Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Spencer, 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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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 Washington Secondary Bike Path offers just over 19 miles of paved trail from Cranston (Providence’s southwestern neighbor) to Coventry. The rail-trail, Rhode Island’s longest, follows the former...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail offers just over 2 miles of paved, tree-lined pathway through Westfield in southwestern Massachusetts. The trail runs from Main Street, across the Great River Bridge...
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...
It’s hard to pick a favorite season to experience the Hop River State Park Trail, set amid the dense forests of Eastern Connecticut. Sections of the 20-mile rail-trail dive through steep rock cuts...
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 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 Air Line State Park Trail winds nearly 55 miles from the northeast corner of Connecticut, where the state borders Massachusetts, down to East Hampton in the heart of the state. The pathway is...
The Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail passes such scenic and historical landmarks as covered bridges, abandoned mills, and postcard-perfect towns. Starting on asphalt in Keene, the rail-trail can be...
The Westville Lake Community Trail offers a short, scenic excursion along the east bank of Westville Lake in Southbridge. Much of the crushed-stone pathway is under a lush tree canopy. Along the way,...
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...
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The Trolley Trail runs through Plainfield and is a key link the East Coast Greenway. Plans are to use this trail as a link between the Moosup Valley State Park Trail and the Airline State Park...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
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...
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
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...
Note: Per the State of Connecticut's website, the trail is open from dawn to dusk April 1–November 14. Eagle nesting activities can delay the opening of the southern trail head in Windsor...
The South Spencer Rail Trail runs for less than 2 miles from downtown Spencer to an area south of town near Spencer State Forest. The path, which is also known as the Depot Trail, occupies a former...
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...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
The Southwick Rail Trail extends from the Massachusetts–Connecticut state line north to the Westfield town line and connects to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail. Along the way, it travels through...
Throughout history, the Blackstone River has been an important waterway, from its use by American Indians who fished its once-abundant salmon to its role as a major artery for the transportation of...
The Assabet River Rail Trail connects five old mill towns that owe their revitalization to present-day high-tech industries. A midpoint gap splits the 8.6-mile paved trail, though long-range plans...
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...
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...
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...
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 Putnam River Trail extends between Arch Street in the Putnam District and Providence Street to the south. The trail follows the east bank of the Quinebaug River between the river and Kennedy...
The Charter Oak Greenway offers more than 16 miles of paved pathway through Hartford and its eastern suburbs. At first glance, the trail looks as if it is simply a highway side path, but the journey...
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 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 Quinebaug Valley Rail Trail runs on the corridor once occupied by the Southbridge & Blackstone line of the Providence & Worcester Railroad, transforming a corridor once designed to link rural...
With spectacular maritime views and an abundance of coastal wildlife, the East Bay Bike Path offers a spectacular New England experience. Inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2009, the route...
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...
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The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.2 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail offers just over 2 miles of paved, tree-lined pathway through Westfield in southwestern Massachusetts. The trail runs from Main Street, across the Great River Bridge...
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...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
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 Phenix-Harris Riverwalk, a short trail built on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, connects West Warwick and Coventry, two towns on the outskirts of Providence. The dirt...
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 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...
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...
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 overall goal of the Grand Trunk Trail in south-central Massachusetts is to connect the communities of Brimfield, Sturbridge, and Southbridge by trail. Currently, two sections of the trail are...
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 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 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...
The Rockville Spur, a section of Vernon Rails-to-Trails, is a stone-dust rail-trail stretching 4.2 miles into the heart of historical Rockville. The trail begins on Warren Avenue in Vernon, but you’ll...
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 Arkwright Riverwalk, founded on a former rail bed purchased from Penn Central Railroad, is located in Coventry, a rural central Rhode Island town that was built around textile mills. The one-mile...
The Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail passes such scenic and historical landmarks as covered bridges, abandoned mills, and postcard-perfect towns. Starting on asphalt in Keene, the rail-trail can be...
Built in the 1910s by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) as part of the Connecticut River Division Main Line, the route introduced daily service to the B&M Fort Hill Branch in the early 1920s to meet...
The Stratton Brook State Park Trail presents a great way to work up an appetite for a picnic at Stratton Brook State Park, the first state park in Connecticut to be entirely wheelchair accessible. The...
Note: Per the State of Connecticut's website, the trail is open from dawn to dusk April 1–November 14. Eagle nesting activities can delay the opening of the southern trail head in Windsor...
The Chicopee Center Canal Walk offers a short pleasant route in Chicopee, a small city on the outskirts of Springfield in southern Massachusetts. The pathway closely follows the slow-moving canal and...
This 5.8-mile trail is part of the planned East Coast Greenway, an off-road path that will eventually run from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. The Moosup Valley State Park Trail will connect with...
First a canal, then a railroad, and now a trail define the history of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Completed segments span Connecticut south to north, from New Haven to the Massachusetts...
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail offers just over 2 miles of paved, tree-lined pathway through Westfield in southwestern Massachusetts. The trail runs from Main Street, across the Great River Bridge...
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.
We parked at India Point. Don't do that! It requires going up a ramp to cross the bridge (which fortunately has a bike and pedestrian corridor), and then downhill to an uninspiring part of town, then a lot of downhill until you get to the beautiful part of the path. Of course, when you finish, on a hot summer day, you have all that uphill to do in the open sunshine on the way back. We saw many opportunities to park along the path.
Other than that, the path is easy and beautiful and fairly shady, at least to Barrington, which is where we turned back (reluctantly).
Rode most of this one with some friends, picking it up in Danielson. Finding it was a tad tricky, but maybe that was related to where we picked it up. Once we got going, we really liked it. Smooth pavement, very well-shaded, and right next to a peaceful river. Absolutely wonderful after a long day of riding in near-90 degree heat. I wish it could have gone on longer.
Rode this with some friend, starting in Cranston, all the way to the end. I thought it was great! Good pavement and well-shaded in Cranston and Coventry, although things got a touch bumpy in West Warwick due to tree roots, and there was less shade there as well. Oh, and there wasn't much traffic either, which is a nice change from what I'm used to. Overall, it was everything I want in a rail trail, except for one thing: going from east to west, the last few miles are a steady climb. Since this is a rail trail, it's a relatively gentle climb, but it's constant and your legs will feel it. My advice is to shift to a slightly easier gear, get a good cadence going, and just take your time!
Rode most of this with some friends. I was on a hardcore touring bike (Surly Disc Trucker), under load, and they were on older '90s-style mountain bikes. We made it, but a lot of it was rough going. Many parts are rocky and heavily damaged by ATVs. We occasionally had to slog through deep pools of standing water and mud; this was also the case on the Trestle Trail in Rhode Island, with which this trail connects. Overall, on the bikes we had with us, it wasn't much fun. If you're a causal rider and prefer paved rail trails, you won't have a good time. But, if you have a very capable gravel or mountain bike, and you know how to use it, then you might enjoy this one. Otherwise, avoid. Hopefully this trail gets fixed up and at least re-graded and re-surfaced someday, but I'm not holding my breath.
This is a nice (mostly flat) trail that is paved from the road behind the Clark YMCA all the way to 140. There is a short on-road section with a decent uphill to pick up the trail over by Rt 140. Past 140, the trail alternates between sand, gravel, and loose rock on one uphill. Trail suddenly ends at a barrier that’s the edge of a cemetary.
Started at the trailhead on Scott Mitchell and rode south. A little muddy in a couple spots (very large puddles at the underpass for 202) , some roots in the path. My son was the leader in the ride and was easily able to follow the trail down to the center of Peterborough.
[Biked from Bushnell Park to Charter Oak Park and back, 7/11/21]
If you're driving to a trail, don't make it this one. As many have said, the experience of biking next to the I-384 is less than stellar. There were two places where the vegetation had overgrown the trail to the point where some cyclists are going to crash sooner rather than later. The trail is boring, the street portions are boring, there's really nothing that makes this trail stand out. If you don't want to see people but you want to hear cars anyway, this might be the trail for you. Hardly anyone else on the trail, must be that everyone else is wiser than I. Aside from being a boring, noisy trail with occasional Jumanji hazards, the pavement itself is in decent shape and the hills give a workout so I'll refrain from giving this 1 star.
I won't blame this on the trail given the recent storms, but there was also a downed tree blocking the entire path and the only way around was a muddy, flooded detour some intrepid souls must've carved.
Also protip: Labyrinth appears to be closed on Sundays, I'd call ahead if you're planning a beer with your ride :(
I like this trail to walk because it is well paved, flat, no hills, and friendly considerate people especially the bike riders who usually indicate when they are passing me. There is some industrial and kind of dumpy areas that abut the trail unlike where I came from, Woodstock NY, where the paths are pristine and beautiful. However, I like where the trail crosses a bridge across the Mill River just past Veterans Field in Northampton.
This is a great ride for me to test my novice skills. I find myself coming back to here twice a week after work just to get a quick workout in
Started at Prospect Street boat launch and road north. First mile or two of trail is wide and gravel with potholes. Nice scenery next to river. I'd score this part of the trail a 3. From mile 2 to 3 the trail is still wide but mostly grass with two dirt tracks (a car width apart). Grass is about 8 to 12" tall. Hard to see some bumps and defects. I'd score this part of the trail a 2. From mile 3.2 to the bridge at mile 4.4 (all distances from Prospect Street) boat launch the trail is in poor condition and a single track. I'd score this a 1. The bridge is the remnant of an impressive structure. The steel is rusty but in good shape. The timbers are rotting but for those not intimidated they can be walked. It's a shame the bridge isn't being saved for rail trail users. This is a dead end. I wanted to get back on to Route 119. I needed to go back 1.2 miles to find a poor quality side trail that dumped me out behind the Sunoco gas station.
The scenery on the ride was the best for the first 2 miles of the trip. After that, in general, you are inland and not looking to the side. Your focus is on navigating the trail.
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