Find the top rated trails in Braintree, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
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The Blackstone River Greenway (previously known as the Blackstone River Bikeway) is a 3-mile trail that represents the first open segment of the Massachusetts portion of a pathway that will eventually...
Opened in 1999, the Phoenix Bike Trail packs a surprising diversity in its 3.5 miles, passing through woodlands, salt marshes, farms and commercial and residential areas. Tree-lined for much of its...
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The Trolley Trail runs through Plainfield and is a key link the East Coast Greenway. Plans are to use this trail as a link between the Moosup Valley State Park Trail and the Airline State Park...
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Although only a grassy, hard-packed dirt pathway, the route along the Salem-Beverly Canal (also known as the Grand Wenham Canal), is scenic and peaceful. The old canal, built in 1917, lies between two...
Independence Greenway offers 8 miles of trail in three disconnected segments through western Peabody. The rail-trail follows the abandoned Salem and Lowell Railroad and offers nice views. It passes by...
The Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail follows the route of the former Framingham and Lowell Railroad. It begins at the Lowell/Chelmsford city line, about 30 miles northwest of Boston, near Cross Point, a major...
A lovely, albeit short, rail-trail in northeastern Massachusetts, the 1.3-mile Amesbury Riverwalk (a.k.a. Powwow Riverwalk) is the first completed section of the Coastal Trails Network, linking the...
The Salisbury Rail Trail Connector, also known as the Gillis Rail Trail Connector, is a 0.3-mile link between two rail-trails: Salisbury's Old Eastern Marsh Trail and Newburyport's Clipper City Rail...
The Cape Cod Canal Bikeway connects Cape Cod Bay and the communities of Sandwich and Sagamore on its eastern end with Buzzards Bay and the community of Bourne on its western end. Following both banks...
The Phenix-Harris Riverwalk, a short trail built on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, connects West Warwick and Coventry, two towns on the outskirts of Providence. The dirt...
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The Blackstone River Greenway (previously known as the Blackstone River Bikeway) represents a big undertaking in this tiny state: The 11.8-mile trail running between Woonsocket and the outskirts of...
The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park recalls the role of canals in transporting raw materials and manufactured goods between emerging industrial centers. Walk along restored sections of...
Curling nearly 11 miles past woodlands, marshes, salt ponds and seascape, the Shining Sea Bikeway is the only bikeway on Cape Cod to skirt the shore. Also called the Shining Sea Bike Path, the paved...
The Bridge Street Bike Trail begins near Curtis Park and travels south through downtown Salem, closely following the Bridge Street Bypass. The short trail runs through residential, retail and...
The Nashua Heritage Rail Trail begins adjacent to City Hall on Main Street in downtown Nashua. It is a short trail that takes you through one of the first neighborhoods that was planned and built in...
The Assabet River Rail-Trail provides a forested escape from the surrounding urban bustle. Traveling 5.6 miles (with plans to expand it) the trail connects the towns of Hudson and Marlborough and...
You won't get lonely on the Minuteman Bikeway. The nearly 10-mile rail-trail through suburban Boston is one of New England's most popular trails. Warm summer weekends in particular bring folks of all...
The pleasantly tree-lined Warren Bike Path, built along the former Warren-Fall River Railroad, runs just under a mile from Long Road west to the Kickemuit River. The trail ends in an 18-acre park...
The trail begins in the small town of Boxford, about 25 miles north of Boston. For just shy of 5 miles, the hard-packed gravel and stone dust pathway follows an abandoned rail bed through Topsfield,...
Nestled in the woodlands on the northern end of Merrimac in the far northeastern corner of Massachusetts, lies the beautiful Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. The town, once known as West Amesbury, had a...
The Upper Charles Trail will one day span more than 20 miles, connecting the communities of Milford, Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn and Holliston along a former CSX rail bed. The trail is being...
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Southwest Corridor Park is a 4.7-mile linear park through the Boston neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. A recreation and commuter route popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists,...
Air Line State Park Trail winds for just over 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. Over the state...
The health and fortunes of Lowell have been intimately tied to the Concord River for hundreds of years. This tributary of the more famous Merrimack River continues to be at the heart of the local...
Alewife Linear Park is a beautiful paved trail stretching 2 miles east from the Alewife T-station in Cambridge to Cedar Street in Somerville. The park came about after the Massachusetts Bay...
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The Fremont Branch of the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail follows a diagonal, 16.5-mile path from Windham to Epping in the southeastern corner of New Hampshire. As the trail is unpaved (dirt with...
The West Warwick Riverwalk is located in a park just behind West Warwick High School and John F. Deering Middle School. The paved trail goes for about a mile north following the Pawtuxet River. A...
Curling nearly 11 miles past woodlands, marshes, salt ponds and seascape, the Shining Sea Bikeway is the only bikeway on Cape Cod to skirt the shore. Also called the Shining Sea Bike Path, the paved...
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 Phenix-Harris Riverwalk, a short trail built on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, connects West Warwick and Coventry, two towns on the outskirts of Providence. The dirt...
Opened in 1967, the Province Lands Trail was the first bike trail created by the National Park Service. The pathway is a challenging trek, with steep hills, sharp turns and tunnels with low...
The Windham Rail-Trail occupies a scenic stretch of abandoned rail (Manchester and Lawrence) between Range Road (at Rockingham Rd.) in Salem and Windham Road, about 4 miles to the northwest. At...
The Whitney Spur Rail Trail runs from just north of the MBTA’s Cohasset Station through dense woodlands to the edge of Wompatuck State Park. The corridor was originally a spur off the Old Colony...
The Boxford Rail Trail is a short, rustic pathway open on a former rail corridor in rural Essex County. Now home to overhead electric wires owned by National Grid, the trail is open via a license...
The North Bank Bridge, which opened in 2012, provides a safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connection between Cambridge's North Point Park and Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. Spanning 690...
The Stillwater Scenic Walkway is a short trail that follows an old railroad bed between Capron Road and State Route 104 (Farnum Pike) south of Smithfield. The trail passes through a wooded area along...
Shaped like a Y, this 4.1-mile rail-trail connects Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott. From the trail junction in quaint Marblehead, one branch meanders through conservation areas and past harbor...
The Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
The Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
The Old Eastern Marsh Trail (a.k.a the Salisbury Rail Trail) runs for 1.4 miles between the north bank of the Merrimack River and Mudnock Road in Salisbury. The beautifully landscaped trail was built...
The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park recalls the role of canals in transporting raw materials and manufactured goods between emerging industrial centers. Walk along restored sections of...
The Washington Secondary Bike Path actually comprises four trails along an old Hartford, Providence, & Fishkill Railroad corridor. Together, the Cranston Bike Path, Warwick Bike Path, West Warwick...
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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 Haggetts Rail Trail is a short, but sweet unpaved trail located on the periphery of Haggetts Pond, the local reservoir for the nearby town of Andover. Built on part of the former line of the...
The Ten Mile River Greenway follows the winding course for 3 miles along the James Turner Reservoir (Ten Mile River). Though short, the trail is quite scenic and runs between the Kimberly Ann Rock...
Opened in 1999, the Phoenix Bike Trail packs a surprising diversity in its 3.5 miles, passing through woodlands, salt marshes, farms and commercial and residential areas. Tree-lined for much of its...
The Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail, which was formally known simply as Quequechan River Rail Trail travels along the northern shore of scenic South Watuppa Pond. The project created a...
The Windham Rail-Trail occupies a scenic stretch of abandoned rail (Manchester and Lawrence) between Range Road (at Rockingham Rd.) in Salem and Windham Road, about 4 miles to the northwest. At...
Nearly 6 miles of the Northern Strand Community Trail, which follows the former Boston and Maine Railroad, are open to the public. Although this includes two disjointed trail segments, once Revere...
The rugged and beautiful Reformatory Branch Trail meanders more than 4 miles through three natural areas: Elm Brook Conservation Area, Mary Putnam Webber Wildlife Preserve, and Great Meadows National...
The newly open Bradford Rail Trail occupies the former Pan Am rail lines, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the...
The Peanut Trial is a distinct trail in the town of Newton that spans one-mile. This rail-trail was meant to connect to the Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. However, due to a controversial lawsuit by land...
Southwest Corridor Park is a 4.7-mile linear park through the Boston neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. A recreation and commuter route popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists,...
Methuen Rail Trail connects three communities in northeastern Massachusetts as it follows the route of the former Manchester and Lawrence Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The rail-trail's...
The Head of the Meadow Trail offers a pleasant winding route through woodlands and marshlands tantalizingly close to the Atlantic Ocean in Truro. In fact, direct access to two of the Cape Cod National...
Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
The Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
Alewife Linear Park is a beautiful paved trail stretching 2 miles east from the Alewife T-station in Cambridge to Cedar Street in Somerville. The park came about after the Massachusetts Bay...
My wife and I walked the trail. We found it to be scenic and safe. It is level and good for walking and biking. We found the other users to be friendly.
We will be using it along with the other trails we use in the city.
The rail trail starts at the back end of a Security Company parking lot, goes behind the back of Lowes in Cranston RI and continues down the side of the Kmart towards Coventry, RI. It is uphill heading west, and the first few miles are rather industrial. As previous write ups indicate the east end of the trail has a few root bumps, but is certainly no worse than the average road in New England and is certainly better than most of the roads in the greater Boston metro area and can be ridden with a road bike. It passes the impressive factory at RiverPoint with some nice views near Arctic Village and onwards as you head into Coventry. At the far end there is a rather remote general store, but that's about it. If you want to stop off, it's probably best done in Coventry exit at route 117 it's just over 4 minutes ride along 117 to Main Street shops and bars.
Beyond incredible at times, but largely tragically poorly maintained. The initial segment in Franklin was a challenge, narrowing with increased vegetation and mud. There was a very difficult crossing at Prospect St in Franklin, with a very challenging descent into the southern continuation of the trail.
The trail was amazing for a few miles, quite stunning all around though for this section the path was clear and maintained. South of Centre St. was near impossible, riding at times in water four inches high (days after the most recent rain). Had to abandon at Edgewater Dr. in Bellingham. Shame, if the DCR were to maintain this it could be an incredible opportunity for these communities as the Franklin trailhead is an easy bike ride from the commuter rail and could be a great excursion for car free city dwellers.
This is a great trail but notice it is starting to need some work that's not being done..on or about the 11.5 mile point there are tree roots buldging out of the path that really need to be addressed. It is quite a large area and there are other areas that are becoming a problem as well.
It is marked with orange paint but that does not fix the issue!
This trail is fantastic. Very scenic with plenty of photo-op stops along the way on bridges over the river, etc. A few of the shady spots have some tree root growth that disrupts the pavement, but otherwise it's a really great trail with ample parking. There were no bathrooms that we could find so make sure you plan ahead for that. Definitely worth exploring!!!
The previously disjoint segments are now connected. Very nice trail!
We went all the way to Nahant, partly on the future trail, partly on streets. The beach was a reward, but this last stretch is not so much fun on a bicycle.
My wife and I used to love this trail, driving from Concord to Nashua a couple of times a year to ride it to Ayer. With its tree canopy, it's most enjoyable on a hot day. But all those trees come with a down side.
Yesterday's ride (7/4/17) was less than satisfactory. Several sections have severe tree root ridges across the entire trail, making them impossible to avoid. Those sections are in serious need of resurfacing or other maintenance.
Great trail, very pleasant and scenic.parking in Middleton is a bit small, but great access to the trail. Connecting to the second part of it can be challenging if you are not comfortable with traffic, despite sidewalk. I was fine but my wife was not too comfortable. But we did it and enjoyed ourselves. The trail actually connects with the one heading to Denver, another 5 miles trail. It was great!
Got to the trail before 8:00 am on Independence Day and had a wonderful ride up to Nashua and back for about 25 total miles. Yes there are a few frost heaves and some roots snaking through the trail at times, but it is a minor inconvenience for an otherwise WONDERUL rail trail. Long open stretches without crossings and beautiful scenery along the path. Much of it is shaded which is good for sunny hot days. The holiday traffic on the trail was picking up for the second half of the ride back to Ayer. As always, probably a good idea to get there early.
Its really great. I just wish the piece toward conn would be somewhat improved
It's a very nice stretch, with 2 bridges, the one over the river being particularly nice.
The gap near Hyde Park is still there, and the trail becomes less interesting at that point, but with one less gap it becomes much more inviting.
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