The Northern Rail Trail, a popular multi-use path that runs through central New Hampshire, has a section that’s now impassable — cut off by concrete barriers placed in the middle of a property dispute.
WMUR reported the blockage Wednesday, May 28, though the exact location along the trail and the identities of the parties involved were not immediately detailed. The barriers have physically closed off a portion of the path, leaving trail users unable to pass through that stretch.
The dispute
The concrete barriers appear to be the result of a disagreement over land ownership or access rights along the trail corridor. Property disputes over rail trails aren’t uncommon in New Hampshire — many of the state’s converted rail corridors cross private land, and the legal boundaries between public trail easements and private property can be contested. Who placed the barriers and under what claimed authority hasn’t been spelled out in initial reports.
The Northern Rail Trail runs roughly 59 miles through Merrimack and Grafton counties, connecting communities from Boscawen west toward Grafton. It’s maintained in part by the state’s Division of Parks and Recreation and draws hikers, cyclists, and snowmobilers depending on the season. A blocked segment can force users to backtrack significant distances, since the trail follows a narrow linear corridor with few easy detours.
Whether the barrier placement involved any legal action — a court order, a notice of trespass, or simply unilateral action by a landowner — wasn’t clear from initial reporting. No timeline for resolution had been announced as of Wednesday morning.
Reported by WMUR. Read the original report.
