Explore the best rated trails in Sandown, NH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Stevens Rail Trail and Common Pathway. With more than 95 trails covering 552 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 Harrisville Rail Trail runs for just under two miles between the outskirts of Harrisville and Hancock in rural New Hampshire. The former railroad bed is located on lands conserved by the Harris...
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...
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...
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 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 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 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 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...
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 Mystic River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Malden River Greenway. When completed, the trail will connect the...
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 Middleton Rail Trail is a trail along the former Essex Railroad. When complete, the trail will stretch 4.5 miles from the North Andover border, through the town, and will eventually join 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. 24 miles of the route follows off-road...
The Pine Tree Brook Trail travels alongside the brook in Milton, Massachusetts. The path travels through woods and residential neighborhoods for a distance of about 1.8 miles, and it connects to the...
The developing Upper Charles Trail will one day total 24 miles, linking the communities of Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, Framingham, and Hopkinton along a former railroad bed. As of 2018,...
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 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 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 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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 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 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 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 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...
Crossing through wooded areas and featuring magnificent wetland vistas, the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Fremont Branch) offers an 18.3-mile trail adventure from Epping to Windham. The northern...
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...
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 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...
About a dozen miles west of Concord, the Stevens Rail Trail offers a quiet, wooded route along the former Concord-Claremont rail line in Contoocook Village. It starts off Krzyzaniak Road and continues...
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...
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 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 Harrisville Rail Trail runs for just under two miles between the outskirts of Harrisville and Hancock in rural New Hampshire. The former railroad bed is located on lands conserved by the Harris...
The Common Pathway travels 5.5 miles from the outskirts of Peterborough south to downtown’s Noone Falls area, paralleling US 202 and the Contoocook River for most of its journey. The small town of...
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 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...
Connecting the cities of Watertown and Cambridge, the 2-mile 12ft-wide paved Greenway runs along the former corridor of the B&M Railroad’s Watertown Branch. The southern end of this multi-use trail...
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 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...
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 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 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 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...
Following the Nissitissit River through the woods, the Potanipo Rail Trail offers beautiful river views and launch sites for canoes or kayaks. The 1.5 mile multi-use path is roughly 6ft wide with...
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 Garrison Trail is a two-lane, paved, hike-and-bike path that runs alongside I-95. The trail stretches 1.8 miles between State Route 113 in Newburyport and State Route 110 at the Amesbury-Salisbury...
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 Clipper City Rail Trail is part of the Coastal Trails Coalition, which is developing in the four towns of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury along the Merrimack River and will...
The Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New HampshireMassachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
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 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...
Crossing through wooded areas and featuring magnificent wetland vistas, the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Fremont Branch) offers an 18.3-mile trail adventure from Epping to Windham. The northern...
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...
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 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...
I rode this two weeks ago but forgot to review. Before going, I read the review by potterdunn from Oct 2021. Their review was awesome because it gave me the exact details I needed. I rode the Scarborough to Saco leg which is number 3 or lll in their review. There were some Sandy parts but I found them doable and I am not a sand rider! I will ride this section again before the end of summer!
Fifty nine mile long well maintained trail that provides a nice mix of scenery the entire length.
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.
Trail is very sunny and a few bugs. No designated parking in Middleton. Best part of hike was Richardson's Ice Cream was .5 mile drive.
Very nice, quiet trail that is wide enough to make it easy to pass or be passed by another biker or walkers. I rode there recently on my hybrid bike and could see (as mentioned in other reviews) how some parts of the trail could potentially stay muddy even after the wet season, for even thought it's been quite dry lately, you could see spots along the trail that showed how large some puddles likely were. I will say, be prepared for a jouncy ride in a lot of places as the horse riders have left enough hoof prints to create weathered divots that are impossible to avoid. My neck and shoulders took a beating on the day I rode.
Parked at the old train depot in Troy and rode South to the end at the Mass border and back. The trail is not paved, not groomed but that’s part of what makes it fun. Riding through the woods, along a stream, crossing a wetlands with high bush blueberry bushes loaded with fruit and on the way back jumping in a clear water pond to cool off, with a view of Monadnock …perfect day! Oh, and we saw one runner and two people picking those berries…a very memorable and delightful day on the trail.
Enjoyed discovering this little Riverwalk. Easy and informative. The river, the bridges, the water wildlife and the spectacular brown eyed Susans in July made this a wonderful little adventure.
We have used the kennebunk section (to the southern Maine medical center) often over the years. We just returned and someone put down an excessive amount of loose sand that frankly made a 1/2 mile stretch treacherous and I’m not sure what the point was of adding that much sand.
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.
Short and sweet, and a nice interconnect starting on Lawrence St by the Lowell Cemetery and ending by the Concord River on Rogers St. While a fairly short ride, the trail has great views of the Concord and the wildlife that inhabits it.
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