Explore the best rated trails in Conway, NH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Eastern Promenade Trail and Franconia Notch Recreation Path. With more than 40 trails covering 337 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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Old salts should love the Eastern Promenade Trail, as it skirts the shoreline of Portland’s Casco Bay and Portland Harbor. The 2.1-mile paved trail is always within sight of the water and is one of...
The trail sits on the northwestern shore of Lake Auburn. A former roadway, the wide gravel path can accommodate various kinds of uses including, running, biking, walking dogs. And in the winter, the...
The Mountain Division Trail exists as two separate segments of what will eventually be a more than 50-mile-long trail from Fryeburg to Portland. The southern section rolls for about 6 miles between...
The Auburn Riverwalk passes through the heart of the old mill district of the Twin Cities of Auburn and Lewiston. The 1.6-mile paved and gravel path offers many scenic views of the Androscoggin River,...
In Woodsville the trail starts across from the Subway Restaurant across from the the Oceans Job Lot Store and next to the Woodsville Machine Shop and YES Yankee Electrical Supply up and down a short...
The Winnipesaukee River Trail runs along a rail line that previously connected the paper industry between Franklin and Tilton. Nicknamed the Paper City, Franklin saw the industry boom from the 1900s...
Spanning 57.6 miles from Lebanon to Boscawen, the Northern Rail Trail is New Hampshire’s longest rail-trail conversion. It weaves through Grafton and Merrimack counties and is less than a 2-hour drive...
The Norway Branch Rail Trail sits on the former railbed of the Norway Branch Railroad which once connected the communities of Norway and South Paris. The trail runs from Beal Street in the west to...
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If you find yourself exploring the town of Littleton, New Hampshire, do yourself a favor and hit the riverwalk. Though only half a mile long, the riverside walkway is beloved by tourists coming to see...
The Beth Condon Memorial Pathway is located in the heart of Yarmouth, Maine. The path is named in honor of a high school student who was struck by a drunk driver while walking along US-1. The paved...
The WOW Trail is named after the three bodies of water that can be seen from this rail-trail: Lake Winnipesaukee, Opechee Bay, and Lake Winnisquam. This picturesque 2.7-mile trail shares a corridor...
The paved Back Cove Trail rings its namesake tidal basin and offers lovely views of the Portland skyline. You also might spot great blue herons or other birds along the tree-lined waterfront. A...
Lake Winnisquam is New Hampshire’s fourth largest lake, and taking the Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail is one of the best ways to experience it. Meaning “pleasant waters,” Lake Winnisquam provides...
The Cotton Valley Rail Trail connects the small town of Wakefield, near the Maine border, and the quintessentially quaint New England vacation town of Wolfeboro. In 2017 the towns held a...
The Franconia Notch Recreation Path runs the length of the Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountain National Forest. Commonly called the Recreation Path, the 8.7-mile trail visits most of the...
The scenic Riverton Rail Trail—also known as “Sandy Road” by residents of Portland’s Riverton neighborhood—follows the former corridor of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, which stopped...
Portland’s Bayside Trail packs a lot into its 1-mile length. The paved pathway provides a pleasant route between commercial and residential areas in the Bayside and East Bayside neighborhoods. Once an...
The 28.9-mile Eastern Trail connects the historic towns along Maine’s southern coast from the woods near Kennebunk to South Portland’s harbor lighthouse. Nearly 22 miles of the route follows off-road...
Portland’s Fore River Parkway Trail provides an important transportation link in the community while at the same time offering sweeping views of the Fore River. At the north end of the trail, you’ll...
The Winnipesaukee River Trail runs along a rail line that previously connected the paper industry between Franklin and Tilton. Nicknamed the Paper City, Franklin saw the industry boom from the 1900s...
In Woodsville the trail starts across from the Subway Restaurant across from the the Oceans Job Lot Store and next to the Woodsville Machine Shop and YES Yankee Electrical Supply up and down a short...
Located in the scenic Presidential Range in the White Mountains, the Presidential Rail Trail is a scenic and pleasant route, providing an alternative view of Mount Washington and the surrounding area....
Spanning 57.6 miles from Lebanon to Boscawen, the Northern Rail Trail is New Hampshire’s longest rail-trail conversion. It weaves through Grafton and Merrimack counties and is less than a 2-hour drive...
Portland’s Fore River Parkway Trail provides an important transportation link in the community while at the same time offering sweeping views of the Fore River. At the north end of the trail, you’ll...
The Bethel Pathway is a bucolic pathway open for walking, mountain biking, walking dogs and in the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The trail begins on Sunset Road as a crushed stone...
The Oliverian Brook Trail follows the course of Oliverian Brook through the dense forest of White Mountain National Forest. The trail, open to cross-country skiing in winter, heads toward Passaconaway...
The Conway Branch trail runs for 21 miles along an old rail corridor between State Route 113 in Conway and Polly's Crossing in Ossipee. The trail is popular with snowmobiles and rail car clubs; the...
Many rail-trails start at a vintage depot, an old caboose, or a rusty locomotive acquired by the local historical society. The Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail, however, starts at the...
The 28.9-mile Eastern Trail connects the historic towns along Maine’s southern coast from the woods near Kennebunk to South Portland’s harbor lighthouse. Nearly 22 miles of the route follows off-road...
The Rob Brook Trail is mostly flat, following the bottomlands of its namesake creek through the White Mountains National Forest. The trail is open to mountain biking and hiking, with cross-country...
The Auburn Riverwalk passes through the heart of the old mill district of the Twin Cities of Auburn and Lewiston. The 1.6-mile paved and gravel path offers many scenic views of the Androscoggin River,...
Portland’s Bayside Trail packs a lot into its 1-mile length. The paved pathway provides a pleasant route between commercial and residential areas in the Bayside and East Bayside neighborhoods. Once an...
The scenic Riverton Rail Trail—also known as “Sandy Road” by residents of Portland’s Riverton neighborhood—follows the former corridor of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, which stopped...
Most of the Wild River Trail falls within the Wild River Wilderness and is off-limits to bikes. At it's southern end, the trail meets the Wildcat River Trail, near Bog Brook. From here, you can bike...
If you find yourself exploring the town of Littleton, New Hampshire, do yourself a favor and hit the riverwalk. Though only half a mile long, the riverside walkway is beloved by tourists coming to see...
The Sawyer River Trail/Sawyer River Road lies deep in the forested heart of the 1,200-square-mile White Mountain National Forest. The 7.5-mile route traces an old logging railroad that’s now part...
The trail sits on the northwestern shore of Lake Auburn. A former roadway, the wide gravel path can accommodate various kinds of uses including, running, biking, walking dogs. And in the winter, the...
Lake Winnisquam is New Hampshire’s fourth largest lake, and taking the Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail is one of the best ways to experience it. Meaning “pleasant waters,” Lake Winnisquam provides...
The West Milan Trail follows a portion of the Upper Ammonoosuc River along State Route 110 northwest of Berlin. The mult-use trail is relatively flat and follows a scenic mountain valley...
The Bethel Pathway is a bucolic pathway open for walking, mountain biking, walking dogs and in the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The trail begins on Sunset Road as a crushed stone...
Spanning 57.6 miles from Lebanon to Boscawen, the Northern Rail Trail is New Hampshire’s longest rail-trail conversion. It weaves through Grafton and Merrimack counties and is less than a 2-hour drive...
The Oliverian Brook Trail follows the course of Oliverian Brook through the dense forest of White Mountain National Forest. The trail, open to cross-country skiing in winter, heads toward Passaconaway...
The York Pond Trail begins at the Berlin Fish Hatchery (just past the locked gate), going through a notch in the Mountains to the south and west to Bunnell Brook. The trail leads to Willard Notch,...
The Beth Condon Memorial Pathway is located in the heart of Yarmouth, Maine. The path is named in honor of a high school student who was struck by a drunk driver while walking along US-1. The paved...
The paved Back Cove Trail rings its namesake tidal basin and offers lovely views of the Portland skyline. You also might spot great blue herons or other birds along the tree-lined waterfront. A...
The trestle trail is part of a network of rail-trails converted from and old logging railroad in the White Mountains. It is close to the Zealand Trail, the Sugarloaf Trail, and the Hale Brook...
Many rail-trails start at a vintage depot, an old caboose, or a rusty locomotive acquired by the local historical society. The Warren to East Haverhill Railroad Grade Trail, however, starts at the...
If you find yourself exploring the town of Littleton, New Hampshire, do yourself a favor and hit the riverwalk. Though only half a mile long, the riverside walkway is beloved by tourists coming to see...
These connecting trails follow the bed of the old Beebe River Railroad up to Flat Mountain Pond, a large, remote pool high in the Sandwich Range Wilderness. This is a great trip for advanced mountain...
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Locals lovingly describe the Cross Vermont Trail as a patchwork quilt that will ultimately form a 90-mile trail from Lake Champlain in the west to the Connecticut River in the east. A component of the...
The WOW Trail is named after the three bodies of water that can be seen from this rail-trail: Lake Winnipesaukee, Opechee Bay, and Lake Winnisquam. This picturesque 2.7-mile trail shares a corridor...
The scenic Riverton Rail Trail—also known as “Sandy Road” by residents of Portland’s Riverton neighborhood—follows the former corridor of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, which stopped...
The Franconia Notch Recreation Path runs the length of the Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountain National Forest. Commonly called the Recreation Path, the 8.7-mile trail visits most of the...
The Lincoln Woods Trail runs for 2.6 miles along the east branch of the Pemigewasset River. You can combine the trail with other trails that run through the forest in the White Mountains of New...
The Auburn Riverwalk passes through the heart of the old mill district of the Twin Cities of Auburn and Lewiston. The 1.6-mile paved and gravel path offers many scenic views of the Androscoggin River,...
The Conway Branch trail runs for 21 miles along an old rail corridor between State Route 113 in Conway and Polly's Crossing in Ossipee. The trail is popular with snowmobiles and rail car clubs; the...
Located in the scenic Presidential Range in the White Mountains, the Presidential Rail Trail is a scenic and pleasant route, providing an alternative view of Mount Washington and the surrounding area....
The Rob Brook Trail is mostly flat, following the bottomlands of its namesake creek through the White Mountains National Forest. The trail is open to mountain biking and hiking, with cross-country...
The West Milan Trail follows a portion of the Upper Ammonoosuc River along State Route 110 northwest of Berlin. The mult-use trail is relatively flat and follows a scenic mountain valley...
I started at the western trailhead. The surface for the first four miles is large diameter crushed stone. The same stone used in the trailhead parking lot. It's not the kind of crushed stone you put on a multi use recreation trail. The next four miles was basically rough single track. I rode my gravel bike based on the (lackluster) description above. I jumped off at 8 miles and returned to my car on back roads. The crushed stone listed on the surface description is very misleading. This would be fine with a mountain bike. Front suspension would be best.
We parked at the Windham PO and rode along the tracks until we got to Rt-35, did a bit of exploring at the Otter Ponds, then came back. It was a sweet ride: no bugs, great Sharon weather—we were a little disappointed that we couldn’t go directly to the Lake, but I see now we could have gone left and gotten to the water…. Next time. We stopped at the Orchard Ridge Farm and had a delicious cider donut at the intersection with Sebago Lakes Rd. ~10
As many others have noted, this trail is not safe for bikes, especially road and hybrid models. We read the reviews warning us in advance and rode wide tire bikes. Despite rubber mats at many of the points where you transition from between the rails to beside them or vice versa, it's still possible to get a tire caught in the small gap between the mat and the rails and take a fall. Be forewarned to SLOW DOWN or walk your bike across these numerous transition points. Also, the sections of the trail that run between the rails are too narrow for a bike going one way to safely pass a walker going the other. When it's two bikes going in opposite directions, one has to come to a stop to pass safely. The sections of the trail outside the rails aren't much wider and the railroad ties extend about six inches beyond the rails, further squeezing the available space. My conclusion is that there must be hundreds of single bike, bike-bike and bike-pedestrian accidents annually.
The trail is otherwise quite nice. Its almost totally flat and there's plenty of shade.
This is a very scenic path traveling through woods most of the time, along marshes, hidden ponds and across Lake Wentworth. But this path has railroad tracks along the whole path, which makes the trail narrow in most places. BUT - be warned -
this trail will not be as enjoyable for some. Others will be fine with the challenges.
1. Learn how to travel safely across steel rails, since you will have to do this at least two dozen times, often within a tight narrow space. If you do not cross as close to 90 degrees to the rail, you risk you bike tire slipping out from under you. How do you I know? There are some short videos on You Tube that address this.
2. From the Wakefield end, park at the lot near the Miss Wakefield diner, so you don't have to cross Route 16, a very busy road.
3. The closer you get to Wolfboro, there are more pedestrians, and some think their right of way is the whole path, not half. I would end the trip at route 109A where the railcar rides are located, unless you really want to go to Wolfboro.
4. I found passing others on the trail that were coming the other way could be stressful, since there is little room to move over. One or both of you will have a hard rail on one side of you and if not, then the edge of the path often dropped off.
5. At the beginning of the trail at Route 16 you do have a couple of short steep ups and downs. Otherwise the trail is fairly flat.
This trail is a footpath not suitable for even Mt bikes. The bridge was washed away 3 years ago and one must ford the Zealand River on foot.
Okay - nice trail - very pretty BUT my issue is the sections where they laid the trail in between the still existing train tracks - clever idea to save money??? BUT it makes it very narrow and when passing walkers and other bikers it gets a little hairy (in fact our side mirror was clipped by a biker going in the opposite direction that's how narrow it is) .... try not to go at a busy time and be prepared for tight squeezes on those sections where the trail is between the tracks ---- ALSO I would NOT recommend this for recumbents or other wide bikes - it just isn't safe for those kinds of cycles - otherwise like i said nice scenery but be forewarned
This is a very beautiful trail but be forewarned that it is a challenge. If you are used to flat trails this will be tough (but doable). My advice is if you want to get the toughest five miles done first - start at the flume gorge parking lot. After that first five miles i can't promise you that it will be all downhill but it might seem like it .... We walked up 2 or 3 of the hills but we're from flat NJ and NH definitely ain't flat. But again if you want a beautiful trail - as the ad says - just do it!!!!
We started the ride at the Flume visitor center. The nine mile trip up was challenging with many hills and turns. Had to walk my eBike up one hill. Return trip seemed to be 90% downhill and was a blast, thus we had 2 different rides on the same trail! Lots of great scenery on the way.
Nice little pathway, scenic. Small parking lot next to a playground and skate park.
Great ride, passed a few people on the narrow section of the trail, but had no problems passing each other. I rode the trail after a heavy 2 days of rain, so it was wet, lots of mud, large puddles of rain, it got a little dirty! LOL
Didnt realize there was a rail trail that ran through Rochester/Farmington, and came upon it by accident. Rochester side has more parking, and a few short side trails in a nice little park. The trail is a mix of gravel, dirt, sand. Had no issues running the length of it.
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