Find the top rated hiking trails in Jay, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This trail has two very different parts, and you should choose carefully or you'll be disappointed. Many of the reviews here are for horse riding, including in winter, which requires very different conditions than biking. We biked in summer starting from Jefferson on Mountain Bikes (a trail/hybrid would work as well but not a road bike.)
First part: Jefferson - Gorham: gorgeous, well maintained, nothing but cyclists and some fishermen and hikers. The trail is well marked, well maintained and a real joy. It is varied, going through forests or near/over streams, with many opportunities to freshen up in a swimming hole. 5 stars.
Second part: Goram - Berlin: awful for biking. This is a road, not a trail, with ATVs buzzing up and down on it, covering you in dust, tearing the trail and making the ride very unpleasant, with paddles, cracks and bumps. Except for the occasional excitement of fearing for your life, there's not much there. You'll be biking next to a wide river with no swimming access. 1 star.
Very nice surface for our hybrid bikes and beautiful scenery.
The scenery along the Presidential Trail is varied and spectacular. The views of the Presidential Range are awesome and the Gorham end of the trail is almost as beautiful as it winds along the Moose River through a narrow valley. The trail surface is also varied and it's very bumpy in spots. I found it almost painful to complete the trail on a gravel bike, which is why I only rated it with four stars. A short-travel full-suspension mountain bike is probably ideal for this trail. This was definitely one of the most beautiful rail-trails I've ridden and I can't wait to ride it again during the autumn.
This is a very enjoyable trail from Augusta to Gardner. Much of it is along a high bank of the river with wooded views to the east side. At the Augusta side, in season large sturgeon jump high and loudly flop into the water below the damn. Passing through Hollowell is a treat with its interesting shops and a great halfway stop for drinks and/or food at its several restaurants. Gardner on Thursday evenings has an antique car show in the river park with music and food trucks.
We just did the trail. A good portion is closed due to winter flood damage which removed parts of the trail. Rubble replacement now. Entire trail passible but closed sections rough. Trail is downhill west to east
We just did the trail. A good portion is closed due to winter flood damage which removed parts of the trail. Rubble replacement now. Entire trail passible but closed sections rough. Trail is downhill north to south
Plenty of parking at the Pondicherry Wildlife trail head. We ride fat tire ebikes. The trail presented little issue with some rougher, more narrow sections close to the refuge. There is a lovely viewing platform near the start of the trail. We rode in late September. The foliage was not peak but stunning none the less. The trail had only a few leaves and few puddles. Not the best for a standard bike but perfect for bikes with wider tires. We rode up to Randolf and turned around, 34 miles. not busy but we saw other riders, dog walkers, hikers and a couple of horse riders. Great views of the mountains when you break into a meadow or wetland. really fun. I took off a star because standard bikes might struggle.
Really enjoyed our ebike ride to and from beginning to end and back. Easy parking right over the bridge from Mill apartments on the left! So well maintained, scenic and safe feeling for 2 seniors. Delicious pizza in Lisbon Falls.
So, the positives first. It's a well paved trail with views to a picturesque river.
However, forget the "ring your bell" or "on your left" helps. The proximity to Rt 1 (sometimes within 15 ft. or so) - and the associated traffic noise - all but end any communication, signals, or thoughts of a nice scenic contemplative ride. Also, parking at either end was sparse. And, yes, somewhat thankfully, it is short. A one and done.
My husband and I were so looking forward to this trail. We started at the west end (as it was closest to our vacation rental) with the intention of riding as much as we could, hopefully to the end. We got about 5 miles in, subjecting our bikes and our bodies to the ongoing bumps along the way. Once we got to the very narrow (about 12 inches wide) section with grass grown into the path, we gave it a try and finally decided to turn around not knowing if it was going to get any better. We decided to drive over to the east end thinking that would be a better place to ride (based on reviews). We got 3 miles in from that end. We simply weren't enjoying the very rough ride that this trail provides. Again, we were very disappointed. What we did see along the west route was beautiful and exactly the type of scenery we were hoping for. But the uncomfortable nature of the ride made it very undesirable.
We are on week 2 of a 2-week Northeast rail trail tour and we’re experienced cyclists. I should have believed the Trailguide when it warned that this one wasn’t well-suited for hybrid bikes. We only made it 6 miles out of Livermore Falls before turning around. There were only a few stretches of packed sand. The rest was loose sand or chunky rock. For reference, we were riding an Allied Alpha and a Cannondale Supersix Evo SE. Would have been a blast on a fatty.
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