Explore the best rated trails in Charlton, MA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Fresh Pond Bikeway and Upper Charles Trail. With more than 89 trails covering 651 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.
Bruce N. Freeman was a Massachusetts state representative from 1969 to 1986. Beginning in 1985, he championed the creation of a bike path that would run along the former Penn Central railroad line...
Riverpoint Park sits nestled into a bend of the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The park accommodates the 400-ft arboretum which leads to 1.3-mile riverside path known as the Senator...
The Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway provides a valuable crosstown connector of nearly 7 miles from downtown Providence to the city’s western neighborhoods and the nearby town of Johnston....
The Rocky Hill Trail weaves through the tranquil greenery of the Burts Bog Greenway Conservation Area in Northampton, Hampshire County. The 121-acre peat bog is an ecologically sensitive site that's...
The Tri-Community Greenway follows the route of the Boston and Lowell Railroad and its Stoneham Branch, originally built to serve Stoneham’s shoe factories and provide passenger service. The trail...
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 Fresh Pond Bikeway runs through Fresh Pond Reservation, a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bikeway winds around the east edge of the Fresh Pond Reservoir. Part of the trail is on a road...
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...
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...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
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 50 miles from Boston to Northampton...
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail offers just over 2 miles of paved, tree-lined pathway through Westfield in southwestern Massachusetts. The trail runs from Main Street, across the Great River Bridge...
With spectacular maritime views and an abundance of coastal wildlife, the East Bay Bike Path offers a spectacular New England experience. Inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2009, the route...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
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 Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) is a multi-use trail that will run from the Village of Saxonville in Framingham to Natick Center, a distance of 4 miles. The segment in Framingham was completed 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 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...
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...
The Upper Falls Greenway is a short rail-trail that cuts through the charming village of Newton Upper Falls in Newton, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the same former rail corridor as the developing...
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 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 50 miles from Boston to Northampton...
The South Bay Harbor Trail connects several Boston neighborhoods—Lower Roxbury, the South End, Chinatown, and Fort Point Channel—to the Boston Harbor. The trail spans nearly 4 miles from Ruggles...
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...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
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...
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...
More than a mile of the Ashburnham Rail Trail opened in 2015 from a point just south of Ashburnham's center to Turnpike Road. The rustic route, planned to be paved in the future, offers a...
The Hartford Riverwalk is a charming network of paved pathways for cyclists and pedestrians that runs along the banks of the Connecticut River through the state capital. The trail provides an off-road...
The Quinebaug River Trail exists in two segments in northwest Connecticut. The northern section parallels Park Road and Tracy Road for about 2 miles in an industrial section of Putnam with few trail...
Riverpoint Park sits nestled into a bend of the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The park accommodates the 400-ft arboretum which leads to 1.3-mile riverside path known as the Senator...
Bruce N. Freeman was a Massachusetts state representative from 1969 to 1986. Beginning in 1985, he championed the creation of a bike path that would run along the former Penn Central railroad line...
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...
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 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 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...
Formerly comprising two separate segments—one running northward from Keene to Walpole, and the other running southward from Keene to Fitzwilliam—the Cheshire Rail Trail now runs a continuous 32.9...
The Charles River Bike Path, also referred to as the Charles River Greenway, offers a paved, 22-mile route from Boston to its western suburbs. The trail is also part of a larger, developing network...
The Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path) knits together neighborhoods in southern Boston from the Back Bay to Jamaica Plain. Popular as a route for commuters as well as casual walkers,...
Beginning from Calf Pasture Point Beach, the Quonset Point Bike Path offers a short-but-sweet path across North Kingstown on Rhode Island's eastern coastline. The 2.5-mile paved pathway is ideal for...
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...
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...
The Nashua River Rail Trail stretches from southern Nashua, New Hampshire, to downtown Ayer, Massachusetts, connecting to the towns of Pepperell and Groton. The trail is built on the former rail...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
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...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
The Hartford Riverwalk is a charming network of paved pathways for cyclists and pedestrians that runs along the banks of the Connecticut River through the state capital. The trail provides an off-road...
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...
Note: Per the State of Connecticut's website, the trail is open from dawn to dusk April 1–November 14. Eagle nesting activities can delay the opening of the southern trail head in Windsor...
Following along a former railroad right-of-way, this 8-foot-wide bike path runs alongside Arsenal St for 0.6 miles. Cyclists are protected from traffic by a physical barrier that separates the road...
The Malden River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Mystic River Greenway. When completed, it will run along the Malden River...
The Squannacook River Rail Trail is presently 1.8 miles long, from Depot St. in the center of Townsend, MA, to the Harbor Church parking lot in Townsend Harbor. The trail occupies the Greenville...
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...
Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway may not be very long, but it's jam-packed with attractions. Along the paved pathway, you can access five parks, be wowed by public art, stop to smell the flowers in...
The Wellington Greenway is a section of the Malden River Greenway in Medford, Massachusetts. Eventually, the Wellington Greenway will be connected to the other sections of the Malden River Greenway in...
The Fresh Pond Bikeway runs through Fresh Pond Reservation, a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bikeway winds around the east edge of the Fresh Pond Reservoir. Part of the trail is on a road...
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...
Bloomfield Greenway Multi-Use Trail is 1.8 miles between Bloomfield and Simsbury. The trail is envisioned to someday act as a connector between the City of Hartford and the Farmington Canal Heritage...
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 Quinebaug River Trail exists in two segments in northwest Connecticut. The northern section parallels Park Road and Tracy Road for about 2 miles in an industrial section of Putnam with few trail...
This is my favorite bike path for scenic water views! It’s a long trail, paved, and flat. I suggest parking in between Barrington and East Providence, not at India Park. The ride from India park south for the first few miles is challenging. Bring cash to buy an iced Lemon drink at Dels.
Rode 4 miles from Millers Rd parking in Southwick south over state line Into CT, turned around, went 4 miles north (1 mile short of Westfield). Southwick Trail is smooth as glass! All road crossings are well marked. Most enjoyable! Parking is ample, also.
Began at Railroad Ave/Mill Rd, Dudley lot, headed north, dirt track, but mainly smooth. At W. Dudley Rd, no signage, so go left on the road 100 feet to a great weir waterfall with bridge on a curve, at end of bridge is the larger parking lot and boat launch, on Quinebaug river, which is behind an old, but still used warehouse/factory, and it's absolutely lovely there. However, the trail there becomes a narrow track, so my hybrid bike wasn't really up to it, but bringing the dog back once for a walk was fantastic. A rural back roads route to reach the Mill Rd parking is possible, too, through Oxford and Nichols College on Healy Rd, which is lovely also.
I recently rode my hybrid from the Stone Arch Bridge to the Troy Depot and back, and found the trail to be in reasonably good shape along that stretch. I parked right on 101 in the open turn off and my car was undisturbed for the couple hours I was out. The trail southbound is the slight incline, as I was going a few mph faster on the way back. The trail does narrow down to a single track in the middle of that stretch as I feel it does not get enough use to keep the weeds at bay, and a few fallen trees meant stopping to lift the bike over. Overall, quite pleasant, and Troy is a lovely little town.
We parked in Keen at the Cheshire Trail Parking spot and went north to Walpole. Nice trail, unpaved but well-packed earth and shade. We have 2 electric bikes, so 2 steep inclines were not a problem. Unfortunately, after about 10 minutes we run into a closed section. Not sure when it will reopen - we saw no signs of work. We turned and went south to Keene, and in the center of Keene we followed signs for a bike trail which led us to Ashuelot River trail. It has several pretty bridges over roads, about a mile of paved section, and once it leaves Keene it is unpaved, but still has good surface and shade.
In Keene you can also go to southern section of Cheshire rail trail, but it is not easy to find, so use Google Maps on your phone to be sure.
This is an interesting trail. I started at Fino park, and went towards Milford. It was actually an enjoyable ride given it was not just straight and level. Turned around and took the other side. Straight as and arrow and not very exciting. Though it was hot most of it is under the tree canopy. It’s a little confusing in the middle. However, I think that was more me than the trail. I’d definitely do it again and did have a good time. It’s worth the drive.
I rode the trail out of Manchester towards the Hop River rail trail. It was only about 5 miles to the Hop River connection. About 900 feet of climbing in less than 5 miles. Cool thing is the ride back almost all downhill was fast and a rush! It’s paved and in better condition than many roads I’ve been on.
Hands down one of the better rail trails. Smooth packed white limestone trail. Trail was in great shape. I’d say 95% of the trail is shaded-great on a hot summer day. I only found one place to get water and snacks. It was near Andover as the trail crossed a road you could see the highway very close by and a gas station and Dunkin’ Donuts right there only 200 yards off the trail. Overall a great, smooth and very pretty ride!
we’ve only done less than 16 miles total at north end, but really enjoyed it, yes, it’s dirt/crushed gravel, but mostly smoother than some asphalt sections elsewhere. We currently have hybrid road bikes. Pomfret pavilion park is cute and Towns of Pomfret & Woodstock are extra beautiful. Trail is woodsy and shaded, saw turtles and hawks. Ate at Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret which was very busy, lots of outdoor parking and sports or hot rod cars and motorcycles to ogle at, great cake. Nice parking lot at south end of Thompson section. Bring lots of bug spray in July, though.
Rode the length and back at height of peak season at peak time of day, a Saturday evening, while trail was crowded, everyone was cooperating with rules of the road and apparently having a nice experience. This is my husband’s favorite trail, as he says, great trail, paved, scenery and an ice cream at the end, what more could you want? Well, I could return during the day sometime to do some shopping!, but other than that…!
Started at parking lot near Simsbury Airport and went north to the end (including the Southwick Rail Trail & Columbia Greenway Rail Trail) in Westfield - 30 miles r/t. Trail surface is in great shape with road crossings all well marked and navigated. Lots of country & wetland views, well shaded and moderately traveled (a nice summer Saturday) w/ plenty of portapotty & bench stops along the way. We were on our E Bikes. Wife rates this as a "we will be back" trail even with the hour car trip.
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