Portsmouth, NH Cross Country Skiing Trails and Maps

1134 Reviews

Looking for the best Cross Country Skiing trails around Portsmouth?

Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Portsmouth, 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.

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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
41 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Border to Boston Trail

44.1 mi
State: MA
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

15.7 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Derry Rail Trail

3.6 mi
State: NH
Asphalt

Eastern Trail

28.8 mi
State: ME
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Goffstown Rail Trail

5.5 mi
State: NH
Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand

Haggetts Rail Trail

2 mi
State: MA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Head's Pond Trail

1.75 mi
State: NH
Gravel

Independence Greenway

5.25 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail

1.58 mi
State: NH
Asphalt

Londonderry Rail Trail

4.6 mi
State: NH
Asphalt

Middleton Rail Trail

4.5 mi
State: MA
Crushed Stone

Mine Falls Park Trails

9.7 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway

10.1 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Mountain Division Trail

9.59 mi
State: ME
Asphalt, Gravel

Nashua River Rail Trail

12.4 mi
State: MA, NH
Asphalt

New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway

8 mi
State: NH
Crushed Stone

Northern Rail Trail

59 mi
State: NH
Cinder, Crushed Stone

Riverton Rail Trail

1.5 mi
State: ME
Concrete, Dirt, Sand

Windham Rail Trail

4.3 mi
State: NH
Asphalt

Conway Branch

21 mi
State: NH
Ballast, Gravel
Accordion

Cotton Valley Rail Trail

12 mi
State: NH
Gravel

Dover Community Trail

4.2 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

Groveland Community Trail

3.25 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Marblehead Rail-Trail

3.34 mi
State: MA
Asphalt, Dirt, Gravel, Sand

Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail

3 mi
State: MA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt

New Boston Rail Trail

3.9 mi
State: NH
Dirt

Northern Strand Community Trail

9.9 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

Reformatory Branch Trail

3.9 mi
State: MA
Dirt

Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Portsmouth Branch)

28 mi
State: NH
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand

Tri-Community Greenway

10.6 mi
State: MA
Asphalt

WOW Trail

2.7 mi
State: NH
Asphalt

Winnipesaukee River Trail

4.94 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Brookline Rail Trail

4.5 mi
State: NH
Crushed Stone, Gravel

Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail

5.65 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel

Farmington Recreational Rail-Trail

6 mi
State: NH
Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel, Sand

Granite Town Rail-Trail

3 mi
State: NH
Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand

Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area Trail

3.4 mi
State: MA
Dirt, Gravel, Sand

Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail

5.9 mi
State: ME
Gravel

Village Spur Rail Trail

2.1 mi
State: NH
Asphalt, Dirt, Grass

Merrimack River Greenway Trail

0.33 mi
State: NH
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Border to Boston Trail is a developing trail network that will stretch 70 miles between the New Hampshire border and Boston—providing a continuous route for a variety of non-motorized uses...
MA 44.1 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt
A developing rail trail, the route winds for nearly 16 miles through Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, and Concord. The rail trail is paved and is typically about 10 feet wide.  About the...
MA 15.7 mi Asphalt
This exquisitely maintained 3.6-mile paved rail-trail slices through forested areas and wetlands for a wonderful experience in southern New Hampshire. About the Route Starting at the southern...
NH 3.6 mi Asphalt
The Eastern Trail connects the historic towns along Maine’s southern coast from the woods near Kennebunk to South Portland’s harbor lighthouse. About the Route  The Eastern Trail follows...
ME 28.8 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
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...
NH 5.5 mi Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
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...
MA 2 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
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...
NH 1.75 mi Gravel
The 5.25-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...
MA 5.25 mi Asphalt
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...
NH 1.58 mi Asphalt
The Londonderry Rail Trail runs for 4.6 miles between Harvey and Rockingham Road. The smooth paved trail offers a pleasant and tranquil adventure for trail users along an old Manchester and Lawrence...
NH 4.6 mi Asphalt
The Middleton Rail Trail is a trail along the former Essex Railroad. The trail stretches 4.5 miles from the North Andover border, through the town, and will eventually join the Danvers Rail...
MA 4.5 mi Crushed Stone
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...
NH 9.7 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
For many commuters, the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway provides freedom from congested traffic in the northwest Boston suburbs. For others, the 10.1-mile paved trail between Cambridge and Bedford serves...
MA 10.1 mi Asphalt
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 northern section runs for nearly 4 miles through...
ME 9.59 mi Asphalt, Gravel
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...
MA, NH 12.4 mi Asphalt
The New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway is an 8-mile rail-trail with a crushed-stone surface that stretches between Portsmouth and the North Hampton/Hampton border. Following a former Pan Am Railways...
NH 8 mi Crushed Stone
Spanning 59 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...
NH 59 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone
The scenic Riverton Rail Trail—also known as “Sandy Road” by residents of Portland’s Riverton neighborhood—follows the former corridor of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, which stopped...
ME 1.5 mi Concrete, Dirt, Sand
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. The trail is 4.3 miles...
NH 4.3 mi Asphalt
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...
NH 21 mi Ballast, Gravel
Accordion
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...
NH 12 mi Gravel
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...
NH 4.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Running through the town of Groveland for 3.25 miles, this multiuse path provides a variety of opportunities for both recreational and transportations as it connects residential neighborhoods,...
MA 3.25 mi Asphalt
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 3.34-mile trail knits together a...
MA 3.34 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
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...
MA 3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
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,...
NH 3.9 mi Dirt
The Northern Strand Community Trail runs almost 10 miles through the cities of Everett, Malden, Revere, and the town of Saugus and provides a variety of experiences.  About the Route Access the...
MA 9.9 mi Asphalt
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...
MA 3.9 mi Dirt
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...
NH 18.3 mi Dirt, Sand
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 runs from Manchester, the state’s...
NH 28 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
The Tri-Community Greenway is a 10.6-mile multiuse trail that connects Stoneham, Woburn and Winchester. Part of the route runs along a former railroad corridor. About the Route At its southern...
MA 10.6 mi Asphalt
The 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...
NH 2.7 mi Asphalt
The Winnipesaukee River Trail runs for nearly 5 miles between the towns of Franklin and Tilton, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. About the Route The Winnipesaukee River Trail...
NH 4.94 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The Brookline Rail Trail winds through the New Hampshire woods and passes by several small bodies of water, including the Potanipo Pond. The rail-trail has two segments, known as the Brookline Rail...
NH 4.5 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
Following the historic Concord-Claremont Railroad corridor, the Concord–Lake Sunapee Rail Trail will eventually connect communities from Concord to the southern point of Lake Sunapee via a multiuse...
NH 5.65 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
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...
NH 6 mi Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
The Granite Town Rail-Trail runs for 3 miles in Milford, New Hampshire. Portions of the route are unpaved and surfaced with sand, gravel, and/or dirt, while short concrete sections can be found along...
NH 3 mi Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
Note: This rail-trail is prone to frequent flooding and may be challenging to navigate at times. The rail trail through the Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area begins at the Massachusetts Bay...
MA 3.4 mi Dirt, Gravel, Sand
The Sanford-Springvale Rail Trail runs for 5.9 miles between Sanford and Springvale. The gravel trail traverses the woods on either side of Sanford’s scenic Springvale community as it links a shady...
ME 5.9 mi Gravel
The Village Spur Rail Trail begins in downtown Belmont, and stretches from behind the Belmont Mill to the Tioga River on the west side of South Road. Out and back for the entire trail is about four...
NH 2.1 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Grass
The Merrimack River Greenway Trail (MRGT) will stretch from Boscawen southward through Concord to Pembroke, offering scenic views of the Merrimack River, the city and the surrounding landscapes. The...
NH 0.33 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Northern Rail Trail

Long ride - sore bottom

August, 2025 by georgerisktaker

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.

Winnipesaukee River Trail

Worthy trail

August, 2025 by georgerisktaker

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.

Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail

Fun but short

August, 2025 by georgerisktaker

Great views and we enjoyed the changes in grade and the turns, but a very short trail. Must be combined with Winni Trail, but that is also short.

Accordion

WOW Trail

Old Town Trail

August, 2025 by georgerisktaker

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).

Salem Bike-Ped Corridor

Nice Trail

August, 2025 by johnbuckley62

1st time we went south to combine with Methuen trail, some crossing lights were not working, a part of trail is hard packed dirt so a wider tire made it easier

Methuen Rail Trail

Nice Trail

August, 2025 by johnbuckley62

Nice little ride, we connected to Salem Trail

New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway

Nice Trail

August, 2025 by johnbuckley62

Nice comfortable ride we started in the parking lot in North Hampton and came out on Borthwick Ave near the hospital 17 miles out and back route that will be pretty in the fall

Londonderry Rail Trail

nice ride.

August, 2025 by dmzast

rode 7-30-25 parked at Symmes Dr in bus depot lot - no directions for where to park. Mile markers are facing the trail, instead of perpendicular , so they can't be easily read while riding - missed a few along the way. Also signage at entrance areas should include direction and milage to either end. Thought we could hook up to the Derry trail, but that didn't happen - couldn't find it - again, signs would help !

Windham Rail Trail

nice ride

August, 2025 by dmzast

Rode on 7-26-25 Needs mile markers at Windham end. Slight incline from Salem to Windham. The Windham trail is paved, but turns to dirt when you reach the Salem trail. Turned around and rode back to Windham.

Salem Bike-Ped Corridor

not paved.

August, 2025 by dmzast

the Windham trail is paved, but turns to dirt when you reach the Salem trail.
Turned around and rode back to Windham.

Nashua River Rail Trail

Great trail, good for all seasons.

August, 2025 by jhoff1

It is a great trail for all seasons. Parking available in Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Nashua

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

great trail, best between heart pond and NARA park

August, 2025 by jhoff1

It is a very well maintained trail. My favorite part is between the heart pond and the NARA park. More road crossing beyond that region in both directions

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