Find the top rated hiking trails in Lebanon, 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.
Longest trail in State and is deservedly well rated by most. It is a consistently groomed crushed stone trail with few roots and rocks. Not many places to stop and sit which on a long ride can be helpful. Make sure to ride to the statue at the southern trail head.
Most of the trip is a rail trail of good quality. The ride through Tilton is on the road and can be tricky at one intersection. The "About this Route" provides a good description. The Tilton end of the trail by MacDonalds and Super 8 is not for trail parking. Use the address shown which is within 1 mile of the end of the trail. Franklin is a great town to visit.
Most of the trip is paved and runs through the town of Laconia. There appear to be homeless people (campers at least) on one portion of the trail. Short trail that must be combined with the WOW trail for a longer ride (still short).
Paved. Fast. Hilly with turns. Not a rail trail and the change was great fun. Do not travel when crowded. Lots of sights to see.
We started at the south end and rode ten miles before turning around. We would have gone further except it was getting late. The trail over all is in good condition. There hasn’t been a lot of rainfall recently so the trail was dry. We ride ebikes with four inch off road tires. On the day we rode the condition of the trail was good enough for most riders but we don’t recommend road bikes.
After reading most of the recent reviews, I was not expecting much from this trail. But I figured that at worst, I'd ride a few miles and get breakfast. To make a long story short, I rode 17 miles before deciding that I'd better head back for the car.
To be sure, this is not a trail for casual biking or road bikes. The surface is really irregular and you do have to watch where you are going. But with a gravel or mountain bike, it is doable and 100% enjoyable. And though all of the ORV drivers were polite, and there weren't many the day I rode, I'll admit that it would have been even more pleasant without them.
I'm old and have only been riding for a couple of months. So if I can enjoy it, anyone should be able to.
Visited this trail 8/2/25. It rained the previous day which helped with the dust and packing the loose sections. NOT for skinny tires!! I was fine with my gravel bike but had it been dryer it would have been tougher but doable. There were a few ATV's & dirt bikes but they were VERY respectful and always gave us plenty of room on the trail. The river is gorgeous with plenty of access points to get your feet wet. If you're starting out on the Claremont side I'd recommend parking at the Home Depot just down the road from the trailhead. It's slightly uphill all the way to Newport which makes for a very easy ride coming back. Spoke to a local police officer parked at the trailhead and he said they're going to start patrolling the trail very soon to nab speeding ATV's which I consider a bonus.
I’m glad I didn’t believe a lot of past reviews. This trail is great. Very smooth and a beautiful ride. I highly recommend it!
I have ridden this trail from one end to the other! Parts are wonderful and parts washed out and muddy!
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.
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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