Jennifer Law and her daughter, Courtney Ayles, from Haverill, Massachusetts ride the rails near the Hannah Duston monument in Boscawen on Mothers Day, May 14, 2023.
One of the things you won’t find on most rail trails are rails. Usually the tracks get pulled up after the local train company abandons a corridor before the state makes it available for public use.
But not always. Concord contains one of the most unusual examples of what can be done if the rails are left in place: Scenic Railriders.
This business, which starts its fourth season on May 13, lets people pedal their way along the tracks in a four-wheel “rail bike” –think a train version of a paddleboat – between 2nd Street in Concord and Commercial Street in Boscawen.
The trip has a 2.4-mile roundtrip southern leg and a 4-mile roundtrip northern leg (split by a quick dash across Sewalls Falls Road) and runs along scenic stretches of the Merrimack River. Two turnaround points give the chance to stretch your legs, and a visit to the Hannah Duston Memorial Statue is included.
Allissa LaChance turns the rail cars around at the end of the rail in Boscawen near the Hannah Duston monument in Boscawen.
The cost is $90 to rent a two-seater and $159 for a four-seater. To book online, go to scenicrailriders.com.
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