Explore the best rated trails in Townsend, MA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Warner Rail Trail and Bagley Rail Trail and Southern New England Trunkline Trail . With more than 122 trails covering 830 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.
Great trail. Bad culverts!!!
I bike rode Rockingham Rail Trail, Portsmouth branch for the first time today 6/29/25. Headed from Manchester east out 15 miles and back. Very nice trail, good base and I enjoyed the trail very much. HOWEVER, those underpass culverts 7-8 miles east of Manchester are DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS!!!!! Very low clearance, terrible visibility, and a deteriorated and uneven riding platform all contribute to a recipe for a terrible accident and injury. I am a good rider, and I crashed today. I was barely creeping along and fortunately I was not seriously Injured. Something needs to be done to make these less dangerous. I do not know who is responsible for maintaining these underpass culverts, but please consider my concerns. I would volunteer to assist in improving these hazards. Reread the description and walking bikes in these culverts was recommended and I would agree. On site signage would be a good idea also. The trail gets 5 stars the culverts get 0 stars.
I rode 20.5 miles of the southern section of the Air Line Trail from East Hampton to Willimantic on a very hot day in June. This section of the Air Line Trail offers gorgeous scenery, peaceful seclusion and a tightly packed gravel surface that is in very good condition throughout. Despite the heat the trail is very shaded which provided much needed relief from the sun. There are a fair amount of road crossings, most are very small, quiet roads and all of the busier roads have warning lights that can be activated to let motorists know you are crossing.
The only two small complaints I have is there is a lack of signage along the trail. There is one very short on road section that I almost missed getting back on the trail due to there being no signage, I just rightly assumed the small unmarked path on the road was the way to get back on the trail. The gates at the road crossings are on the narrow side which can make navigating through the road crossings difficult. I feel these two issues do not at all detract from what this section of the Air Line Trail has to offer.
The Nashua River Rail Trail is terrific. It's long, smooth, well-maintained, and beautiful. Since it lies in a relatively rural part of Massachusetts, I find it to be a lower-key ride than its eastern cousin, the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, but still well-used. There's less to see and do along it, but that might be exactly what you're looking for. Wholeheartedly recommended.
Without question, this is one of the best rails trails in Massachusetts -- maybe even New England as a whole.
The northernmost section, closest to Lowell, are clearly older -- it's fairly narrow and the way through the center of Chelmsford isn't super well thought-out. As you head south, it quickly turns into a wide, well-maintained, gorgeous trail with beautiful scenery and a serene vibe. There are places to stop for food; a couple of swimming holes; NARA Park in Acton; the fabulous bridge over Route 2; the convenient access through West Concord, and more as you proceed -- including an intersection with the future crown jewel of Massachusetts rail trails (the Mass Central Rail Trail). The BFRT is now mostly complete as of 2025, and I think the only section still waiting to be built is the southernmost section in Framingham. I love the Bruce Freeman and I bet you will too.
I ride my bike & walk this trail & downtown Derry is a great bike ride to Salem, 14-miles round trip and always free parking ¿
This portion of the Cheshire rail trail has almost no incline is completely straight and runs past a former major manufacturing complex, which is now vacant. Other sites include Keene police department and Keene ice and American house.
I enjoy the trail. I've seen cows bunnies and birds.
As of 6/3/25 this trail is still closed south of 11th street.
There is a detour indicated, which we tried to follow, but quickly lost track of.
Found another way to access the trail further south, only to realize that we'd gotten onto the part of the trail that was officially closed.
I'm sure this will warrant a higher rating once it has re-opened, but we were more than a bit disappointed today.
This was my first time on this trail, and I really enjoyed it. The views were amazing but there was one big take away I have for next time. If you can, bring a bike with suspension. I had my road bike and REALLY felt the poor condition of the path. It was still very bike-able though.
I parked at NARA park and biked to Chelmsford. Today parked in same place and biked to west concord. Path is in great shape. Lots of trees, waterways, bridges, towns. Got to “the end” to discover that it actually goes several more miles which I’ll save for another day. I liked the poetry booth in West Concord- very original. I highly recommend this for scenery, safety, convenience of restaurants and bathroom stops. My favorite find this year.
Start at the Peterborough Shopping Plaza parking lot. Stop in the Information Center across the street. It's operated by very nice local volunteers. Make your way north though the center of Peterborough. The surfaces are mostly paved & packed. You don't hit dirt & gravel until the upper half of the trail. Most riders stop at the school bus parking lot on Rt.202. There's a small parking lot there. If you cross the road you can pick up the Powder Mill Pond Rail trail and follow it northeast for another mile or so until it ends at Forest Rd. The trail gets rougher the further north you go but it's VERY manageable for most riders.
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