By Marty Basch

The bush was moving. That meant it wasn't a bush, and as we applied the brakes to our mountain bikes we saw the black bear get a look at us before leaving the rail trail for the cover of the northern New Hampshire woods.

Earlier, there was an even quicker encounter with a small spry whitetail deer and later the flight of a heron over wispy cat-o'-nine tails.

Pedal to Pondicherry

All that and the opportunity to look for osprey nests through binoculars from a glorious observation platform ringed by northern mountains await those who pedal to the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson and Whitefield from Gorham.

The Presidential Range Rail Trail, which also serves as a snowmobile corridor and pathway for other outdoor enthusiasts, is a former Boston and Maine railroad line that shadows Route 2. Many mountain bikers tend to ride it from Gorham to Bowman and the Castle Trail hiking trailhead, a distance of about 9 miles.

But what if you start in Bowman and cycle west to Jefferson?

Presidential Rail Trail views

You get a stellar ride on a rustic and rugged rail trail in the neighborhood of Mounts Madison, Adams, Owl's Head and Mount Martha, beaver lodges, ever-changing surfaces from rocky to shin-tickling wildflowers, wooden bridges, waterways and that engaging observation deck where every mountain biker should stop for lunch during the approximately 18 mile out-and-back trip. There are also some rather wet sections in the marshy areas where the water runs across the trail, like at Moorhen Marsh. Snowmobile trail signage shows where the creature comforts of home can be found while several colorful gates are easily negotiated while on the bicycle. The trail also passes a road which leads up through tough Jefferson Notch.

The westward journey was a fairly simple spin, though the trail is not Cape Cod flat. There are a few road crossings, including one by Route 115 which serves up some wondrous views of Owl's Head and Mount Martha. Plus, when on the trail and the forested canopy retracts to clearings there are wondrous White Mountain views.

The rail trail also dances with the Cohos Trail, the Hart's Location to the Canadian border pathway, and its yellow blazes. Mountain bikers should also be prepared to meet birders who are drawn to the refuge for its more than 235 species of birds.

Meet up

Or, they might meet mountain bikers with an appreciation for the refuge and rail trail, like Michael and Sarah of Jefferson. We met the cycling couple on the edge of the refuge. The rail trail is one of their favorite retreats and over the miles they've seen beaver dams, rookeries, fish rising in the waterways, and plentiful grasses, mosses, molds, lichens and rocks. They're also attuned to the songs of birds and have heard killdeer, loons and wood thrush.

We met them again about 7.5 miles into the spin in the refuge, by the observation platform which overlooks Cherry Pond. They went their way while Jan Duprey and I walked out onto the wooden stage on the south side of this northern jewel to see mountains, bird nests and beaver lodges.

Prime platform

Hikers, walkers and birders share the nearly 5,500 acre refuge that contains Cherry Pond, Little Cherry Pond and the Johns River which connects the two. There are a trio of trails, and mountain bikers are just allowed on the rail trail. Though the observation deck is a worthy spot to turn around, if you roll past the deck and turn left it is  a 1.4 mile spin up to a parking area and kiosk. Also, the area has an active train track so you're not imagining things if you see a train or hear its whistle.

The return ride presented an option which we took for diversity. At the crossing of Route 115, there is Valley Road, a pleasant dirt and paved roadway that parallels the rail trail. We took the benign road that winds past farmhouses, hidden homes, a converted former rail depot and over brooks. The road easily reconnects with the rail trail by a sign that points to Jefferson Notch and it was back on that trail that the heron took flight, the last of the lupines were in bloom and the northern Presidential range was capped by clouds during a wild North Country ride.

One Tank Away

Gorham is

*253 miles from Wood’s Hole, Mass.

*78 miles from Gorham, Me.

*80 miles from Groton, Vt.