Explore the best rated trails in Athol, MA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Common Pathway and Appel Way Trail. With more than 63 trails covering 536 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail passes such scenic and historical landmarks as covered bridges, abandoned mills, and postcard-perfect towns. Starting on asphalt in Keene, the rail-trail can be...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
Visitors to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will find the full splendor of the scenic Berkshires along this nearly 12-mile-long paved trail. The Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) follows MA 8 through...
The South Manchester Rail Trail is a proposed bike/pedestrian path that would connect the downtown Millyard area of Manchester to the Town on Londonderry. The South Manchester Rail Trail will utilize...
Appel Way Trail offers a paved route of about a mile through woodlands on the north end of Keene. Most notably, it offers a connection between Wheelock Park on the trail's west end and Ashuelot River...
Lowell's Canal System Trails are part of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. The park preserves some of America's industrial past: its 19th-century textile mills formed the first...
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
The Keene Industrial Trail links the county's Cheshire Rail-Trail in the city of Keene. The paved path is a 1-mile segment through downtown Keene, which passes among some of the city's old mill...
The Old Railroad, as its name suggests, is a multi-use trail that occupies a former Boston & Maine Railroad corridor. The trail picks up at the northern trailhead of the Common Pathway, a paved...
The Westville Lake Community Trail offers a short, scenic excursion along the east bank of Westville Lake in Southbridge. Much of the crushed-stone pathway is under a lush tree canopy. Along the way,...
The Piscataquog Trail, though only about 2 miles long, provides a vital off-road link between the communities on the western side of the Merrimack River (the West Side of Manchester) to several parks...
Jonathan Daniels Trail travels the length of Ashuelot River Park through Keene. Along the stone-dust trail, you can enjoy the park’s beautiful natural backdrop and flower garden. The trail was named...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
The Center Trail runs for less than a mile from Hopkinton's downtown to its high school and middle school, providing a safe route to school for thousands of students. The wooded trail, which once...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
Many commuters choose the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway for freedom from congested traffic in the northwest Boston suburbs. For others, the 10.1-mile paved trail between Cambridge and Bedford serves as a...
The well-maintained Canalside Rail Trail provides users with a variety of trestle bridges, views of waterbirds stalking fish and frogs, and gentle grades that alternate between open sky and forested...
Throughout history, the Blackstone River has been an important waterway, from its use by American Indians who fished its once-abundant salmon to its role as a major artery for the transportation of...
Mile 0.0 - DPW Garage Cross the bridge in the parking area, the trail starts behind the fence, crossing over Great Brook on a old dam. Mile 0.53 - After crossing Union St. you will come to a...
The well-maintained Canalside Rail Trail provides users with a variety of trestle bridges, views of waterbirds stalking fish and frogs, and gentle grades that alternate between open sky and forested...
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now to...
Built in the 1910s by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) as part of the Connecticut River Division Main Line, the route introduced daily service to the B&M Fort Hill Branch in the early 1920s to meet...
Hillsborough Recreational Rail Trail connects three communities in south-central New Hampshire: Hillsborough, Deering, and Bennington. The unpaved trail winds along the Contoocook River through rural...
The Redstone Rail Trail is built on the former New York, New Haven & Hartford Armory Branch, which in turn is a former branch line of the New York & New England RR. Its name comes from the numerous...
The Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 40 miles from Boston to Northampton...
The Air Line State Park Trail winds nearly 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. The pathway is...
Lowell's Canal System Trails are part of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. The park preserves some of America's industrial past: its 19th-century textile mills formed the first...
Visitors to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will find the full splendor of the scenic Berkshires along this nearly 12-mile-long paved trail. The Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) follows MA 8 through...
The overall goal of the Grand Trunk Trail in south-central Massachusetts is to connect the communities of Brimfield, Sturbridge, and Southbridge by trail. Currently, two sections of the trail are...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
The Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, which will one day run 21 miles along the river, currently has two open segments. The longest stretches 3.7 miles from the Chicopee town line to the South End...
This exquisitely maintained trail slices through forested areas and wetlands for a wonderful experience in southern New Hampshire. The trail will eventually be part of the Granite State Rail Trail,...
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The Heritage Trail is managed by the state of New Hampshire to provide access to recreational and historical attractions across the state. Eventually, the north-south route along the former Boston and...
The Common Pathway travels 5.5 miles from the outskirts of Peterborough south to downtown’s Noone Falls area, paralleling US 202 and the Contoocook River for most of its journey. The small town of...
The Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
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The East Branch Trail is a 0.5-mile ungroomed, backcountry pathway built on a former logging railroad bed in southern Vermont's Windham County. The remote, heavily wooded trail lies just north of the...
This unpaved state-owned trail is open for public use from Coldbrook to Baldwinville. An on-road detour is necessary through the village of Baldwinville, but the right-of-way is open for public use on...
Jonathan Daniels Trail travels the length of Ashuelot River Park through Keene. Along the stone-dust trail, you can enjoy the park’s beautiful natural backdrop and flower garden. The trail was named...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail runs on the corridor once occupied by the Southbridge & Blackstone line of the Providence & Worcester Railroad, transforming a corridor once designed to link rural...
The Air Line State Park Trail winds nearly 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. The pathway is...
The Old Railroad, as its name suggests, is a multi-use trail that occupies a former Boston & Maine Railroad corridor. The trail picks up at the northern trailhead of the Common Pathway, a paved...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
The Assabet River Rail Trail connects five old mill towns that owe their revitalization to present-day high-tech industries. A midpoint gap splits the 8.6-mile paved trail, though long-range plans...
The Keene Industrial Trail links the county's Cheshire Rail-Trail in the city of Keene. The paved path is a 1-mile segment through downtown Keene, which passes among some of the city's old mill...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
The year 2017 marks 20 years since a rails-to-trails project was first mentioned in the Goffstown Master Plan, and thanks to work by the Friends of the Goffstown Rail Trail and support throughout the...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
The Manhan Rail Trail, well integrated into the local communities it serves, offers a pleasant ride or stroll. It conveniently weaves together parks, community points of interest, neighborhoods, and...
The Southern New England Trunk Line Trail (aka the "SNETT") was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1994. It is built upon a segment of the former right-of-way of the New Haven Railroad's...
The Monadnock Recreational Rail Trail is a great example of a repurposed rail route that provides safe commuting opportunities while also allowing trail users to escape into forest environments for...
The Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
The Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends where soldiers witnessed “the shot heard round the...
The Toonerville Rail-Trail shadows the Black River for most of its 3.2-mile length in eastern Springfield to the border with New Hampshire across the Connecticut River. The route originally carried an...
The Piscataquog Trail, though only about 2 miles long, provides a vital off-road link between the communities on the western side of the Merrimack River (the West Side of Manchester) to several parks...
The Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New HampshireMassachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
The smooth paved surface of the Londonderry Rail Trail offers a pleasant, tranquil 4.5-mile adventure for trail users in south-central New Hampshire. Its route follows a corridor once used by the...
Mile 0.0 - DPW Garage Cross the bridge in the parking area, the trail starts behind the fence, crossing over Great Brook on a old dam. Mile 0.53 - After crossing Union St. you will come to a...
Jonathan Daniels Trail travels the length of Ashuelot River Park through Keene. Along the stone-dust trail, you can enjoy the park’s beautiful natural backdrop and flower garden. The trail was named...
This is a beautiful bike path, easy to moderately easy (has a couple hills) that runs along the Blackstone River. So many places to stop and see the water, especially at the falls. As other reviewers mentioned, GPS goes a little crazy here and took us out of our way-- it does not recognize Rivers Edge Recreation area (parking lot) as a destination. I suggest you put in 195 Davison Ave, Woonsocket, to get to the northern trail head parking lot (called River's Edge.) We started there and rode down 6.1 miles to Ashton Village mill and (across the bridge) museum. A Fix-it station, with tools and an air pump is located there. The trail continues down to Slater Mill in Pawtucket (another 6+ miles) but we were looking for a shorter ride today and turned around here to head back. FYI the first waterfall is in Lincoln, about 1.5 miles from River's Edge parking lot- it is beautiful! The second one is about another mile from there (both are manmade.) Those were the only two on this 6 mile stretch. The park ranger at Ashton suggested next time we park in Ashton and complete the ride down to Slater Mill, where there is a natural waterfall and the ride is very pretty.
Great trail real nice walk lots to see parking closed on the southern end
Just did this yesterday (9/14/20) starting from Woods Crossing to the northern terminus at the American Legion then back, going past my parking location to the MA line. From the border up to I'd say the Rt. 202 section, it was quiet, saw 2 people but mainly around the Rt. 202 starting point. Comparing to sections north of it, the southern area is more wooded and a narrower trail but easily ridden with a hybrid bike. Anything with skinnier tires would probably have a harder time for the whole length of it. The northern section was quite busy, many walking, enjoying the weather. It is a little more scenic and the trail is wider. Trail is mainly gravel or hard packed dirt throughout though a little loose sand in the southern section in a few spots but not much. At some trail entrances, there is a sign which gives you some pointers as to what you will see along that stretch, gives you something to to try and see instead of just staring down the path.
I've logged about 20k miles of road biking across the United States namely in WA, MO, OH, PA, MD and FL, and maybe 10% of that on trails. To get to stay 99% of the time on a car-free trail for almost 50 miles (as a loop) is rare- and to have some scenery- is nearly unheard of. Thrilled to be in CT now and using this as my go-to ride.
We started in Walpole at Blackjack Crossing. First few miles were tough! But the remaining 12 miles into Keene were great. Some great views and remnants of the railroad. Some beautiful cuts in the stone. Highly recommend!
Heading south toward the Colchester spur, the map shows a fork in the path that veers off to the left. This doesn’t exit. You have to continue down an take a real left. There’s a sign.
Though the trail roughly parallels a major road, you are away from it at least half the time. You need to cross it twice but they have walking signals. Every car at the other side street crossing stopped and waved you on. There are some benches, but didn't notice any picnic tables.
The mostly tree-shaded path itself is either improved or unimproved dirt, on this dry late-summer ride I'd rate the surface a B+ with mountain bikes. Roots, just a few patches of sand and a few raised sewer covers. Path to Goffstown is definitely uphill most of the way, but just enough to keep you pedaling. Going toward Manchester is a delight. Mid week there was sparse but steady traffic, probably the most parking places I've seen on a trail.
Beautiful swimming spot around mile 4.2, just off the path . Probably other places, too, as the trail parallels water much of the way. Goffstown end has shops and eateries, there is an ice cream in the middle. The southern end continues to Manchester, we started on a paved continuation trail about 1/2 mile toward Manchester (Douglas Street football field parking lot).
A very nice ride I'd highly recommend for most non-street casual bikers (or walkers/joggers). The wooded swimming spot on the lake is a real bonus.
For several years, I have taken my dogs for a walk/run on this trail. Other than being in the path of the airport, with planes flying overhead, it was a quiet and wonderful place. Wild life and beautiful flowers were very much enjoyed. The last 6 months, has made me seek other places to walk/run my dogs. There are homeless camps, trash, and graffiti everywhere. I wish this short trail were better maintained by the City
I rode the northern section today. Actually started near the Walpole bridge and rode some other snowmobile trails and some side roads to the junction with the rail trail, then on to Keene. Saw no one until I reached the dump. Trail was a lot of fun, but in much better shape south of the dump then to the north. Very slow grade, north of the dump it was great in places and pretty bumpy in others. I rode a basic mountain bike and had no trouble. Heard there was a bad section somewhere but never encountered anything that was really unrideable except one bad embankment. Trail was also easier to follow and more obvious the further south you went, multiple snowmobile crossings further north. This was the first time I tried this sort of thing and I had a very good time. I enjoyed the terrain and seeing where the remnants of the old line.
Mason resident here. A great place for visitors to park and access the rail trail is on Depot Road (which is a paved road). The parking area has ample space to park cars, horse trailers, etc. for setting up. This parking access point is up the road past the town fire station on the right hand side if you're accessing it via Valley Rd. There's also a board the town set up with a trail map one can review before setting off on your journey. Otherwise, it's a nice flat surface to walk, bike, and ride on. Hope this information is helpful to someone new who is looking to find a safe and proper place to park and go.
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