SKRG

This years Run Across New Hampshire begins on Mount Sunapee along the shore of Lake Solitude. From here, we'll travel counter-clockwise around the Sunapee-Kearsarge-Ragged Greenway (SKRG). The SKRG is a 75 Mile trail/greenway that travels through the mountains and hills of the following towns: Newbury, Sutton, Warner, Wilmot, Andover, Danbury, New London, Springfield, Sunapee and Goshen. It is maintained by a dedicated group of local volunteers. The Greenway has been broken down into 14 segments of which maps can be retrieved on the SKRG website. They've broken the 75 miles down into these segments, perfect for dayhikes, because of the lack of shelters and/or camping locations due to landowner restrictions.

"The Greenway's mission is to create and maintain a forever green, great circle of trail corridors and conserved lands providing walkers with minimally-developed access to the mountains, lakes, vistas and historical sites of the region." The idea for the greenway was devised in the mid-1980's thanks to the hardwork of The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, The Society For the Protection of NH Forests, Lake Sunapee Protective Association and various local conservationists.

The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust

They protect 111 Properties (8,628 Acres) in the 12 towns the SKRG travels through. Their most recent project was the preservation of Star Lake Farm in Springfield, a 1559 Acre parcel of land which is vital to water protection for the area.

The Society For the Protection of NH Forests

Around since 1901 it is now one of the nations most effective statewide land conservation organizations. As a non-profit membership organization, the Forest Society is dedicated to protecting the state's most important landscapes while promoting the wise use of its renewable natural resources. made up of over 10,000 members, this organization helps protect 928 NH Properties totaling 166,603 acres of land. They do abundant work with easements, permanent land acquisitons, land management, advocacy and education.

In 1911 it was this group that purchased 656 Acres on Mount Sunapee to keep it from being clear-cut.

Lake Sunapee Protective Association

LSPA wasfounded in 1898 and is a member-supported non-profit educational organization. They are dedicated to preserving and enhancing the special environment of the Lake Sunapee region. They strive to achieve this mission through education, research and collaborative action.

Without the above three organizations, their tireless work and the cooperation of the many landowners; the SKRG doesn't exist. A lot of the SKRG travels across trails built by volunteers in these same organizations as well as others such as The NH Trailwrights. On our journey around the SKRG on the weekend of October 23-24; we'll not only travel along some of these trails but we'll journey through farms and forests owned by many private land owners. We'll also journey down along some of New Hampshire's forgotten roads, some 200 years old, that are no longer accessible to wheeled traffic. This glimpse at a history long ago is just another fascinated aspect of what is going to make this journey so epic.

To learn more about the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway visit their website HERE



Pictures From On The SKRG

Lake Solitude From The Start (Jim Block Photography)

View from the summit of Kearsarge South

Ragged Mountain

Aerial View of Lake Sunapee

Mount Sunapee from on the Lake