The Stony Brook trail along the northern bank of Stony Brook completes Phase 2 of the Wilton Riverwalk, which was begun in 2020 with the renovation of Monument Park. 

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting was on Sunday, June 13th, 2021 at 11:00. Click HERE for the press release.  Many Wilton residents joined the festivities and listened to the speeches by Jennifer Beck, Kellie-Sue Boissonnault, Kermit Williams and Ron Brown before Kellie-Sue cut the ribbon and invited folks to walk the trail.

Ron also dedicated a memorial bench to long-time Wilton resident and volunteer, Spencer C. Brookes.  Todd Fahey , State Director, AARP New Hampshire also sent along some congratulatory words for a project well-done!

Click below for more information:

Photos of the Grand Opening
Text of the Speeches
Photos of the Completed Stony Brook Trail

The new trail is a solar-lit, handicapped accessible walkway along the northern bank of Stony Brook, with plantings, placemaking signage, benches, sculptures and access to fishing spots.

This trail was made possible through a $19,711 AARP Community Challenge grant as well as a permanent easement of land along the river by TDS Telecomm. The award represented one of only two awards issued by the AARP Community Challenge in New Hampshire, and 184 nationwide!  See full press release from August 2020 HERE.

The AARP was effusive in their support of Wilton’s project: “We are incredibly excited to support the Town of Wilton as they work to make immediate improvements in the community, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change,” shared AARP New Hampshire State Director Todd Fahey. “Our goal at AARP New Hampshire is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities and the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the importance of this work.”

The project was spearheaded by the Economic Development team with key contributions from the Wilton Conservation Commission. Work began on the trail in early 2021.

This route along the river used to be a walking path many decades ago, but had become inaccessible. This project opened up the entire pathway along the banks of Stony Brook and created overlook areas that give beautiful views of the river and create wildlife observation areas. The design and construction was done by a Wilton business – Curtis Farm Landscape Construction. They also donated rocks and identified foundation granite from a neighboring demolished site to build natural benches and plinths for art sculptures on the site.  One of the benches is dedicated in the memory of Spencer C. Brooks II, a long-time Wilton resident and volunteer who served as a library trustee, a member of the Budget Committee, a member and chair of the Conservation Commission, and a worker in the community garden.

The site was not an easy one to work. It required storm water and shore land permits to make sure the river was protected during construction. Two run-off ditches that posed risks to the river ecology were repaired and those locations are now overlooks that provide great views of the river and provide fishing spots. The walkway itself is made from recycled pavers that lock together and are filled with crushed gravel creating a permeable surface that lets water flow through and be filtered before entering the river.

In the future, this new trail will link to the existing trail on the other side of Stony Brook via a pedestrian bridge to be completed in Phase 3.