Find the top rated walking trails in Kittery, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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 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 Mountain Division Trail exists as two separate segments of what will eventually be a more than 50-mile-long trail from Fryeburg to Portland. The southern section rolls for about 6 miles between...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 smooth paved surface of the Londonderry Rail Trail offers a pleasant, tranquil 3.3-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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
he 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 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
The Farmington Recreational Rail-Trail runs for 6 miles between the towns of Rochester and Farmington. The trail parallels the Cocheco River and State Route 11 through a wooded corridor. The trail is...
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...
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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...
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...
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...
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 Conway Branch trail runs for 21 miles along an old rail corridor between State Route 113 in Conway and Polly's Crossing in Ossipee. The trail is popular with snowmobiles and rail car clubs; the...
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 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...
Spanning 57.6 miles from Lebanon to Boscawen, the Northern Rail Trail is New Hampshire’s longest rail-trail conversion. Trail development began in 1996 after the state purchased the Boston and Maine...
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The Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail brings at least two superlatives to mind: it’s one of New Hampshire’s longest rail-trails at just more than 28 miles, and it begins in Manchester, the state’s...
The year 2017 marks 20 years since a rails-to-trails project was first mentioned in the Goffstown Master Plan, and thanks to work by the Friends of the Goffstown Rail Trail and support throughout the...
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...
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 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 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...
he 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...
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...
Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
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 smooth paved surface of the Londonderry Rail Trail offers a pleasant, tranquil 3.3-mile adventure for trail users in south-central New Hampshire. Its route follows a corridor once used by the...
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...
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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 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...
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 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 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...
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...
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...
Did this trail today- Sunday. I parked behind Donelan's Market in Acton, which is a great market, and got on the trail. Even though there were lots of people walking, serious bikers, families, they were spaced out and people were really good staying on the right and respectful. When I got to a bigger intersection crossing in Chelmsford, I asked people how to get to the end. The last little leg wasn't great, but it takes you to Crosspoint that if you park at that end, it's great to get you on the trail. There is a Tavern on Square there.
There were 2 ponds along the way: Heart Pond Beach in Chelmsford where there is a guy selling sausages and hot dogs wearing a hot dog hat, and NARA pond in Acton.
I'll definitely go back out there!
After reading the reviews I decided to ride this trail as it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in August. Perfect weather for a bike ride. I decided to bring my mountain bike and I am glad I did (I usually ride my hybrid for Rail Trails.)
I parked in Wolfeboro. Started out my ride at 1:00 PM. Tons of other riders and walkers, a few runners.. The first few miles were beautiful crossing the cog-ways but frustrating with all the other people on the trail. It is narrow and yes, when you are riding in between the rails as noted in other reviews, it can be a bit hairy when other bikers or STOLLERS are coming the other way. If the other biker didn't look very experienced or they were kids I stopped to let them pass. Had to do this several times. I was having second guesses with all the foot traffic but after a few miles it lessened a bit, just a bit, and the scenery was so peaceful. I got to Route 16, and yes the traffic was fast and heavy enough that I decided it wasn't worth it. Plus I'm out of shape and knew I had another 11 miles to go to get back!
I was wondering if I was going to encounter the same traffic going back especially the closer to Wolfeboro I got, but happily the ride back was 100% better. Maybe because is was now 2:30 ish..
There were still plenty of people on the trail but not half as many and I didn't have to stop once.
I loved this trail, but think I will come back again in the fall or during the midweek with less people.
This trail is the best maintained trail I have ever been on. Completely smooth gravel and the edges were just mowed. The hybrid bike would have been fine except the rail crossings.
The rail crossings were never a problem for me but probably because I had the mountain bike with shocks. I would be more cautious if I had the hybrid! Just go slow and be careful. Common sense..
Last thought, if I didn't live 45 minutes from Wolfeboro, this trail would be perfect for running!! Traffic or not!
We biked and geocached this section today. We had an enjoyable ride, but the surface was quite varied. Nothing was paved. We started out on well packed gravel/ dirt on a wide trail, but by the time we were at the other end, following the river, it was single track, mostly through grass, with some roots and a few sandy patches. It didn't resemble most of the rail trails I have been on, but my hybrid bike was fine, and we really enjoyed the variety.
The Londonderry Rail Trail is a nice, flat, peaceful trail. For an early morning walk, you will greet several other people out walking or jogging. The scenery includes business, residential, and scenic wetlands. Plenty of parking at the bus terminal.
Disagree strongly with August review from “hungrypiper” - this is a perfectly fine trail, which conveniently takes you away from busy streets on your way from Salem outskirts to nearly the center of Marblehead, and then on towards Swampscott. Very green trail, reasonably well maintained, but little to no signage at trailheads and the fork. Trail is narrow in spots with not enough room for all bikers/hikers/joggers. On a Saturday morning, we experienced most traffic in the section closest to Marblehead.
We trained from Boston to Salem on the special $10/weekend all-you-can ride commuter line ticket, then walked from Salem to Marblehead, lunched in Marblehead, then continued along rail trail to the end in Swampscott then meandered on sidewalks along the coast all the way to Lynn (no formal trail from Swampscott to Lynn). Was about 13 miles one way. A fun day out!
Here’s hoping North Shore communities invest more in signage and connecting all these trails to public transport and parking.
One of the worst, if not THE worst, Rail Trail in the Boston area. Trail is not properly graded, edges are overgrown, there are low hanging branches you cannot miss as you’re riding and there are large rocks and stones on the trail itself.
On my ride today, there were large puddles that spanned the width of the trail which indicate the trail needs to be properly graded to prevent puddling.
The view itself is Boring (with a capital B). Just vines, small trees and weeds with no interesting views. I hit any number of large rocks on my ride and found the posts at crossings too closely spaced together.
All in all, a very disappointing ride.
While this is a great trail for hiking my husband and I felt it was way too narrow to share with bikers and hikers. We had to stop riding whenever someone was coming in the opposite direction. We found we were too busy concentrating to enjoy the views. Not a good bike trail.
I love this trail and ride it often. Once you ride or walk it you will keep coming back for more. I live in neighboring Billerica and ride the 3 miles from my home to the head of the trail which is hidden in the parking lot on the side of Cross Point (900 Chelmsford St. Lowell Ma.). There is tons of parking here so you will never have to worry about getting there early to get a space. There is a lot of foot traffic in the beginning of the trail until you get to Chelmsford, Rt 110, but once you cross the street and enter the bike path I have never experienced a lot of traffic (bike or foot) from this point to the end of the trail in Acton. A lot of the trail is tree lined which provides partial shade on a hot, sunny day. There are two beaches along the trail, Heart Pond in Chelmsford, and Nara Park in Acton. Further along the trail, near the end is a bike shop, Pedal Power Bike and Ski, which is nice to have and they offer facilities for your relief. Speaking of which there are facilities along the trail at Heart Pond, Nara Park, the parking lot at Brook St. and the bike shop. If you like to explore there is plenty to see with farms and historic homes along the Chelmsford section of the Trail. The trail ends at a sports complex with a loop to turn around. At the northern end of the sports complex is a small meadow which is nice to rest and enjoy lunch. As for food there are plenty of place to eat along the trail.
My wife and I road from Newfields to Rt. 125 and then back (the eastern part of the trail). The trail was in good shape and we saw turtles and raccoons. We were on Hybrids, but saw other people on road bikes. Others were walking and some jogging. All in all a beautiful day to be out on the trail.
My wife and I had our first experience biking this trail this week. We found it very enjoyable until we both had a bad accident. There are several areas on the trail where you have to cross the rails which are sticking above grade and will through you off the bike.
I sustained a 2 inch laceration and multiple abrasions and contusions which required an ER visit. My wife injured her shoulder and knee.
After reading past reviews complaining of this same problem over several years, I can not understand why this problem has not been corrected since it would be easy to remedy!!! Disappointed that peoples safety is not of paramount importance!!
I hope that this will be addressed in the near future.
Very nice and shady, pleasant ride.
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