Navigating New Hampshire’s Urban Paths
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
— Helen Keller
Hello New Hampshire! This month we fall firmly on the Pathways side of this column’s title. My wife and I joined a recent Senior Walk in Manchester. So let’s talk about them!
Senior Walks
The Ink Link has announced Manchester Senior Walks at least as far back as 2014. That makes the program at least 11 years old. Long enough for a lot more people to join the ranks of seniors.
That may partially explain the popularity of the program. On the day I went, we had 142 seniors join us for a walk. I learned that their record turn out (so far) was north of 200. Not too shabby.
Our walk that day was along the South Manchester Rail Trail. 1.8 miles out and then back again. Luckily, no one was present to penalize those of us who might have turned around just a wee bit short of the full extent of the planned path.
This was a gorgeous stretch of trail, with only one road crossing from our starting point. Officer Duquette stood by as crossing guard to stop traffic and ensure everyone made it across safely.
We started in a large parking lot, which is usually almost empty. Today, it was nearly full. This lot is part of Brady Sullivan’s Manchester Commons, and lies east of South Beech St., south-west of The UPS Store, and north-west of a large empty commercial space that used to be a Shaw’s supermarket. It is west of South Willow Street.
Several police officers were present, along with a horse trailer, two horses, and two mounted officers. Also present was Karen Sutkus from the Manchester Health Department, a Healthy Aging Specialist and certified Senior Home Safety Specialist.
Also showing up that day were Ward 9 Alderman Jim Burkush and congressman Chris Pappas, along with Alderman At-Large candidate June Trisciani.
At 9:00 the policeman called us to gather around near the beginning of the trail and told us all what was coming, the approximate length of the walk, and what to expect. Then, we were off, all 142 of us.
It was interesting to watch a massive but fairly shapeless group of people form themselves into a line no wider than about 3 or 4 people and spread out along the trail. Also interesting to see how some of these people, elderly though they may be, were definitely on the speedy end of the walking velocity spectrum. Some, but not all. Though no one was particularly slow.
The morning was a bright, sunny, and brisk. In a few spots frost was visible, captured in a photo of the railing of the trail’s bridge over the Cohas Brook. Any chill just increased our walking speed. Before I was done I had lowered the zipper on my windbreaker and my fleece.
Foliage was gorgeous, as were the duck’s on Nutt’s Pond.
We walked all the way to the trail’s intersection with Perimeter Road around the airport. Well, a few folks turned around earlier. As you approach this point, appearances can be deceiving. Across the road (beyond the car in the photo), it can look like the path continues. But it’s merely some employee & visitor parking for the building seen in the photo.
The walk was great. It left us hungry for a stop at Hometown Coffee for an americano, a latte, a BLT, and an egg-on-bagel sandwich. Yum!
Only two walks remain for this season, as planned currently. They are:
- November 3, 2025 – Massabesic Lake Trail
- 📍 Meet in the paved parking lot off Londonderry Turnpike, just south of the Massabesic Traffic Circle.
- November 10, 2025 – Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve
- 📍 Directions: Countryside Blvd. is off Hackett Hill Rd. The trailhead is about half a mile up on the left. Parking is available in the lot or along the street.
I urge you to confirm those plans by contacting Manchester Community Policing before you go.
I have walked in both these areas before and I highly recommend them both. For Cedar Swamp, be warned, the parking lot is not large, so you may have to park along the edge of Countryside Blvd.
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Stay safe and have fun out there!
Note: The author is a member of the board of the Bike Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, but the views expressed in this article are his own.