If you have read any of my trail reviews, you know that I’m crazy about bike trails in general and rail-trails in particular. The Ammonoosuc rail trail was no exception, except it was one of the few trails where I had as much fun before I even hopped on my bike as I did on the trail. It turns out that Littleton, NH is an amazing little town. It has some great restaurants & shops, and the people are very friendly.
While in New Hampshire, I overnighted in Manchester, Keene, and White River Junction (okay that one’s in Vermont, but barely). After spending just a few minutes in Littleton, I wished I had booked a night (at least) there. It took me quite awhile to actually find the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail, but I had a great time looking. First I spent some time at the shops on the main street in town. There were lots of fun little snack & souvenir places. Finally, I found an information booth manned (or in this case womanned) by a friendly young lady who sent me three towns away, to the cog railway in search of the Ammonoosuc Trail. Turns out she was wrong, but it was a nice little drive.
Then, when I got back to Littleton, I talked to someone in Littleton Bikes & Fitness, and he told me how to find the trail. So, as I wandered down to the river on my way to the trail, I found even more interesting and enjoyable places to visit. Miller’s Bakery had some incredibly good food to eat “in house” and even more to take on the trail. The cookies were “to die for.” In addition to good food, they had great views of the river.
Another fun attraction on the way to the trail was the “old” covered bridge. Actually, it just looks old but was built in 2004. Either way, it was pretty and served the extremely useful function of getting pedestrians like me across the river. And once I got to the other side, I started my ride, right. Wrong!! They were having a farmer’s market beside the river with more local foods and crafts. By this time, I was getting anxious to hop on the trail, but I couldn’t resist talking to a few of the vendors and, of course, buy a few more snacks.
When I finally hit the trail, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go far, but that’s okay. The bike trails are just a great excuse for me to travel, meet new people, see new places, and explore this great country/world. Besides, the trail is still in the “development” phase. Like Princess Buttercup in “The Princess Bride” it rates quite high on potential alone. So I ventured eight miles down the river trail.
My camera malfunctioned, my GPS was on the fritz, but I found that I didn’t really care after spending such an enjoyable morning in Littleton. The weather was great, I was filled with delicious food, and the trail was just a bonus at this point.
My recommendation to you, my readers, is to visit Littleton, New Hampshire. My recommendation to the people of Littleton is to get to know the wonderful trail in your midst and work to make it even better. You’ve got a real gem there. Heck, you might even want to extend it up to the Cog Railway so that next time one of us bewildered tourists ends up there, we can ride the trail back down to fabulous, fun, and friendly Littleton, NH.
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This is a great trail for viewing autumn foliage.