Find the top rated walking trails in North Reading, 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.
Norwell is a suburb about 30 minutes' drive south of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Norwell Pathway, a 2-mile non-motorized trail that was constructed to give residents an alternative way to...
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 Old Railroad, as its name suggests, is a multi-use trail that occupies a former Boston & Maine Railroad corridor. The trail picks up at the northern trailhead of the Common Pathway, a paved...
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...
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 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 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...
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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The Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path) knits together neighborhoods in southern Boston from the Back Bay to Jamaica Plain. Popular as a route for commuters as well as casual walkers,...
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 South Bay Harbor Trail connects several Boston neighborhoods—Lower Roxbury, the South End, Chinatown, and Fort Point Channel—to the Boston Harbor. The trail spans nearly 4 miles from Ruggles...
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 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 developing Upper Charles Trail will one day total 24 miles, linking the communities of Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, Framingham, and Hopkinton along a former railroad bed. As of 2018,...
The North Bank Bridge, which opened in 2012, provides a safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connection between Cambridge's North Point Park and Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. Spanning 690...
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...
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 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 Pine Tree Brook Trail travels alongside the brook in Milton, Massachusetts. The path travels through woods and residential neighborhoods for a distance of about 1.8 miles, and it connects to the...
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 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 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 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 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 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 Monadnock Recreational Rail Trail is a great example of a repurposed rail route that provides safe commuting opportunities while also allowing trail users to escape into forest environments for...
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 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...
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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...
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...
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 World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
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 Center Trail runs for less than a mile from Hopkinton's downtown to its high school and middle school, providing a safe route to school for thousands of students. The wooded trail, which once...
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...
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 Neponset River Greenway is a south Boston jewel, utilizing the best in design and construction standards as it winds through the Neponset River valley, offering a low-stress, high-quality...
The Upper Falls Greenway is a short rail-trail that cuts through the charming village of Newton Upper Falls in Newton, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the same former rail corridor as the developing...
The South Bay Harbor Trail connects several Boston neighborhoods—Lower Roxbury, the South End, Chinatown, and Fort Point Channel—to the Boston Harbor. The trail spans nearly 4 miles from Ruggles...
More and more, airport lands near previously under-used rail corridors are being transformed from largely neglected vacant lands into urban greenways. These new vibrant spaces are used not only by...
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...
Ten Mile River Greenway, named for the waterway it parallels and not its length, runs 3 miles through a serene and green corridor connecting the City of East Providence and Pawtucket. The southern end...
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 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...
More and more, airport lands near previously under-used rail corridors are being transformed from largely neglected vacant lands into urban greenways. These new vibrant spaces are used not only by...
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...
More than a mile of the Ashburnham Rail Trail opened in 2015 from a point just south of Ashburnham's center to Turnpike Road. The rustic route, planned to be paved in the future, offers a...
The Old Railroad, as its name suggests, is a multi-use trail that occupies a former Boston & Maine Railroad corridor. The trail picks up at the northern trailhead of the Common Pathway, a paved...
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 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 Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends where soldiers witnessed “the shot heard round 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 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 Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New Hampshire–Massachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
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 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 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...
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 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 developing Upper Charles Trail will one day total 24 miles, linking the communities of Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, Framingham, and Hopkinton along a former railroad bed. As of 2018,...
My family has used this trail many times using it for Short walks between 6 road intersections. I'ts about 7 miles long and has many wonderful sites it is nor a particularly old in it's de-commissioning The last regularly scheduled passenger train on this spur ran in July, 1933 after that it was used lightly for freight in some sections until the late 1950's The highlight is the Mason Town Quarry loop between Depot rd and Sandpit road
featuring an old abandoned Quarry adopted and preserved by Mason NH. The entire length in one direction can be walked within 5-7 hours a round trip jogging about the same.
Great path with lots of shade. The surface is nice and smooth and well kept. For the mountain bikers there are some great off road trails as well. We go there to walk and bike often.
Go biking here quite often a lot of shade good when it's hot
I have found a nice way to link to the Windham Depot to Derry Trail. At the southern end, cross over Rockingham Road onto Seasons Lane and turn left onto Coteville Rd. At the end of Coteville there is a short path through the woods that comes out on Franklin St Ext. Follow Franklin and turn right onto Mitchell Ave. At the end of Mitchell is a path that goes to the Windham Depot.
It’s a nice short trail, and I don’t think many people know about it.
***WARNING! This portion of the trail is challenging. I wouldn't attempt it w/o experience or a wider/gravity tire***
I started at the parking lot on Church St. Ext. It is right next to the Plummer's Landing parking lot, which is the launch site for using the river. You want the lot just past Plummer's Landing.
The trail starts off quite wide and is a very low, grassy area. It is not a well-worn dirt path. However, after approx a half mile the trail suddenly narrows and is a slender dirt line with tall, hip level grass and brush.
There are several sections with lots of very large tree roots and deep ruts in between them. There are also lots of large rocks that create issues for your pedals. You definitely need to evaluate pedal height and position to get through spots and avoid damaging your bike.
Good elevation changes at some points. Some areas were too steep to ride up. Other parts were right against the edge of the river with little to no room for error. A few deep holes were also washed out in the middle of the trail.
I'll also add that there are two bridges that are not bike friendly. There are steps at both ends, so you need to pick-up your bike.
This "greenway" section ended at E. Hartford Ave in Uxbridge, right across the street from Tri-River Health Center. All things considered, I successfully completed this portion of the trail, but it was really difficult. If I had known how it was, I would not have attempted it solo or w/o wider tires. Now you know too. For you "fat tire" folks, have a blast!
I started on a very warm day, at the parking lot on Glenwood Rd. in Rutland. This trail matches the description perfectly! Beautiful, well-shaded ride and that is pretty continuous. I learned Rutland is the higher point of the ride, so all my work was on the way back from Oakham. But, it was very manageable and well worth the 16+ miles roundtrip.
Nice stretch of paved trail between Winchendon and Gardner, MA. It’s a quick 14 mile out and back with only one small stretch where you have to merge onto a road to find the trail again.
We bicycled a sort of loop, from Mosely Woods parking lot, along Merrimac River, crossing to Salisbury and then returning via I-95 bridge bike path. The latter was our true goal, as this was a mighty project! From the start and throughout, we had some head-scratching moments trying to find our way on the network of rail-trails and roads. I'm not sure if it's the fault/responsibility of the municipalities, the DOTs, or the trail organizations, but there are few, if any, signs indicating bikeways. This struck us as odd because in many other areas throughout Essex County in Massachusetts, and in parts of NH and ME, we have seen copious signs for the East Coast Greenway in remote countryside locations.
Before I say more on that, we enjoyed the gravel-paved Marsh Trail and Ghost Trail. The latter was shaded and welcome on a very hot summer day. The mile or so of asphalt-paved trail that parallels I-95 and crosses the Merrimac is great for getting from A to B, but it's open and not especially pleasant except for the river views, which can be enjoyed from two bump-outs on the bridge and include historic interpretation signs. (A note: if you are nervous crossing major bridge structures on bicycle, this is a good crossing. I have minor such fears, but felt completely comfortable.)
Back to signs. There are signs. But I don't think they are always where they should be, nor say what they should say. More than once, we came to intersections of various kinds and it was unclear where each option would take us. In some places there are posts with trail names and mileage., but few signs to provide context. Within long stretches of the bike paths there were posts indicating mileage (for what reason, I have no idea). Coming from the Ghost Trail there was no explicit sign to point the way to the I-95 crossing. And in Newburyport, we did not see any signs pointing the way to the trail, crossing via the Route 1 bridge. Coming off the I-95 crossing into Newburyport, we had to intuit the way back to Mosely Woods on a neighborhood road.
My suggestion is that if you are solo or with a partner, have fun and explore, and if you have to do a bit of back-tracking, no big deal. If you have kids, it might be better to thoroughly plot your route, as you don't want to be fumbling on roads with cars with kids or a larger group. That said, it would be a nice adventure to cross by two different bridges and experience a variety of trail types and scenery that runs the gamut from marsh, woods, industrial (including a massive solar array), neighborhood, etc. It is almost all flat, and eminently do-able for people of various fitness levels and bike types.
A note: the Route 1 bridge does not have a bike lane, so you must walk your bike across on a sidewalk, and will likely encounter others either on bike or foot in either direction.
First of all, Peterborough is a lovely little town to bike in and around. The trail was shaded, clean and paved all but 1 mile or maybe a little more. We parked in the shopping center parking lot and then followed the well marked signs along some town roads before getting on the bike path. Beyond the parking lot on the north end, the cinder path continues. We bikes for a while before deciding to turn around.
Nearly perfectly flat - good compact ground - three nice bridges - very little other traffic.
We had two kids, 8 and 11, with medium bike skills - easy going here so was all fun and no hassle. We started in the middle (parking area) and went to each end and back. Total 6 miles, took 1 hr due to stops to view wildlife.
Only drawback: we wanted more miles !!
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