I don't know of any but I work in Manchester and would love to find a running buddy. Training for Vt. City Marathon in May, my first one. I run about 9:30/mile. Any interest? Let me know. Thanks.

RaisingArizona,
The 'Moose' group you're thinking about are the MooseMilers. They put on a 'mostly trail run' series through Mines Falls in Nashua in the summer (maybe other times too). Very low key, 5k races. 15-40 people typically. Alot of fun.

Mines Falls has alot of interconnecting trails, good for running and mountain biking.

enjoy.
w2k

------------------
My Profile[/URL" target="_blank">

Well, I'm not even CLOSE to training for a
marathon, but the 2 abandoned railtrails
in the salem/windham/derry and windham -> freemont
area make for great running... During the winter
months, snowmobile & ATV traffic keeps them
failry well packed.

I routinely do the windham & derry sections
at around a 9:30 - 9:45 pace, and would like some
company on occasion. (I'm good for
5-7 miles tops though...)

-al

quote:<HR>Originally posted by cstcyr77:
Have any of you been able to find a trail map of massebasic? I have looked online to no avail. I am going to runners alley this weekend.......<HR>

Have you tried looking at the Friends of Massabesic Website? http://www.fomba.com/[/URL" target="_blank">

Don't know if this would help but they have a detailed map of the singletrack trails they maintain.

-Paul



------------------
Hills are good for you[/URL" target="_blank">

quote:<HR>Originally posted by cstcyr77:
Any one near southern NH have any favorite trails? I live in the Manchester/ Bedford area.<HR>

*********************************
Manchester Water Works has one. I lost my cc some years ago. Let us know if they share.

Other trails:

- Heritage Trail - Get to this either at the bottom of Stark Park, N. End Manchester, or down below SNHU. A bit chopped up, between Derryfield School soccer field and some new homes in the sand pit. A spur continues on other side of MArtin's Ferry Rd., at rear of new parking lot across from tennis courts, goes up the hill towards top of Bicentennial, spurs go off in several directions.

- Power lines, accessed off Montgomery Street at Goffstown Back Rd. West Side Manchester. Quite hilly in spots, and rocky. You'll see a few stolen vehicles abandoned along the way. Leads out to transformers off of Upland Street, in back of the Bremer Street projects, on the other side of transformers hooks up with another trail that takes you in past Allard Park towards Goffstown. Spurs run off in all directions. Try to keep your bearings if you don't know the area.

- St. As Xcountry course. Get to this at the St As football field at the top of Worthley HIll R. Run in along side the private home driveway. Traverses down a hillside, spurs going off in many places, eventually takes you to the foot of Plummer Hill Rd., near the 114 intersection. Again, a GPS device will help if you don't have your bearings.

- Piscataqua River Trail: Get to this by entering Highway Dept staging area behind West Side Arena, cross footbridge and bear right. Narrow trail, rocky in spots, follows west bank of river and travels generally north and west towars Goffstown. If you go left at the footbridge, it will take you out near Raco Theodore Pool, Varney Street.

- Tower Hill, Auburn: Take Exit 2 off 101 East, turn right, take 1st left after Alicia's Rest., then 1st left about 0.4 in (unlarked). Gravelly road passes beneath overpass. Look for watershed trailheads marked with colored barrieres on the left. Hard packed in winter, but watch out for snowmobiles.

Used to be lots of others, but development over last 10-15 years has covered them up.

Zootster

-

Wow, good stuff Zootster. Thought I'd add a couple of others; though they may be somewhat obvious to locals, I had to stumble my way around a bit when I moved here last year to find these options.

Derryfield Park has some nice hilly trails, though they are rocky in spots. Run up the hill toward the observatory (take Reservoir Ave to Oak Hill Rd, and bear left onto the road w/ the gate that leads to the observatory) and take a right onto the trail ~ 100m past the gate. When you get to the clearing at the observatory, hug the treeline on the right and follow the path to the top of McIntyre Ski Area. Hang a left and hurdle the slight barrier. Follow the trail back around to the start (there's one more hurdle along the way). I think this loop is just over a mile. These trails seem to be sparsely used, but I like the hills and made repetitions of this loop a staple in my fall training. The wide grass area at the lower end of the park is also good for strides.

Livingston Park has a nice 1+ mile (best guess is ~1700m) loop around the pond. The loop is crowded with dogs and pedestrians on the weekend, but pretty empty on weekday mornings.

These two parks are pretty close to each other, so you can park at one and make up a course that connects the two (though Hooksett Rd and Webster are a pain to cross).

Unfortunately, the Piscataqua River Trail seems to function more as a garbage dump to area residents. That park is one of the dreariest and most depressing I've ever seen.

Others have mentioned Mine Falls in Nashua. Gate City Striders has a trail map at:

http://www.gatecity.org/AA/picts/minefall.gif[/URL" target="_blank">

Since all the trails are snowed in, I'm trying to find decent roads with wide shoulders on which to run. In Manchester, I tried the Union St/River Rd standby, but the sidewalks along River Rd are a disaster. I tried running on the shoulder of River, and almost got hit by a car this morning. Anyone have any other decent road courses to try?