Find the top rated bike trails in Rye, 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 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 Malden River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Mystic River Greenway. When completed, it will run along the Malden River...
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...
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...
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 South Manchester Rail Trail is a proposed bike/pedestrian path that would connect the downtown Millyard area of Manchester to the Town on Londonderry. The South Manchester Rail Trail will utilize...
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 Bradford Rail Trail occupies a former Pan Am rail corridor, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the mile-long path...
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...
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 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 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...
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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 Watertown-Cambridge Greenway runs along the former corridor of the B&M Railroad’s Watertown Branch. The trail begins in a busy shopping area on the site of a former U.S. Army arsenal. Trees...
The Fresh Pond Bikeway runs through Fresh Pond Reservation, a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bikeway winds around the east edge of the Fresh Pond Reservoir. Part of the trail is on a road...
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...
The Mystic River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Malden River Greenway. When completed, the trail will connect the...
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 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 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...
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...
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 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 Clipper City Rail Trail is part of the Coastal Trails Coalition, which is developing in the four towns of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury along the Merrimack River and will...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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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 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 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 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...
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 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...
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 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...
The Piscataquog Trail, though only about 2 miles long, provides a vital off-road link between the communities on the western side of the Merrimack River (the West Side of Manchester) to several parks...
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 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...
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 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 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...
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 Watertown-Cambridge Greenway runs along the former corridor of the B&M Railroad’s Watertown Branch. The trail begins in a busy shopping area on the site of a former U.S. Army arsenal. Trees...
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...
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 Bradford Rail Trail occupies a former Pan Am rail corridor, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the mile-long path...
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 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 Wellington Greenway is a section of the Malden River Greenway in Medford, Massachusetts. Eventually, the Wellington Greenway will be connected to the other sections of the Malden River Greenway in...
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 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...
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 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 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 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...
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,...
This trail has been well-maintained recently and there are so many great side-paths and conservation areas to explore. Good for walking, biking, dogs, and has a nice mix of dirt/gravel options.
The only thing missing on this beautiful trail are markers. The Goffstown trail has markers starting at 0 mile on 1 side and on the other side it indicates 5.5 MI to the end, and then a marker every .5 mile EX: .5 MI, 1 MI., 1.5 MI. 2 MI. 2.5 MI. etc all the way to the end at 5.5 MI.
loved this trail but wished there was better signage to make it easy to find it
I always pair this trail with the Windham Rail Trail, I typically park at Hood Park in Derry and ride through to Salem. Parking is fine in the Hood lot. I don't think there's a porta-potty but there is one at the Windham lot.
I love this ride, it's near home so it's my default when I just want a quiet place to cruise. There are a few road crossings, all of which are clearly marked.
I find that the ride from Derry to Salem is a little bit easier than in the other direction. Neither direction is particularly challenging though, suitable for all. Can be a great leisurely trip or a workout, whatever you're looking for.
Until recently there weren't a lot of places to stop once you leave Derry center (save for a gas-station off-trail near the Windham trail-head). The Grind (fine coffee) has shops in Derry and just off the trail in Windham. The trail has been extended so that it reaches the Tuscan Kitchen (TK) in Salem. In the new section you can take a bridge to Dunkin' and get a coffee (the staff shared that a bike rack is coming in the future). If you want something more filling, you can leave your bike in the rack at the TK and visit the market or have an outdoor snack. Nice if you're looking for a break in the middle of your ride.
Notables:
- Scenic and peaceful; wetlands pop up throughout the ride offering sounds and views of nature
- You can take it easy or give yourself a workout
- Easy to plan for breaks and snacks with recent extension
- Trail is in good shape, some bumps (there's signage in the bumpiest areas and many random cracks have paint highlighting them)
First-timer on this trail, solo trip, I started in Nashua and traveled the full length, I took some time to explore off-road paths as well. Parking was great, a large lot with a porta-potty.
Overall, I really enjoyed this trail. I was there in August 19', I heard all the sounds of late summer in the woods and saw growing corn, ranches, peaceful wetlands, etc.
I don't generally stop for snacks on solos, but noted that there were places at several points along the trail to do so. Including an abutter's yard where they have cold drinks in a machine for $1 and seats to rest in. Thanks to that family/person, very cool of you!
I found that heading North to South was *slightly* easier. I didn't find anything particularly challenging on the paved trail but you could opt to coast a bit more in this direction. The trail is suitable for just about anyone to bike on. You can make it leisurely or push yourself and get a solid workout.
Notables:
- Each of the road crossings are clearly marked, helpful for new riders and/or kids
- A lot of things to look at; farmland, wetland, horses, river/damn
- Well maintained at the time of my visit (didn't experience problems with tree trunks, much of my ride was sitting back on the seat, arms at my side)
Definitely going back in the fall, will be worth a visit once the colors start to change
Great trail to run, bike or walk along the mystic river
Did this trail today- Sunday. I parked behind Donelan's Market in Acton, which is a great market, and got on the trail. Even though there were lots of people walking, serious bikers, families, they were spaced out and people were really good staying on the right and respectful. When I got to a bigger intersection crossing in Chelmsford, I asked people how to get to the end. The last little leg wasn't great, but it takes you to Crosspoint that if you park at that end, it's great to get you on the trail. There is a Tavern on Square there.
There were 2 ponds along the way: Heart Pond Beach in Chelmsford where there is a guy selling sausages and hot dogs wearing a hot dog hat, and NARA pond in Acton.
I'll definitely go back out there!
After reading the reviews I decided to ride this trail as it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in August. Perfect weather for a bike ride. I decided to bring my mountain bike and I am glad I did (I usually ride my hybrid for Rail Trails.)
I parked in Wolfeboro. Started out my ride at 1:00 PM. Tons of other riders and walkers, a few runners.. The first few miles were beautiful crossing the cog-ways but frustrating with all the other people on the trail. It is narrow and yes, when you are riding in between the rails as noted in other reviews, it can be a bit hairy when other bikers or STOLLERS are coming the other way. If the other biker didn't look very experienced or they were kids I stopped to let them pass. Had to do this several times. I was having second guesses with all the foot traffic but after a few miles it lessened a bit, just a bit, and the scenery was so peaceful. I got to Route 16, and yes the traffic was fast and heavy enough that I decided it wasn't worth it. Plus I'm out of shape and knew I had another 11 miles to go to get back!
I was wondering if I was going to encounter the same traffic going back especially the closer to Wolfeboro I got, but happily the ride back was 100% better. Maybe because is was now 2:30 ish..
There were still plenty of people on the trail but not half as many and I didn't have to stop once.
I loved this trail, but think I will come back again in the fall or during the midweek with less people.
This trail is the best maintained trail I have ever been on. Completely smooth gravel and the edges were just mowed. The hybrid bike would have been fine except the rail crossings.
The rail crossings were never a problem for me but probably because I had the mountain bike with shocks. I would be more cautious if I had the hybrid! Just go slow and be careful. Common sense..
Last thought, if I didn't live 45 minutes from Wolfeboro, this trail would be perfect for running!! Traffic or not!
We rode about 26 miles total. 13 miles there & back. Crushed stone most of the way..We parked in Lebanon parking lot,where it begins. Little grassy in sections.Gets wider in some spots & pretty narrow in some areas. We thought the first 10 miles were nice ,then it was a very narrow trail & buggy.lot of small bridges,some were in need of repair,need to pay attention.There was an area were the rail road ties were exposed about 10 miles from beginning.Just have to watch out..Rode past some lakes& huge rocks that were blasted out for trains..Was a pretty trail .. Could get muddy if rain ..
We biked and geocached this section today. We had an enjoyable ride, but the surface was quite varied. Nothing was paved. We started out on well packed gravel/ dirt on a wide trail, but by the time we were at the other end, following the river, it was single track, mostly through grass, with some roots and a few sandy patches. It didn't resemble most of the rail trails I have been on, but my hybrid bike was fine, and we really enjoyed the variety.
The Londonderry Rail Trail is a nice, flat, peaceful trail. For an early morning walk, you will greet several other people out walking or jogging. The scenery includes business, residential, and scenic wetlands. Plenty of parking at the bus terminal.
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