New in New Hampshire on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail

For Immediate Release
June 18, 2010

Contact: Kate Williams, Executive Director
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
802-496-2285 or kate@northernforestcanoetrail.org

WAITSFIELD, Vt. – Kayakers and canoeists will find new and rehabilitated campsites, and an improved boat launch for the 2010 paddling season along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) in New Hampshire.

Trail staff and volunteers completed projects last year on the historic 740-mile waterway in New York, Vermont, Québec, Canada; New Hampshire and Maine. NFCT, Inc., the non-profit organization that manages the trail, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.

"In 10 short years we have translated a wonderful idea into a mapped, accessible recreation resource of national significance," said NFCT Executive Director Kate Williams. "We are grateful to our community partners, and to the paddling community for supporting and encouraging this endeavor. We are looking forward to the next decade and beyond."

Paddlers on the Connecticut River can spend the night at the new Samuel Benton campsite on the Vermont side of the river in Maidstone. The site has a picnic table and fire ring, and a moldering privy is currently being developed. Several campsites within Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge will be improved later this summer during a volunteer Waterway Work Trip.

Refuge staff refurbished the Magalloway boat launch on the Androscoggin River and will encourage boaters to use the site instead of accessing the river on woods trails from Route 16. Riverbank erosion has resulted from use of the renegade trails, and NFCT staff will stabilize the bank by planting saplings, and prevent use of the trails by blocking them with brush.

Paddlers can use the new NFCT Guidebook to help with trip planning and learn about attractions and services along the route in the state. In New Hampshire the trail flows for 72 miles over rivers and a lake once used as travel routes by Native Americans and early settlers.

There are now more than 10 public access points along the trail in New Hampshire, with four campsites on private land and numerous camping options within Umbagog Lake and Mollidgewock State Parks. To learn more about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail in New Hampshire visit www.northernforestcanoetrail.org or call 802-496-2285.

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About the Northern Forest Canoe Trail: The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a 740-mile inland paddling trail tracing historic travel routes across New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine. NFCT, Inc. is internationally regarded as the preeminent water trail organization in North America, and connects people to the Trail’s natural environment, human heritage, and contemporary communities by stewarding, promoting, and providing access to canoe and kayak experiences along this route.