Find the top rated bike trails in Reading, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The trail begins in the small town of Boxford, about 25 miles north of Boston. For just shy of 5 miles, the hard-packed stone-dust pathway follows a former rail bed through Topsfield, meandering...
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 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 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...
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 Stillwater Scenic Walkway is a short trail that follows an old railroad bed between Capron Road and State Route 104 (Farnum Pike) south of Smithfield. The trail passes through a wooded area along...
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...
The Neponset River Greenway totals just over 8 miles in length on the southern outskirts of Boston. The trail is paved and provides a variety of scenery from urban wilderness through a mill village...
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...
The Assabet River Rail Trail provides a forested escape from the surrounding urban bustle. Traveling 8.6 miles (with plans to expand it) the trail connects the towns of Hudson and Marlborough and...
The Nashua River Rail Trail is a beautiful and peaceful rural trail extending through the Massachusetts communities of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Dunstable. The trail continues into New Hampshire...
The East Boston Greenway, a linear park made possible by the donation of a disused rail corridor by Conrail in 1997 and the ‘Big Dig’ project in later years, links Boston Harbor with new parks created...
Alewife Linear Park is a beautiful paved trail stretching 2 miles east from the Alewife T-station in Cambridge to Cedar Street in Somerville. The park came about after the Massachusetts Bay...
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Although only a grassy, hard-packed dirt pathway, the route along the Salem-Beverly Canal (also known as the Grand Wenham Canal), is scenic and peaceful. The old canal, built in 1917, lies between two...
The Upper Charles Trail will one day span more than 20 miles, connecting the communities of Milford, Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn and Holliston along a former CSX rail bed. The trail is being...
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...
The Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
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...
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...
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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 newly open Bradford Rail Trail occupies the former Pan Am rail lines, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created 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 Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
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 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...
Although only a grassy, hard-packed dirt pathway, the route along the Salem-Beverly Canal (also known as the Grand Wenham Canal), is scenic and peaceful. The old canal, built in 1917, lies between two...
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 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...
In the southeastern outskirts of Boston, the Hanover Branch Rail Trail connects the communities of Abington and Rockland. (Locally, the trail’s east and west halves are sometimes referred to as the...
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 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 Nashua River Rail Trail is a beautiful and peaceful rural trail extending through the Massachusetts communities of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Dunstable. The trail continues into New Hampshire...
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...
Alewife Linear Park is a beautiful paved trail stretching 2 miles east from the Alewife T-station in Cambridge to Cedar Street in Somerville. The park came about after the Massachusetts Bay...
The Neponset River Greenway totals just over 8 miles in length on the southern outskirts of Boston. The trail is paved and provides a variety of scenery from urban wilderness through a mill village...
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...
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,...
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The Blackstone River Greenway (previously known as the Blackstone River Bikeway) is a 3-mile trail that represents the first open segment of the Massachusetts portion of a pathway that will eventually...
Over 8 miles of the Northern Strand Community Trail, which follows the former Boston and Maine Railroad, are open to the public. Although this comprises two different trail surfaces, the Northern...
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...
The North Central Pathway will one day stretch 16 miles between the cities of Winchendon and Gardner in northern Massachusetts, primarily along a former railroad right-of-way. Three open sections...
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...
Independence Greenway offers just over 5 miles of trail in two disconnected segments through western Peabody. The rail-trail follows the former Salem and Lowell Railroad and offers nice views. It...
Alewife Linear Park is a beautiful paved trail stretching 2 miles east from the Alewife T-station in Cambridge to Cedar Street in Somerville. The park came about after the Massachusetts Bay...
The Bridge Street Bike Trail begins near Curtis Park and travels south through downtown Salem, closely following the Bridge Street Bypass. The short trail runs through residential, retail and...
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...
Over 8 miles of the Northern Strand Community Trail, which follows the former Boston and Maine Railroad, are open to the public. Although this comprises two different trail surfaces, the Northern...
In the southeastern outskirts of Boston, the Hanover Branch Rail Trail connects the communities of Abington and Rockland. (Locally, the trail’s east and west halves are sometimes referred to as the...
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The Blackstone River Greenway (previously known as the Blackstone River Bikeway) represents a big undertaking in this tiny state: The 11.8-mile trail running between Woonsocket and the outskirts of...
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 Bruce Freeman Rail Trail follows the route of the former Framingham and Lowell Railroad. It begins at the Lowell/Chelmsford city line, about 30 miles northwest of Boston, near Cross Point, a major...
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Southwest Corridor Park is a 4.7-mile linear park through the Boston neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. A recreation and commuter route popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists,...
Shaped like a Y, this 4.1-mile rail-trail connects Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott. From the trail junction in quaint Marblehead, one branch meanders through conservation areas and past harbor...
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...
The Nashua River Rail Trail is a beautiful and peaceful rural trail extending through the Massachusetts communities of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell and Dunstable. The trail continues into New Hampshire...
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 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...
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...
Did this for the first time this morning, 6/18/18, the entire length and enjoyed the ride tremendously. Well marked with numerous crossings and stops if you would like to. The Chelmsford end is a little rough and tough to cross the busy intersections but certainly bearable. Friendly people enroute, good nature with some small animals along the way. I saw a small snapping turtle off to the side along Heart Pond. Will certainly ride this trail again... thanks!
The new section is great. There seems to be plenty of access points and is very wide. The old section has very limited accessibility. What is really sad about this older section in Chelmsford is the lack of accessibility and the feeling one gets the town doesn't want anybody on the trail so they can get rid of it. The section that goes thru town has mostly some type of fence up to keep you on the trail. The intersection in town is lacking proper crossing signs and narrow crossing barriers. Then when you get to Rte110 crossing forget seeing the other section, at the lights a sign states walk your bike but where. Really sad is the athletic field next to the trail , there is no trail access, you have to walk back to the side walk. You have to wonder how much money the businesses around this trail is missing out on. Further down the trail which parallels rte110 the shopping centers have a fence blocking access to the trail. My recommendation is bike the trail but spend your money else where. CHELMSFORD WAKE UP. Great parking in Acton, I parked at Nara park, you could swim after the ride. Another great place is on rte2a behind Donelan's. There are smaller parking areas along the new section. The old section before Chelmsford center is mostly wooded. There is a small lake/pond with a beach off of the trail and you could go swimming there.
I am an inline speed skater, and just moved to this area. I did practice several times on my speed skates on this trail. The elevation change is about 260 ft from Hudson McDonald's to downtown Marlboro, and there are 4 highway intersections -- these are not very safe for inline speed skating, because there is no brakes on speed skates, and it is sometimes scary when you are skating downhill at over 20 mph and you know there is a highway intersection ahead.
However it is still a good trail for beginners and recreation skaters.
We took the scouts from Rte 140 (just past Stone St) north to the end by the Winchendon YMCA - 13.9 miles round trip - this was our first time ever on this trail, though we drive past it all the time on the way to camp.
Mostly paved, the short unpaved stretch added to the "Wicked Coolness" for the kids/adults with mountain-bike-type tires. The dad with skinny tires rode around on Old Gahdnah Rd.
There's a tire pump setup alongside the path about 1/4 mile in. Another awesome surprise was the little dirt path that leads to the back of Little Anthony's for Ice Cream &Clam Chowdah!
ps bring bug spray!
Slight grade makes walking or riding great for a novice. Intermittent sun at bridges and clearings. Ice cream stand available in Blackstone with playground. Love this!
This trail is awesome for biking with the exception of one area that is very very bumpy and uneven. Otherwise it’s a great paved trail. My only other complaint would be that it’s too short!
Smooth paved and fairly easy ride in either direction. Friendly people that often smile and say "hi".
Don't bother with the trailhead behind the restaurant in Greenville (currently the King House) marked on the map---it's a dead end about 1/4 to 1/2 mile in. Someone has piled Jersey Barriers, concrete blocks and old storm drains to block the trail behind Pilgrim Plastic. That and the numerous NO TRESPASSING signs make it pretty clear that they don't want people hiking, biking or anything else up there.
Start from Adams Hill Road where it crosses the trail, it's a nice hike from there. There isn't a lot of parking available there, but I've never seen it too crowded. The day we went we didn't see anyone on the trail and once we got away from the road noise of Rte. 31 it was birdsong and peepers to accompany our hike.
One other thing---bring bug spray! We were swarmed by mosquito's and blackflies for most of the hike. I was glad I wore a long sleeve shirt and long hiking pants, so all I had to defend was my head and neck (yes, I forgot bug spray!)
Yes, the trail is short, but it's very near my home and so great for daily exercise. I'm just beginning to ride my recumbent trike in a serious way, and so I do 3-4 laps every day. It's quiet, peaceful, and very well-maintained.
Today was the fourth time I walked this trail from holliston walked 2.5 miles and back.
Very easy walking the packed stone and dust pavement. I walk the Henry Hudson trail in NJ nearly every day 5 miles and both these trails provide some of the most interesting sites.
When visiting my family here this provides me a great walk. Wonderful
Rode the trail this morning (a Wednesday). Very light and friendly walkers with few bikers. Trail is in very good condition -- both the gravel portion in Holliston and the paved portion in Milford. Plenty of benches to pull over and rest if you want...but the trail is about as flat as you get so the riding is easy. Will return many times.
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