Alton/Alton Bay Recreational Bike Trails Project

[Rattlesnake Gal]

http://jonpeck.com/mjp/jog.jpg

Alton/Alton Bay Recreational
and
Bike Trails Project

Come Join Us for Meetings!
Become a Project Volunteer to Make It Happen!

Trails Project Meetings are held at the
Gilman Library
Main Street, Alton
The 2nd and 4th Wednesday of Every Month
From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Contact: MJ at (603) 875-2253
or
The Alton Parks and Recreation Dept. at (603) 875-0109

E-mail: altontrails@yahoo.com

All Alton/Alton Bay Seasonal and Permanent Residents Welcome!

If you like hiking, biking, running, cross country skiing, or just being outside on a pleasant, scenic, and safe trail, this is the project for you!
If you would like to help develop trails in all parts of Alton/Alton Bay, please plan to attend our meetings and bring your ideas with you.
Help make Alton Trails a reality!

Our group is looking to become a part of the Trails with Rails statewide and nationwide system. There are many community benefits to trails including:

Providing safe places for walking, jogging, biking, and many other sports
Public access to wildlife, nature, scenic views, and local wilderness areas
Connecting existing state forest trails, schools, and town recreation areas through trails not vulnerable to motorized vehicles
Generating positive economic benefits for adjacent & nearby businesses
Reducing automobile congestion and pollution

[Winni]

Thanks for your help, RattlesnakeGirl! :) Alton Trails appreciates all your help in posting the calendar as well as starting the forum up. Don't forget folks, to also send you communications to: altontrails@yahoo.com!

[mcdude]

MJP:
Tell us more about this proposed project....it sounds like a great idea but surely a lot of work!!! Any ideas on where this trail might be located?
Thanks - McD ....and best of luck with this ambitious undertaking!

[upthesaukee]

Part of the project will entail following the very railroad bed that you told us about this past year, namely running from Alton to Gilford. The first part of the project will be to try to connect the uptown area of Alton with the Bay, providing a pleasant safe walking area besides the sidewalk along the side of Rte 11.

The route would basically follow the Merrymeeting from the Alton Central Fire Station down to Jones Field, off the Letter S road. In that area, it would pick up the old railroad bed basically to the Bay. Realizing that some of the railroad right of way has been built upon makes for a unique means of completing the project. Hopefully, with the cooperation of landowners and the town and state government (and state agencies), along with grant money that can be obtained, this project can go from a vision to a reality. From the back side of Jones Field, there is access to the State Forest that runs up behind the Camp Advenchur campground, an area which already has trails cut, but not maintained.

Once this project is completed, it will be moving on to heading west along rte 11, and then 11D, hopefully all the way to the Gilford line. It would be hoped that the trail will be equal to the Winnipesaukee River trail that you provided a link to, and the proposed "W.O.W." trail in Laconia, with WOW standing for Winnipesaukee-Opechee-Winnisquam.

There are many inactive railroad right of ways that can be utilized for walking, hiking, biking, and in the winter time, cross country skiing snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. This project is not one that will be completed by next spring, but certainly it is hoped that we can get our town selectmen behind us, then get the voters behind us, and get rolling on grant money and procuring the rights to construct. For our end of the lake, it is a wise investment as our town has always been about family, and family activities. The trail(s) would link the Bay with the uptown area, with the recreation areas within our town, and provide our residents (year round and seasonal) and visitors with safe and enjoyable outdoor activities during all seasons.

thanks for your interest, McD.

[mcdude]

Regional Rail Trail Moves Closer to Reality (http://archive.citizen.com/2005/january2005/01.15.05/news/belmont%5F01.15.05a.asp)

The W.O.W. Trail (http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050814/CITIZEN0101/108140041&SearchID=73219672353713)

WINNIPESAUKEE RIVER TRAIL (http://www.heartofnh.com/outdoors/bike/WinniRiverTrail.html)

Alton Village Railroad Park (Now Under Construction) looks like it will be a good entryway to access the trail!
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/15025/medium/20lsrrmainstreetcharette.jpg

The whole concept sounds great. Thanks for the info! McD

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/519/20railroadpark.jpg

[Winni]

Alton/Alton Bay Trails Project is No More
Unfortunately this project does not exist any longer. Lack of interest by residents is the main reason. Hopefully someone with an interest in the national and statewide "Trails with Rails" project will pick it up again sometime in the future. I just wanted to let everyone know the meetings advertised in the first post no longer occur. Thanks to those who helped with our attempt to start up the project.