I still had non-refundable plane tickets to Manchester, NH, though, giving me the choice of losing them or throwing good money after bad. What the heck, I said, and decided to go anyway.
Since I didn't rent a car, my entertainment was limited to places I could walk. But, hey, I'm a hiker! So I saw a good portion of the urban trails during my time.
Up first was the Heritage Trail, a very short trail along the Merrimack River. The proper trail is only .9, although of course one can walk further on local streets. The old mill buildings foreclose river access in places, however. The photo above shows the view from the access point near parking.
There is another section of this trail to the south, which I did a bit of the next day on my way to the Hands Across the Merrimack pedestrian bridge. It had snowed the previous night, and of course the trails were not plowed, upping the difficulty level. The photo above shows a view from the bridge.
Once across the bridge, I was on the Piscataquog Trail (above), which I followed in its entirely (2.1 miles) to the Goffstown Rail Trail (below). It's 5.5 miles long, but I only did a portion of it, just over a mile. Volunteers had shoveled out a bit of the Piscataquog Trail, but otherwise it was all snow. (Snowshoes would have been ideal, but no one else I saw out had them either.) Both trails follows the Piscataquog River, although in some sections it's not within view.
Additionally, Manchester boasts the South Manchester Rail Trail and the Rockingham Recreational Trail, both of which would require a car from downtown. As it was, I took a Lyft back from the Goffstown Trail instead of returning on foot.
P.S. I stayed at the Ash Street Inn, which is more upscale than I usually go, but it was a nice choice, and located within walking distance of downtown attractions. Would recommend.
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