Explore the best rated trails in Gilford, NH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Stevens Rail Trail and Sugar River Trail. With more than 45 trails covering 359 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 Dover Community Trail snakes its way through the heart of the Garrison City—so nicknamed for the fortified log houses, or garrisons, built by 17th-century settlers—-offering a variety of trail...
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...
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 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...
he 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 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...
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...
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,...
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 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...
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 83 acre West Foss Farm is one of the properties owned by the University of New Hampshire, Durham. The property was purchased from the Boston & Maine Railroad company, and features a 1.6 stretch of...
The Mascoma River Greenway is a planned 4-mile non-motorized pathway through the heart of Lebanon. The trail is envisioned to link West Lebanon to the Northern Rail Trail, which spans more than 50...
The Roland Bergeron Bike Path runs about 6 miles alongside nearly the entirety of Albuquerque Avenue in Litchfield, NH. Completed in 2010, the 8-ft wide asphalt path averages about 5 yards in from...
The Windham Rail Trail passes through the woodsy periphery of Windham in southern New Hampshire, but it sits in the heart of the future cross-state Granite State Rail Trail. Its connections to the...
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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 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 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 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 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 Franconia Brook Trail runs from just north of the confluence of the east branch of the Pemigewasset River and Franconia Branch. Note that bicycling is not permitted along the route. You can...
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...
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 83 acre West Foss Farm is one of the properties owned by the University of New Hampshire, Durham. The property was purchased from the Boston & Maine Railroad company, and features a 1.6 stretch of...
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 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 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...
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 Upper and Lower Nanamocomuck Trails in White Mountain National Forest are accessible from Kancamagus Highway (SR 112) west of Conway. The trails are open for hiking in summer and cross-country...
he 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 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...
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...
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...
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The Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail brings at least two superlatives to mind: it’s one of New Hampshire’s longest rail-trails at just more than 28 miles, and it begins in Manchester, the state’s...
The Farmington Recreational Rail-Trail runs for 6 miles between the towns of Rochester and Farmington. The trail parallels the Cocheco River and State Route 11 through a wooded corridor. The trail is...
The Head’s Pond Trail (formerly known as Hooksett Rail Trail) is a 1.9-mile rail-trail that visits two scenic ponds, including the eponymous Head’s Pond, in a woodsy area of Hooksett. The trail’s...
Visitors to the Sugar River Trail (also known as the Sugar River Recreational Rail Trail) can be forgiven if they lose track of which side of the river they’re traveling. The 9.5-mile trail crosses...
The Cross Vermont Trail (CVT) is a statewide route that links a number of Vermont trails and includes on-road sections. As of January 2016, 87 miles of trail are built and scattered across the state....
The Bobby Woodman Rail Trail, a hard-packed dirt and gravel pathway, begins off a quiet street at the southern end of Claremont and quickly dives under pleasant tree cover. After about a half mile,...
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 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...
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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Bicycles are permitted only on the first 2.3 miles of the trail, up to the wilderness boundary (marked with signs). Hiking and cross-country skiing only are allowed past this point.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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 New Boston Rail Trail follows the former railroad corridor of the same name for 3.9 miles through densely wooded areas in the town of New Boston. The railroad was in operation from 1893 to 1931,...
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 Head’s Pond Trail (formerly known as Hooksett Rail Trail) is a 1.9-mile rail-trail that visits two scenic ponds, including the eponymous Head’s Pond, in a woodsy area of Hooksett. The trail’s...
The Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail (also known as Railroad Trail) traverses the woods on either side of Sanford’s scenic Springvale community in southern Maine. Founded by a mill owner in the 17th...
The Dover Community Trail snakes its way through the heart of the Garrison City—so nicknamed for the fortified log houses, or garrisons, built by 17th-century settlers—-offering a variety of trail...
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...
The Franconia Brook Trail runs from just north of the confluence of the east branch of the Pemigewasset River and Franconia Branch. Note that bicycling is not permitted along the route. You can...
Absolutely gorgeous views for autumn folliage! Very easy. We went up via road bikes, parking at the West Side Ice Arena. Easy to navigate, only wish is that it was longer!
Took our ATVS down this trail today. Very well groomed, mainly flat surface (dirt and gravel). There is a large parking lot to unload. The trail signage was a bit confusing at times—one sign saying ATVS were permitted and others saying prohibited. If you park at the Fish and Game Road the trail head on the right takes you down a pretty short trail—so I would recommend starting on the left trail head which is decent in length. V
Very confused at some of the reviews here. Fit mid-30s guy here, though rarely bike, completed the entire trail both ways today on a hybrid rental bike. Yes this trail is gravel and also now plenty of fallen leaves, and it’s perfectly appropriate for a bike ride as long as it’s an appropriate bike. Don’t try to take a road bike with skinny tires on this trail. Enough room along the majority of the trail for bikers to pass each other without stopping, although, yes, once or twice along the 12 mile stretch you may actually need to stop and walk your bike when passing. Such a beautiful ride.
A little more hilly than anticipated but a lot of fun.
This trail is perfect for riding your bike through the woods, fun and scenic!
Beautiful setting, but clearly not designed for bike riders. Much of the 12 miles of trail (Wolfeboro to Wakefield) runs between the confines of remaining railroad rails, so despite the filled-in smooth surface there is no possibility that riders approaching from opposite directions will have room to pass each other. The many walkers we encountered were all considerate to voluntarily step aside and allow us to pass, although we repeatedly needed to hold up for other riders, giving them the right-of-way. One group of riders that included young children attempting to manage the difficult passages unsupervised caused my wife to take a bad fall. We have used and enjoyed many rail trails in NH -- this one deserves to be crossed off every bicycler's list.
I started from Sawyer River Road parking lot and biked all the way to Swift River near 112 which blocks bike access. So technically you cannot finish the whole trail, even very close. Sawyer River Rd is very good to bike. But think about Sawyer River Trail again before you continue. The trail is not maintained for biking. I had to carry the bike in several locations. There is a big falling tree completely blocking the trail.
The whole trail is very very pretty in the fall. I uploaded some photos.
This isn’t really a rail trail. It is a trail that parallels a working rail. A lot of the trail goes through commercial areas, and it is likely you will see homeless people and the less desirable parts of town. More an urban passage. Given where the trail goes, the views are unremarkable.
I love it here . We started in Windham and went all the way to Tuscan kitchen restaurant . It was a nice ride .
Excellent trail have been using the Londonderry rail trail which is great to but this trail has more scenery to view as you walk. Walked 8.7 miles of the trial this morning was great plan on coming back the only thing I would add is to update the trail map the trail now continues after range road. I recommend this trail it’s well maintained to
Great trail real nice walk lots to see parking closed on the southern end
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