By Jon Bodell - Oct 6, 2015 | 2 comments

The entrance of the Sewalls Falls trail. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

A view of the Merrimack River from the Sewalls Falls trail. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Signs mark the West End Farm Trail and the Kalahan K. Emery Memorial Trail at Carter Hill Orchard. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

The West End Farm Trail features a fork. One path leads to darkness, the other to light. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

The sign for Marjory Swope Park has an owl on it! (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

One of many spectacular views at Marjory Swope Park. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Gilfillan Rock, a fixture at Marjory Swope Park. The name Gilfillan is carved into the rock. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

The sign for Oak Hill City Forest and Hiking Trails is wood! (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

The old Oak Hill Fire Lookout Tower. It's seen better days, but it's still rockin' the Smokey the Bear sign at the top. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Perhaps the most foreboding thing you'll see on any of Concord's trails is this message on the stairs leading up to the top of the fire lookout tower at Oak Hill. I acknowledged the message and courageously proceeded up the steps. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

The view from atop the fire lookout tower. You can see for miles in every direction, as long as you're able to look past or through the several cell towers in the vicinity. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

This path at Oak Hill has no signs or trail markers, but it's likely an access road for the cell towers atop the hill. After all, all those miles of metal didn't get up there via teleportation (or did they?). (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

This sign at Sewalls Falls wants to make very clear that the walking trail is this way (even though this sign pointed right back to the street). (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Did you know, before reading the headline, that Concord is home to more than two dozen walking trails? Well it is, and we thought that was pretty interesting.

A big-time capital city, an economic hub of the region, with walking trails that aren’t made of asphalt or concrete? And you can catch views of rivers, ponds and mountains, too? Only in scenic New Hampshire.

Whether you like long trails or short ones, vertical climbs or flat strolls, walking in loops or lines, this city really has something for everyone.

Speaking of the city, its website is a really awesome resource for finding out whatever you want to know about any of the trails. There are printable maps and stats galore, such as each trail’s length, terrain type and more. If you’re a trails newbie, make sure you start there.

Another good resource is David Ross. No, not the former Red Sox catcher, although I’m sure he’d be a perfectly fine guy to talk to. This David Ross is a member of the Concord Trails Committee, which is a brigade of citizens who love the city’s trails and help keep them clean and safe. But mostly they just love to get out there and explore the scenery.

Ross said that although he’s a Concord trails buff, he hasn’t hit all of them yet – probably about 95 percent, he estimates.

One of his favorites is the West End Farm Trail, which you can get to via Carter Hill Orchard. Ross was involved with laying the trail out, but that’s not the only reason he likes it.

“It’s a reasonably long walk that covers quite a bit of terrain,” he said of the 7-mile trail. “It has some elevation change, a lot of forest change, long sides of agricultural fields, it crosses some brooks, has some good views of some distant peaks, and then winds up down by the Audubon on Silk Farm.”

The trail is linear, not a loop, so be prepared: Go with a friend, and have one person park at Carter Hill and the other park at the other end. Or just tough it out and walk back once you’ve made it. It’s a free workout with free scenery. Free is good.

Another cool free activity is snowshoeing. You probably don’t want to hear this, but winter is really right around the corner now, so it’s time to start thinking about those great snow activities.

Ross likes snowshoeing, and he said the West End Farm Trail is good place to do that. You can also cross-country ski there if you’re feeling up for a really good workout.

“That’s one of the nicest times of the year, of course, to get out – no bugs,” Ross said.

His No. 1 tip to those looking to head out to the trails for the first time? Bring a map. This is where the city’s website comes in handy. “And if you have a map, you should probably have a compass, and take water, snacks, appropriate clothing and let someone know where you’re going to be – the same things you would do if you were to go hiking in the White Mountains.

Another trails enthusiast is Erin Girzone. She’s a personal trainer and has always been into doing active stuff outside. She coaches a 5K program and used to lead a snowshoeing program. Through those two programs, she ended up on the trails.

After the 5K program ended, she kept hitting the trails with some people from the 5K group who still wanted to stay active. They’d alternate between taking a road route and a woods route each week. “From there it was like, well gosh, we have such a great system of trails in the Concord area, so I’ve just tried to take advantage of them,” she said.

What about her favorite spot?

“I always like trails that have some type of view, which I suppose most people would probably agree,” she said. “So Marjory Swope trail, which has a nice view of the reservoir (is one). The other one that is really nice is the Winant Park trails. . . . That has a view of the rolling hills, which is cool.”

So it’s been established that many of these trails offer nice views of scenery, but what about wildlife? Surely people run into deer, moose, bears and the like all the time, right?

Not really.

“I don’t think I’ve really seen too much,” Girzone said.

“Haven’t seen them on the trails,” Ross said. “But maybe because our group scares them away. But those things are all around.”

Who really wants to run into a bear anyway? In all seriousness, though, there really are lots of animals that live out in Concord’s woods, you just have to have patience and luck to spot them. I spotted a wild turkey on my travels, but of course he/she was faster than my camera so there is no evidence.

But even if you never see anything other than chipmunks and mosquitoes, you can still have a good time out there.

You can do what Girzone likes to do and bring the kids and dogs out to make a day of it. Bring lunch and snacks and have a picnic. Gather up a group of friends who are looking to do the same thing.

Or do what Ross likes to do and head out by yourself (he likes going with other people, too). A long walk in the woods with nothing but nature and your thoughts can do a lot for your psyche. And it’s exercise and recreation for free, and right in your backyard – maybe literally.