Find the top rated bike trails in Durham, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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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...
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 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 Eastern Marsh Trail (a.k.a the Salisbury Rail Trail) runs for 1.4 miles between the north bank of the Merrimack River and Mudnock Road in Salisbury. The beautifully landscaped trail was built...
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 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 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 Amesbury Riverwalk (also known as the Powwow Riverwalk) carries visitors between a resurgent waterfront district on the Powwow River to a modern shopping center on the outskirts of this historical...
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 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...
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...
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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 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...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
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...
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 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...
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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...
Currently 1.8 miles, the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail provides a peaceful walk or bike ride through the woods on a well-maintained stone-dust trail. The route is one part of the larger Coastal Trails...
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now 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...
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now to...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
Currently 1.8 miles, the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail provides a peaceful walk or bike ride through the woods on a well-maintained stone-dust trail. The route is one part of the larger Coastal Trails...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
The Middleton Rail Trail is a trail project along the former Essex Railroad. When complete, the trail will stretch 4.5 miles through the town, and perhaps join the Danvers Rail Trail. Phase I of the...
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 Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
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 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...
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...
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 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 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 Marblehead Rail-Trail appears on maps as a Y resting on its side, connecting Marblehead and Salem in the north and the city limits of Swampscott in the west. The 4-mile trail knits together a...
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...
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 Marblehead Rail-Trail appears on maps as a Y resting on its side, connecting Marblehead and Salem in the north and the city limits of Swampscott in the west. The 4-mile trail knits together a...
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...
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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...
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...
Lowell's Canal System Trails are part of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. The park preserves some of America's industrial past: its 19th-century textile mills formed the first...
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 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...
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 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 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 trail is mostly flat, though it could be wider and there are lots of bumps from roots and erosion. It does pass through several small towns, so it is worth a small detour off of the path to see the towns. The path is not the most scenic route in the area, but for exercise and seeing new places it is fine. I rode this in the Summer, so I expect the trail to be gorgeous in the Autumn when the leaves change.
Not sure why this particular trail gets top reviews. Maybe for walking and scenery. I'll give it that but for biking it sucks. The entire paved trail is nothing but divots and tree roots trying to break through the surface. I found it impossible to bike any short distance without hitting a marked or unmarked divot and when not hitting one of those a tree root. I hit numerous imperfections at 20+mph (no one around at the time) and almost got knocked off the bike. Thumbs UP for walking, dumbs DOWN for biking.
Ran the length of the trail to set up a Fastest Known Time segment. Was surprised by how beautiful the whole trail was, and how much the flora changed throughout. Id like to go back at a slower pace and stop at some of the towns it crosses (like Raymond and Epping)
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.
Start at Londonderry (by airport) trail is 4.5 miles ends at A neighborhood… google the mile trek to Derry Trail Head - the Derry trail is 3.9 miles (make sure you stop at the Grind on the Rail Trail for lunch! In Derry!) then connects to the Windham Rail Trail which is 4.3 miles and will continue another 5 miles in Salem NH.
Finally did what I wanted to do for years. Biked from Northfield using the Lake Winnipesaukee trail to the Northern Rail Trail to the Fireside Inn in Lebanon NH. This was a weekend bike trip I wanted to do for a long time and had the perfect weather. My suggestion if you are going north and want to connect to the Northern Rail Trail instead of back tracking I would take Chance Pond Road. Once you go up the road a little cut to the right before the bridge going across the road. That bridge is part of the Northern Rail Trail. The hill to get to the bridge is quite steep so I recommend to walk the bike. Once on the bridge free sailing. My half way mark was the Danbury Country Store. They are very friendly to bikers and if you have an ebike they have a charging port on the right hand side of the store. Also have a deck on the front of the store with tables and chairs where you can have a meal while the bike is charging. Deli inside to grab something to eat.
Will say the more north you go the rougher the trail becomes. Some spots is an overkill of gravel that is very loose. Not very safe where you are trying to keep your balance and difficult to get any speed. Other than that a lot of lakes and scenery along the way. If you are using Google Maps along the trip it will suggest to get off the trail for 2 miles and get back on the trail. I recommend to stay on the trail. The fireside inn in Lebanon was about 1.5 miles off the trail and the hotel is bike friendly. You are in walking distance of a Walgreens and restaurants near by. Also there is free breakfast in the morning. A lot of off ramps along the trail for eatery which I believe was set up for snowmobiles in the winter time but if your bike has good suspension they are usable for bikers also. If you are using an ebike like I was the trip is durable as long as you save your power on the inclines and heavy gravel spots. The Danbury Country Store is ideal for charging as you take a break.
There is one spot on the trail you want to be careful on. On the way back past Enfield there is a steep incline with a pond to the right of you. To your left is a metal frame for a bridge and the trail is very narrow and a blind turn to the left. If someone was coming my way it would of been a major accident. I can't stress enough to be careful there.
Overall a fun bike trip if you are up for the challenge. I could of done each day trip within 5 to 6 hours but decided to take my time and do a lot of stops along the way and take pictures. I recommend to do the same.
The paved and complete section is 2.0 miles long from the Windham Rail Trail to the Salem Main Street Depot. The next 1.3 miles are under development with CMAQ grants helping. The remaining distance to Methuen is not complete or funded but passable on a regrind surface. This 5.2 mile Salem corridor is the south link of the Granite State Rail Trail. (Submitted by Dave Topham, FSBPC Co-Chair & Treasurer)
I ran 8 miles of the trail and it was perfect! Lots of shade, mostly flat and all paved. Around mile 1 you have to pay attention to where the trail goes since you cross a street but other than that everything is clearly marked. I felt safe and there were even porta potties along the run at certain mile markers. Didn’t use them, but it could come in handy one day! Lovely trail for runners, bikers and walkers of all ages. Definitely coming back again!
This is locally known as the Danvers Rail Trail, runs through Hamilton, then Topsfield, until it ends at I-95. Nice crushed stone from Danvers north, packed stone south, packed dirt in Topsfield. Sides of the trail near marshland are covered with poison ivy spring and summer. big roads with lights at 62, 97 (twice) route a joy to ride. Forest, water
I only started riding this trail this year and after primarily riding rail trails I found it a refreshing challenge. It varies in elevation so it is more challenging than say a Londonderry or Derry. However the best part is that it is MUCH less crowded! I tend to go here on the weekends simply because there won’t be nearly as many people on it. There are a few places to park along the trail, but I recommend the fire station or school. It is not the most scenic ride (it is not bad by any means but not as good as other trails), but the challenge and convenience factors rate it high in my book.
This trail goes along a road, through residential areas and by a couple of parks. It's very safe with some road crossings. It's a bit confusing because the bike path continues after the "End" sign. If you're particularly looking for a scenic ride, this isn't it. However, it's the perfect trail for commuting or to go back and forth on to put in some miles.
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