The Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is an ambitious work in progress. Segments between Bradford and Concord, New Hampshire are already open (no OHRV/ATVs or dirt bikes, please). I last visited the trail’s eastern terminus in Concord, New Hampshire in autumn of 2020. On the spur of the moment on a July day, I decided to return to see how the trail looks in summer.

I found a different kind of beauty, with flowers rather than foliage catching my eye. Varieties included milkweed, oxeye daisies, mullein, St. John’s wort, and others that I couldn’t identify. It was pollinator heaven, lining the trail along open space close to the trailhead at 25 Fisherville Road (US 3), less than four miles north of the State House.

That trailhead had room for maybe half a dozen cars. Information about the trail was posted on a kiosk in the parking area. Close by were several rail-themed benches. The unpaved trail surface was smooth and pleasant.

The trail passed open space for a few hundred yards before entering deep shade under mature trees. I walked for about a mile and a half, enjoying the shade on a muggy day, before deciding to turn around.

Uh-oh…the forecast had been for scattered afternoon pop-up showers, and one of them popped up as soon as I turned around. I wasn’t carrying rain gear on the 80-degree day, and I had a half-hour walk between me and my car. I shrugged and took the consequences as a hard rain began to fall. It was over in 15 minutes, which was long enough to leave me drenched. It was a reminder that even for short walks, carrying an inexpensive poncho is a good idea.

That wouldn’t have helped my shoes, of course. They should dry out within a few days. That’s a modest price to pay for a cool place to walk on a summer day.

This easternmost segment of the CLSRT is one of the many recreational assets in Concord for walkers and cyclists. Other completed segments are not yet continuous but are worth discovering if your travels take you to Hopkinton, Warner, or Bradford.

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