{"id":3658,"date":"2021-04-20T13:34:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T13:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/?p=3658"},"modified":"2021-04-20T13:34:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T13:34:42","slug":"rockingham-rail-trail-candia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/rockingham-rail-trail-candia\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockingham Rail Trail, Candia"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ellen Kolb, NH Rail Trails Coalition<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Rockingham Rail Trail between Manchester and Newfields links the state\u2019s largest city with the Seacoast area. In its 25 miles, it passes through forests and along lakes<\/span>, linking<\/span>\u00a0towns where trail users can find <\/span>casual <\/span>spots to shop and dine. With several trailheads along the way, it\u2019s an inviting destination any time of year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m one of many Manchester-area trail users who enjoy starting from the parking area and trailhead just south of the Massabesic traffic circle. I craved a little variety one day, and decided to head to the East Candia trailhead to check out a different part of the trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Depot Road in East Candia, I spotted a parking lot at<\/span>\u00a0the rail trail crossing<\/span>. People were unloading bikes from their cars, and hikers were setting out to take advantage of the beautiful day. Most were headed east, toward Raymond. I decided to walk in the opposite direction, staying in Candia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unpaved trail was wide and clear, thanks to maintenance by volunteers. I encountered more bicyclists than fellow walkers. The few walkers kept their cheerful distance with COVID-inspired caution as we passed each other with smiles and nods.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I walked, i<\/span>t was easy to forget how close I was to busy Route 101. The trail was shady, and the trees helped to mute distant traffic sounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I walked through wooded areas, past\u00a0<\/span>wetlands, and between rock walls. I<\/span>\u00a0crossed Candia\u2019s Main Street (with very little midweek traffic) before turning around at<\/span>\u00a0the trail\u2019s tunnel under Route 101\u2019s exit 3 ramp.\u00a0The round trip was around five miles, and even a shorter segment would have made a pleasant hike.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On this particular trail, n<\/span><\/span>onmotorized use\u00a0<\/span>is welcome year-round. <\/span>Snowmobiles<\/span>\u00a0ply the trail in wintertime, and the snowmobile clubs play an important role in trail maintenance.
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The Manchester end of the trail will remain a favorite of mine. If I ever find it a little too crowded, now I know a quiet alternative is just a few miles away.<\/span><\/p>\n

See the New Hampshire State Parks web page<\/a> about the trail.\u00a0<\/i><\/span>
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Photo by Ellen Kolb. Portions of this post originally appeared at granitestatewalker.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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by Ellen Kolb, NH Rail Trails Coalition The Rockingham Rail Trail between Manchester and Newfields links the state\u2019s largest city with the Seacoast area. In its 25 miles, it passes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-exploring-nhs-rail-trails"},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3658"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3661,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3658\/revisions\/3661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhrtc.org\/nhrtc-core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}