Marianne Borowski, founder of Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail, receiving $1,000 grant from Frannie Day, board member of Granite State Health and Fitness Foundation
The Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail (xNHAT) gratefully accepted a $1,000 grant from the Granite State Health and Fitness Foundation (GSHFF). GSHFF, founded in 2017 in Manchester, NH, supports nonprofit organizations in promoting and supporting health, fitness, and wellness life experiences and opportunities across New Hampshire. Frannie Day, member of the GSHFF Board of Directors, noted that the success of the xNHAT provided an opportunity to extend GSHFF resources to rural northern towns for the first time.
“It’s more than a bike trail. It’s an adventure” best describes the vision that guided the creation of the xNHAT. Now in its sixth year, the xNHAT is an 83-mile multi use trail across the state extending from Vermont and into Maine. The xNHAT was founded by Bartlett resident Marianne Borowski, who describes the xNHAT as a way to introduce mixed terrain cycle touring as a new facet to outdoor recreation in the North Country.
Key to its success is the emphasis placed on the trail’s versatility making it a destination for single day or multi day adventures. The scenic rail trails comprising the xNHAT, which include the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail and the Presidential Rail Trail, provide safe and enjoyable year round recreation and transportation options for people of all ages and abilities including families, children, cyclists, hikers, walkers, snowshoers, skiers, dog sleds, snowmobiles, and fat tire cyclists. In any given season, the rail trails are populated by residents of NH, as well as visitors to the Granite state who come from all over the country.
Borowski, architect of the xNHAT, has been invited to make presentations all across the state with the focus of expanding opportunities for year round recreation through the repurposing of rail lines. She also serves as a passionate advocate for safe cycling and multi purpose trails speaking at forums in Washington D.C.
Along the xNHAT, folks can experience the majesty of the northern New Hampshire landscape and experience the hospitality of the small towns along the way. In addition to its goal of promoting wellness among people of all ages and interests, the xNHAT has become an economic engine. Its route links 11 rural NH towns including Woodsville, Bath, Landaff, Lisbon, Littleton, Bethlehem, Whitefield, Jefferson, Randolph, Gorham, and Shelburne. Several of these towns have expressed their recognition and appreciation of the increased patronage to their businesses due to the xNHAT.
Borowski likes to refer to the trail as a patchwork of connections forging a trail using existing roads and trails. That was the beginning of her adventure of connections! For more information on the xNHAT: