Trestleview Park along the Winnipesaukee River in Franklin, showing the mill wheel and the trestle where the rail trail beings. Photo credit: Robert A. White
On a Saturday in late May we rode our mountain bikes on the Winnipesaukee River Rail Trail from Franklin, NH to Tilton NH, and back. The trail follows the river most of the way and includes views of an 11-ton mill wheel , an amazing railroad trestle, an “upside down” covered bridge, an island park in the river in Tilton, and some trail beside a still active railroad (separated by a fence). This is a very good trail and excellent recreation opportunity! You can ride it with a hybrid bike or mountain bike. It’s best to start at Trestle View Park at 446 Central St. in Franklin, as the trail is uphill most of the way to Tilton, on the east side of I93, so your return ride will be downhill. For those exploring the Northern Rail Trail, Trestle View Park is only 1.4 miles through Franklin from the Northern RT.
Once under the bridge, the trail climbs quickly, with views of the river rapids. Photo credit: Elizabeth Burgess
Below are some links to items of local and historical interest on this trail: The large railroad trestle, is part of a large renewal project, which the city of Franklin just received money to refurbish with a trail.
https://www.concordmonitor.com/Franklin-receives-money… A short distance up the trail, the sulphite bridge is also on this route, and hopefully will be part of the refurbishment, so the rail trail can come down into Franklin over this bridge and the trestle. Until then, both of them make pretty amazing sights on the Winnipesaukee River Trail. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new…/remarkable-bridge-nh/
After about 3 miles you’ll reach the edge of Tilton, where you’ll encounter several idle rail cars on the tracks. Across the river from here is Tilton’s Riverfront Park, newly constructed with decks providing views of the river. To reach it, turn left on Park St. (Rt. 132), cross the river and make a left on Main St. (Rt. 3) following it past Riverfront place on the left to the entrance of the park. Explore or picnic and then backtrack on Main Street 0.4 miles (if traffic bothers you, you can walk your bike on the sidewalk this short distance) to Tilton Island Park Bridge, where you can cross and enjoy the park on an island in the middle of the river. This is a cool spot in the middle of the river on a hot day.
The view of the Sulphite bridge deck in winter. Photo credit: Richard Kaszeta
The deck of the damaged Sulphite or “upside down” covered bridge in the fall. Photo credit: Merritt Gifford
After a break on Tilton Island park, continue east along Rt. 3, but this time on a bike/ped path on the north side of the road another 0.3 miles to the Tilton police station, where you cross into a parking lot and the entrance to the Rail-with-trail section of this trail. Continue along this section, under I93, where the trail currently ends at the intersection with Rt. 140, across from the Tilton Diner. Retrace your route to return to Trestleview park in Franklin.
A view of the Sulphite bridge spanning the river. The section under the decking was covered, but the covering burned in a fire, exposing the timbers. Photo credit: Charles Martin, New Hampshire Rail Trails, 2017, Branch Line Press. Used with permission.
Tilton Island Park bridge leads to this green oasis on a small island in the middle of the Winnipesaukee River.
This section of the state-owned railroad is joined by rail-with-trail, separated from the RR by a pricey chain link fence. Photo Credit: Charles Martin, New Hampshire Rail Trails, 2017, Branch Line Press. Used with permission.
The author wishes to extend thanks for the generous photo contributions from New Hampshire Rail Trail Challenge members Elizabeth Burgess, Merritt Gifford, Richard Kaszeta and Robert A. White. Also to Charles Martin for photos from the book New Hampshire Rail Trails published 2016 by Branch Line Press., used with permission.
– Rich Westhoff