Explore the best rated trails in Salem, MA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spicket River Greenway and Bridge Street Bike Trail. With more than 84 trails covering 433 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.
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 Chelsea Greenway was built to accompany the extension of the Silver Line between Boston and its northern suburb, Chelsea. The asphalt multiuse trail begins at the Eastern Avenue MBTA station and...
The 5.3-mile Independence Greenway makes for a pleasant ride, providing access to lakes, parks, and nature preserves. The paved pathway is located in the town of Peabody (pronounced by locals as...
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...
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 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 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...
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,...
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...
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 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...
More and more, airport lands near previously under-used rail corridors are being transformed from largely neglected vacant lands into urban greenways. These new vibrant spaces are used not only by...
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...
In the southeastern outskirts of Boston, the Hanover Branch Rail Trail connects the communities of Abington and Rockland. (Locally, the trail’s east and west halves are sometimes referred to as the...
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 Bradford Rail Trail occupies a former Pan Am rail corridor, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the mile-long path...
The Border to Boston Trail connects the communities of West Peabody, Peabody, Danvers, Topsfield, and Boxford in northeastern Massachusetts. The long-term goal for the trail is to continue it north to...
The Northern Strand Community Trail is part of the visionary and almost-complete Bike to the Sea plan to link Boston and the Mystic River to the seashore in Lynn, north of Boston. It currently runs...
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 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 5.3-mile Independence Greenway makes for a pleasant ride, providing access to lakes, parks, and nature preserves. The paved pathway is located in the town of Peabody (pronounced by locals as...
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 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...
Currently just over two miles long, the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail provides a peaceful walk or bike ride through the woods on a well-maintained stone-dust trail. A paved extension was constructed in...
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...
Although short, the scenic Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path travels through forests and pastures full of birds and wildlife. The asphalt pathway parallels the eastern side of the present-day Interstate 95...
The Swampscott Rail Trail is a developing rail-trail in the North Shore community of Swampscott. The trail, when complete will extend two miles through the heart of the town ending with a seamless...
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...
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...
Barker Road Trail begins on the town line between North Andover and Boxford in northern Massachusetts, not far from the New Hampshire border. From there, the pathway continues through dense woodlands...
The rail-trail through the Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area begins at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station near downtown Newburyport, a coastal...
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 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...
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...
When complete, the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor will run for more than 5 miles on a former Boston and Maine Railroad corridor from connections with the Windham Rail Trail (north) and Methuen Rail Trail...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
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...
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 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...
Marshfield's Bridle Trail follows a former railroad bed through a tree-lined corridor. It begins at the town's Dandelion Park and heads north. Its compacted dirt surface is best suited for walking,...
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 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...
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,...
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 health and fortunes of Lowell have been intimately tied to the Concord River for hundreds of years. This tributary of the more well-known Merrimack River continues to be at the heart of the local...
The rail-trail through the Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area begins at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station near downtown Newburyport, a coastal...
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 Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends a short distance from the North Bridge, the...
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 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 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...
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,...
The Chelsea Greenway was built to accompany the extension of the Silver Line between Boston and its northern suburb, Chelsea. The asphalt multiuse trail begins at the Eastern Avenue MBTA station and...
The Neponset River Greenway is a south Boston jewel, utilizing the best in design and construction standards as it winds through the Neponset River valley, offering a low-stress, high-quality...
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 Swampscott Rail Trail is a developing rail-trail in the North Shore community of Swampscott. The trail, when complete will extend two miles through the heart of the town ending with a seamless...
Although short, the scenic Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path travels through forests and pastures full of birds and wildlife. The asphalt pathway parallels the eastern side of the present-day Interstate 95...
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...
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...
August 2021
Of course, due to its historical relevance serious bike trail gatherers such as myself should visit this trail. When I went the weather was astoundingly nice for August; mid 70's and clear. First I tried to park near a bike shop in Lexington, but well, let's say it was not fruitful. So I went to the community parking lot which was right on the trail. I went all the way south into Boston where it gets much busier. Also the MMCB intersects with other trails and I wasn't sure when it end, but that was okay. I just turned around and went back, but did take a few side detours. All the way to the north end I rode.
The best part of the trip for me was seeing - on foot - the historic sights of the Revolutionary Era. It's a great place to ride.
I fell in love with running on this trail. Paved with a few wooden bridges. Rarely too crowded, and nice shade underneath the trees. Some elevation change toward the end, but nothing extreme. The pathway itself isn’t super long, but there are lots of roads nearby that it branches off into. Highly recommend going for a run/walk here in autumn!
I’m from out of state working here. Found this trail. Parking in the middle somewhere. Nice trail. Felt safe. Only walked about 2 miles but will def go back. You have to cross streets here and there. So if you are on a bike, that might not be what you’re looking for. But I’m will be returning to see other areas of the trail. But the part that I was on was great.
Biked there June 2022. Trail in need of repaving, no question. Lots of roots and divets makes it nearly impossible to look anywhere but at the path. Otherwise, it’s an OK trail thru the woods. Very few vistas along the way.
Nice easy walk … mostly flat, well marked and wide enough. For two
There's definitely hills on this trail. We rode our E-Bikes and had a great time. All the spurs led to interesting spots. The trail looked and felt like it had just been recently paved. Recommend parking at the National Park Visitors Center lot trailhead. BTW - The Visitors Center has an elevated platform that gives an excellent viewpoint to the area.
A wonderful ride in the shade and pretty flat. We were happy on our hybrids with beefy gravel grinder tires. We did half of the trail from Masabesic Lake east to Raymond. We look forward to doing the other half soon. Not many other people on the trail 11am-4pm. More people after 3pm.
This is a nice, shaded trail. It is hard packed and has a couple wooded bridges that are pretty bumpy. We parked at Lion’s Park and headed west from there. The trail is wide enough for bikes to pass, it’s nicely shaded and has benches and planters along the way. The street crossings are well marked and on quiet streets. Another reviewer mentioned that this is a nice trail for letting the kids bike on and I agree. It’s a great trail for a beginning biker to get more confident.
I was glad to find this trail; I biked the Oakham-Rutland section. Traveling from Oakham to Rutland, I am estimating the trail is 95% gradual uphill, 3% challenging uphill, 1% level, and 1% downhill. Would you prefer biking uphill or downhill on the return trip? The trail is primarily stone dust with a few small rocks and a very brief section of gravel. Perhaps a mountain bike would be preferable, but my hybrid bike was fine.
Cycled the SNETT 28May2022 from Thompson CT to Franklin MA. 22 miles.
Summary: CT state line to the end of Douglas State Forest good - 5 *, last 2.5 miles in Franklin good 5*. The rest - don't bother as of May 2022 1*
The trail in Thompson CT is in fact the CT Airline trail that directly rolls into MA as the SNETT.
This section through to the end of Douglas State park is a really nice ride west to east on hard packed gravel, slightly uphill with some picturesque settings. This end of the trail can be ridden on a gravel bike. If you intend to ride further make sure that you have a mountain bike.
As you head out of Douglas State Park, it starts getting messy. 1/2 inches of rain the previous day and we're into the mud. Now a gravel bike doesn't cut it, and that's before the sand, rocks and stones. You'll need that mountain bike, determination and patience. There are lots of better places to go mountain biking than here!
At mile 11 the soggy muddy track dumps you onto the hard shoulder of rte146 just outside Millville MA. Good luck! If you are going east to west, your chances of finding this tiny on ramp at the edge of rte 146 are close to zero as is nearby parking.
Millville to Blackstone MA is on road, no sign posts, no directions and Google maps really doesn't cut it. You pick up the SNETT in Blackstone near a CVS. Yes....riiiiiight. Nope not happening. Google maps are not accurate here. Spent 1/4 hour checking out the back streets of Blackstone. Good luck.... do not rely on Google maps too much for trail directions.
Picked up the trail again on Farm Street by the lake and landfill. A pathetic single track trail, between 2 lakes, boggy, rocks across the whole trail and you need the mountain bike to get through the mud. Avoid.
1 mile later go through an underpass of rte 126, trail is closed. No warning, no diversion, tough. Another reason to avoid. Scramble up the embankment to rte 126. Road trip past South Elementary School to Franklin - about 1.5 miles. Rejoin the SNETT (yes, signposted at last!) for the last 2.5 miles, a mixture of paved and hard packed dirt - rideable with most bikes - maybe not with a true road bike. This bit is definitely worth riding.
I began at the trail head - bit bumpy for the first mile and a side trail has been rerouted because of the wet mucky ground. Once you pass that it’s clear sailing until… the 3 mile point and the trail is closed. Logging equipment and logs block the trail. ¿
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