Trail Construction Projects
Grading, Repairs, and more
New Ledgepack Surface!
4.7 miles of "Adventure" on the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail in Littleton and Bethlehem have been converted to a smooth solid ledgepack. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of "Adventures" on the xNHAT, but the residents of Littleton and the region will have a rail trail that will be enjoyed by all ages and abilities.
Below are a series of photos of the work done to transform the trail surface from big ballast rocks and soft cinder:
Watching the delivery of ledgepack to the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail in Littleton is Don of Romick Developers (Berlin, NH). Don is an expert sculptor with a bulldozer, he will grade this new surface to a smooth, solid, weather and use resistant surface that can be enjoyed by everyone. The ledgepack is from Mark Champagne's quarry on Mt. Eustis Road in Littleton.
That's "Sunglasses Jeff", NH Bureau of Trails Staff. He was in charge of mowing 4.5 miles of the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail in Littleton and Bethlehem, first step in the preparation of the trail for the ledgpack.
That's Hi-Vis Hunter of the NH Bureau of Trails with the Harley Rake. The carbide points on the roller grind up the grass and roots along with stirring up the rocks. Hunter used this to prepare the trail for grading. It was a hot and dusty job but Hunter finished it ahead of schedule!
For the final step in preparation of the trail for the ledgepack, Hi-Vis Hunter graded the trail. All set now for surfacing, which started on Monday Sept 8th.
Wow!! That is the NEW ledgepack surface applied to the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail in May of 2025. There is now 2.7 more miles of this new carpet on the trail in the area north and south of the Bath Covered Bridge. Enjoy the smooth ride!
Here is the finished product... smooth and solid, great for trail users of all ages and abilities, plus resistant to weather challenges! Thank you Merritt Gifford for your beautiful photo!
Here is the NH Bureau of Trails team that finished the last 500 feet of surfacing between the 2 trestle bridges. They brought in small dump trucks from their offices in each corner of the state to finish the job. The contractor's BIG dump trucks delivering the ledgepack were too heavy to travel the decking on the bridges, so this team did the job! FINISHED, October 21, 2025.
New deck and railings on the Israel River Bridge! The new support beams are hidden below the deck. Note the smooth ledgepack transition between deck and trail, no more BumpBump!
2025 CONSTRUCTION SEASON REPORT:
Enjoy the many improvements completed in 2025!
☑️ DONE! The first rail trail project of the year started April 22nd and completed on May 2nd!! This grading and packing project, performed by Leo and Hunter of the NH Bureau of Trails, restored a 4 mile section of the Presidential Rail Trail from Gorham to the first bridge before Pinkham B Road.
☑️ DONE! The second project of 2025 was completed at the end of May in Bath, 2.7 miles of the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail were surfaced with the hardpacked "Magic Mix" provided by Chief's Quarry. You will enjoy 2 miles north of the Bath Covered Bridge and 0.7 miles south of it.
☑️ DONE! New support structures, deck and railings on the Israel River Bridge in Randolph! This was paid for by the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail, work done by Romick Developers of Berling (Mike, Don, Mikey and Timmy). Its beautiful!
☑️ DONE! A ledgepack surfacing project in Littleton and Bethlehem (4.7 miles) Industrial Park Road to Oxbow Drive is complete! It's beautiful! All of the ledgepack projects on the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail over the last 3 years are likely the smoothest sections the entire route. There are, however, sections that have NOT had this treatment, yet, so expect some rough spots. We do more surfacing every year in collaboration with the ATV Club and the NH Bureau of Trails.
⬆️ UPCOMING: There will be a few more miles of ledgepack surfacing on the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail from Bath further south to Woodsville scheduled for the spring of 2026.
A BIG THANK YOU to the Ammonoosuc Valley ATV Club and the NH Bureau of Trails for our collaborative efforts on the rail trail in the Lisbon, Bath and Woodsville area!
Your donation dollars were at work on these surfacing projects along with 2 Recreational Trails Program grants obtained by the NH Bureau of Trails and the xNHAT plus multiple Grant-in-Aid awards obtained by the ATV Club!
Rail Trail Projects upcoming in 2026:
Eastward Extension of the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail: Another 2.6 miles closer to Whitefield! Track and ties were SUPPOSED to come up in 2024: July... then it was August, then October and then November. We had a big problem with the contractors... they did not show up to do the job! Major frustration because we lost the grant funding. The NH Bureau of Trails applied for another grant for 2026, the xNHAT (and your donations) will provide the match funding.
In mid Summer of 2026: The NH Bureau of Trails has received a RTP Grant for ledgepack surfacing of a section of the Presidential Rail Trail in Gorham. Goal is to surface west from the parking lot in Gorham on Rt 2 to Pinkham B Road, or to wherever the grant $$$ runs out. The xNHAT will help supply the 20% required match funding (your donations help us achieve this!).
The 2024 Presidential Rail Trail Restoration Project
Pinkham B Road to Jefferson Notch Road
In October, 2024, a 6.4 mile restoration work on the Presidential Rail Trail was done to perfection! Don, the very talented excavator, grader and roller operator of Romick Developers, finished the work by Halloween. The goal for this project was water flow management: directing water away from the trail to prevent the frequent washouts due to more frequent severe weather challenges. The work restored ditches, replaced culverts (with bigger ones), graded and crowned the rail bed. The trail has survived the 2 big rainstorms in December and recent
Photos from the trail work on the Presidential Rail Trail, the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail and also Dear Hogan Road:
Dear Dear Hogan Road:
Culvert in Hogan Road
Presidential RT BEFORE: The 4" rainstorm in May of 2023 took out sections of the trail in the Randolph area.
DURING: Don working the trail surface.
DURING: Don working the trail surface.
AFTER: The new railbed and trail surface!
Before: In April 2024, the river did a good job of taking out the trail at the Bath Covered Bridge.
WOW! Here's the "After" photo! A nice repair project performed by the NH Bureau of Trails, Ammonoosuc Valley ATV Club and Chief, of Chief's Quarry.
But Wait...What's this? More restorative work on the Ammonoosuc Rail Trail in Lisbon! This is what quality ditching, grading, crowning and a new surface can do for keeping water running AWAY from the rail trail! This is an experiment to test a new surface.
See an issue on the trail?
The xNHAT is an “Adventure” trail for fat-tired bikes — not a smooth and easy route. That being said, if you encounter significant washout or damage to the trail, please let us know!