Trail Work Begins

After seven years of dedicated behind-the-scenes work, planning, and collaboration, FORT is thrilled to announce a major milestone: construction of the Conway Branch Recreational Rail Trail in Ossipee is officially underway!

Development on Phase One is scheduled to begin next week in Center Ossipee. This exciting project marks the beginning of a long-awaited transformation of a historic corridor into a safe, accessible, and multi-use recreational trail that will serve residents and visitors for generations to come.

We look forward to working closely with the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Bureau of Trails throughout the construction process. Our immediate goal is to design and build a three-mile, eight-foot-wide accessible trail that can be enjoyed by pedestrians, snowmobilers, and horseback riders alike. During our most recent meeting with State officials, we learned that the Bureau of Trails is able to begin work before completion of the engineering study for the entire corridor - an important achievement and one of the committee’s top priorities.

The Conway Branch Recreational Rail Trail spans approximately 21 miles, stretching from Ossipee through Tamworth, Madison, and Albany to the Conway town line. Following the route of the historic Conway Branch rail line, the corridor has long been a part of the region’s landscape. Many residents may already know it from snowmobiling along the route or exploring sections of it on foot. Once completed, the trail will reconnect communities, promote outdoor recreation, support local businesses, and preserve an important piece of New Hampshire’s transportation history.

FORT is proud to have three board members serving on the State’s Conway Branch Recreational Rail Trail Committee: Phil Villari, Chris Elliot, and Tia Gagnon. This committee is responsible for developing a comprehensive plan for the entire corridor, including an engineering assessment, recommendations for recreational uses, trail surfacing options, accessibility improvements, and future enhancements and connector routes that will help maximize the trail’s value for users.

And there’s even more exciting news to share!

We are proud to announce that we have officially received our 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation. This means that all eligible donations made to our organization are now tax-deductible, allowing supporters to contribute directly to the future of the trail while receiving a tax benefit.

As our organization has grown to include members from across all trail towns and our mission has expanded to include maintenance of the entire trail, our board recently determined that it was time for a new name. With New Hampshire State Parks now managing the entire corridor and our focus extending beyond Ossipee to support the full 21-mile trail, we wanted a name that better reflects our commitment to the vision of the entire trail.

We are excited to introduce our new name: Friends of the Conway Branch Rail Trail.

In the coming weeks, you’ll begin to see our new name and logo appear across our website, social media, and outreach materials. While our name is changing, our values remain the same. We will advocate for, support, and help develop a recreational trail that connects our communities, celebrates local businesses, and creates lasting opportunities for outdoor recreation across the Lakes Region and the Mount Washington Valley.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this effort over the past seven years. This project would not be possible without the dedication of volunteers, community members, local partners, and trail advocates. We especially want to thank our Ossipee Selectmen and the Ossipee Economic Council, and our State Representatives. Without them, we would not be writing this. Thank you Johnathan Smith, Mark McConkey, and Joseph Kenney.

We are excited for what lies ahead and look forward to sharing updates as construction progresses.

Friends of the Conway Branch Rail Trail, Board of Directors

Friends of the Conway Branch Rail Trail

Connecting Ossipee and Conway through outdoor recreation.

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info@fortossipee.org

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Friends of the Conway Branch Rail Trail

PO Box 225 Ctr Ossipee, NH 03814