Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Newmarket, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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...
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 Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 40 miles from Boston to Northampton...
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 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...
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...
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 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 Border to Boston Trail connects the communities of West Peabody, Peabody, Danvers, Topsfield, and Boxford in northeastern Massachusetts. The long-term goal for the trail is to continue it north to...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Squannacook River Rail Trail is presently 1.1 miles long, from Depot St. to Old Meetinghouse Road in Townsend, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the Greenville Branch of the Boston and Maine...
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...
The 28.9-mile Eastern Trail connects the historic towns along Maine’s southern coast from the woods near Kennebunk to South Portland’s harbor lighthouse. Nearly 22 miles of the route follows off-road...
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...
Hillsborough Recreational Rail Trail connects three communities in south-central New Hampshire: Hillsborough, Deering, and Bennington. The unpaved trail winds along the Contoocook River through rural...
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 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 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...
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 Charles River Bike Path, also referred to as the Charles River Greenway, offers a paved, 22-mile route from Boston to its western suburbs. The trail is also part of a larger, developing network...
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 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...
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 Head’s Pond Trail (formerly known as Hooksett Rail Trail) is a 1.9-mile rail-trail that visits two scenic ponds, including the eponymous Head’s Pond, in a woodsy area of Hooksett. The trail’s...
The Squannacook River Rail Trail is presently 1.1 miles long, from Depot St. to Old Meetinghouse Road in Townsend, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the Greenville Branch of the Boston and Maine...
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...
The Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New HampshireMassachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
The Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends a short distance from the North Bridge, the...
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...
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 Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 40 miles from Boston to Northampton...
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...
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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...
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...
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 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...
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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 Massachusetts Central Railroad was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938, but the 104-mile corridor is being reborn as a cross-state rail-trail. Currently, nearly 40 miles from Boston to Northampton...
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 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 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...
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...
The New Boston Rail Trail follows the former railroad corridor of the same name for 3.9 miles through densely wooded areas in the town of New Boston. The railroad was in operation from 1893 to 1931,...
The Head’s Pond Trail (formerly known as Hooksett Rail Trail) is a 1.9-mile rail-trail that visits two scenic ponds, including the eponymous Head’s Pond, in a woodsy area of Hooksett. The trail’s...
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...
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...
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 Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New HampshireMassachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
The Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends a short distance from the North Bridge, the...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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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