road runners while on the bicycle path.
  • The best place to get trail information, a Santa Fe Trail map, and bike trail pictures is at the Santa Fe Rail Trail web page on trailsnet.com.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/05/20/what-you-should-know-about-the-santa-fe-rail-trail-in-santa-fe-new-mexico/