Warren Recreational Rail Trail, NH

• 4-star trail
• 15 miles each way
• Easy & Moderate | Low to moderate gradient
• Warren, NH | White Mountains
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The image shows a large outdoor scene with a prominent white rocket standing vertically on a green lawn. Surrounding the rocket are buildings that resemble houses and possibly church structures, given the steeples. The landscape is mostly green with some areas of brown earth, and the sky is partly cloudy.

Redstone Rocket next to the Warren Rail Trail

With a 70 foot tall Redstone rocket towering above, it's hard to miss the start of the formalized Warren Recreational Rail Trail. It has stood proud in the middle of this small New Hampshire town for over fifty years, for no reason other than it was saved from an Alabama scrapheap by a Warner native who thought it would be a nice inspiration to children and to encourage interest in the US space program.

The New Hampshire State Park manages a four mile trail heading North out of Warren on a wide wooded trail that was once part of the Concord to Woodsville railroad. Well compacted by heavy ATV use the route is an easy ride for cyclists and connects to further sections of former railbed that are kept clear by snowmobile clubs.

Hardpack,

Rough,

Road,

No Access, ⬤ Parking Expand ↓ Map

4★ Warren Rail Trail 15.3 mi ea way, moderate, gain 480 ft (640 ft S-N)
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

It's possible to continue North for over eleven miles, almost as far as the village of Pike, before the route becomes overgrown at Jeffers Hill Road. The Northernmost sections of trail have short washed out areas that you'll have to walk your bike over, and there's a half-mile section of road biking required which is thankfully built out with very wide verges making bike riding mostly safe here.

South of Warren the rail trail continues as part of a large network of ATV trails, but bikes are still welcome on these routes. Though the northern half of the rail trail is mostly in woodland with occasional glances of Moosilauke scenery, the southern half follows the course of Baker River and is afforded much more open terrain and some great Baker River Valley scenery, particularly closer to Warner.

The image shows a charming covered wooden bridge with an American flag hanging on its side. The bridge spans over a rocky river with flowing water, set in a natural, possibly rural area with trees and hills in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Wentworth Village Common Covered Bridge.

We enjoyed following the trail all the way down to the village of Wentworth to visit their covered bridge. Though most of the trail is a straight shot on hardpack surfaces, there is a muddy diversionary ATV trail (0.7 miles long) required next to the aerodrome because the nearby lumber company has barricaded off part of the old route.

Trail Conditions:
Mostly compacted hardpack surface. Rougher North of Glencliff with occasional short washouts. Muddy ATV diversion near Wentworth.

The image shows two different scenes involving a bicycle. On the left, there’s a person riding a bicycle on a forest trail surrounded by green trees, wearing a red shirt and black backpack. On the right, the same bicycle is parked on a wooden bridge over a river with flowing water and rocky banks, surrounded by trees and foliage.

The rougher Northern section. | More views South of Warren.

The image shows a first-person view from a cyclist on a wooden bridge deck surrounded by lush greenery and trees with the onset of autumn, as indicated by some leaves changing color. The cyclist’s hand is visible on the left handlebar, which has a rearview mirror attached.

Steel truss bridge near East Haverhill.

The image shows a small, single-story building with a dark brown roof and beige siding, situated in a grassy area with trees in the background under a clear blue sky. The building has white trim around its windows and doors, and there is a sign above the front door that reads “WENTWORTH.” To the left of the building is a wooden bench and what appears to be an information board.

Relocated Wentworth Station, now the village's museum.

Tangents:
• NH State Parks: Warren Recreational Rail Trail
• TrailLink: Warren Recreational Rail Trail
• Wikipedia: Redstone Rocket
• Facebook Group: Comment on this article

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