Location:
University of New Hampshire, Durham NH

College Woods is a property of The University of New Hampshire. Its 250 acres were donated to the university in 1891 and originally provided the school with a ready source of lumber for the construction of many of the campus' older buildings. More recently a portion of the "Woods" has been preserved as a natural sturdy area.

The trails in College Woods are very well maintained. They are mostly flat and are non-technical in nature.

Riding in College Woods is a really fun experience, perfect on a hot sweaty summer day when the cool of the woods will provide you with a refreshing breeze as you ride beneath the dense forest cover. You'll find miles of rolling woods roads; some mostly smooth singletracks and you'll see lots of people out on the trails. Expect to loop around a lot. There are about 9 miles of trails, but to explore them all you'll have to do a lot of repeats.

The main water supply for the UNH campus is located in a dammed section of the Oyster River. A trail runs beside this reservoir and a newly constructed wooden bridge crosses it.

Directions:
From route 4 take Route 155A south towards Durham/UNH.  Go right on College Road after 1.2 miles. Turn right on Colovos Road, go under the bridge and turn left. Park at the trailhead at the Waterworks Road intersection.

Cautions:
You will see a lot of people out on these trails. And a lot of unleashed dogs. Slow down, or stop, and say "Hi!".

By Bill Boles