Empowering an Active Manchester since 2008

Connecting All of Manchester to All of New Hampshire via Urban Trails & Greenways

Our Goals

Economy

Develop an important community asset that attracts businesses, homeowners, and tourists.

Health

Create healthy recreation and transportation opportunities by providing accessible and safe places to recreate and commute.

Transportation | Livability

Create and Steward active transportation corridors to easily move throughout our community.

Conservation | Environment

Preserve natural landscapes. Improve air and water quality. Protect our wildlife habitat.

Revitalization

Develop a positive economic impact along the trails and greenways for people to live, work, and play.

Community

Trail systems connect our community and create “3rd. spaces” that promote communication, civility, and community engagement.

Our History

2008 Foundation

Manchester Moves, Inc. was founded as a non-profit organization by Bob Dastin and Dean Williams.
Rail Trail Master Plan

Manchester Moves commissions a Rail Trail Master Plan from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. to assist the city with prioritizing projects.
2009 Piscataqoug Trail & Bridge

Fundraising and design begins for our first major infrastructure project: the Piscataqoug trail and bridge.
2015 Bernice & Irving Singer Pedestrian Bridge

Assisted the City of Manchester & the Department of Transportation through design efforts and by securing the match funding for the construction of the bridge that links Manchester to Goffstown via the Piscataquog Trail at mile 2.0.
2020 Northern Manchester Heritage Trail

Restored 1.5 miles of trail on the northernmost section of the Manchester Heritage Trail along the Merrimack River, adjacent to Stark Park. This was funded by a private grant of $75,000, which is now fully accessible and open to the public.
2021 New Board of Directors

We secured a private grant for $20,000 to assist with planning efforts & elected new directors from various neighborhoods and businesses
2021 Stark Park "walk in the Woods"

In partnership with The City of Manchester & The Friends of Stark Park, Manchester Moves raised funds to restore the lower section of Stark Park to its original “carriage road”. This “spur trail” is a connector to the Heritage Trail and future rail with a trail project adjacent to the Merrimack River.
2021 #1 Non-Profit in New Hampshire

As part of the NH Gives 24-hour fundraising event, Manchester Moves was the #1 fundraiser out of 584 organizations with over $57,000 raised.
Closing the Gap with Rail-with-Trail

We are pursuing strategies to implement rail-with-trail along the Merrimack River to close the gap in the nearly contiguous 125-mile Granite State Rail Trail. This is the key North-South link through the City connecting Manchester to Bedford in the South and Hooksett in the North