Explore the best rated trails in New Hampshire, whether you're looking an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Nashua River Rail Trail and Ashuelot Rail-Trail. With more than 58 trails covering 459 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
You can actually start in downtown New Boston. Ride a few hundred feet on Rt 13 to Depot Street, cross the bridge and turn right onto a dirt road that will lead to the 4H Fairgrounds. It should be noted that Google Maps does not show a completed section from the fairgrounds Gregg Mill Road, but it is in fact a nice section of the trail. After Gregg Mill Rd it becomes a walking trail. You need at least a cross bike to ride on the rest of the trail to 114. It is fun.
I rode this trail from The Gorham parking lot on route 2 up to Jefferson Notch Road on July 15, 2017. I have cycled this trail several times over the years, and for a while it looked like the trail was getting better, but now I'm thinking it's being deteriorate.
On this mid-July day, some areas had grass 2-3 feet high, ballast rock as been put down in a couple of areas to build the trail back up for snowmobiles (good when the ballast is under the snow, not good when it's a cycling surface). I had two ticks on my legs from the tall grass btw.
There are some beautiful areas on this trail however, the Pondicherry end is also very nice (I've done that section several times in the past). I rode on a hybrid with 26"x1.75" tires, it was fine, but a narrow tire would be very uncomfortable on this trail.
I've been riding the Cotton Valley rail trail since it opened and I'm excited that the last phase of the trail is almost finished. I was told that it should be done by August. I'm gearing up for the ride from Wakefield into Wolfeboro! Thank you to all of the people who worked hard on this beautiful trail and making one of my dreams come true! Job well done!!
Beautiful scenic trail, wide, not too crowded!
We followed the Traillink directions and parked at the lot off of Airport Rd, in Whitefield and rode our mountain bikes east. (If you start at Airport Rd, you can add 2 miles to the 18 that Traillink states as the length of the trail.) The trail is completely unmaintained. We rode through knee high and then waist high grass for many miles with nothing but ruts through the grass to guide us. The trail surface leaves a lot to be desired, and in some places, with the high grass and large basket ball sized rocks in the middle of the trail, is dangerous. Between the lot at Airport Rd and Bowman, we encountered two large trees that had fallen across the trail and we were forced to haul our bikes across them one at a time. In one spot, you actually cycle through someones back yard, within feet of their home. In others you encounter deep sand that will stop you cold. All in all, I would not recommend this trail to any but the hardiest souls with a good mountain bike. It is not a family friendly trail nor is it for hybirds or other bikes. The views are nice, but this trail does not live up to the hype it gets, which might be why we did not see another person the entire length of the trail.
My wife and I used to love this trail, driving from Concord to Nashua a couple of times a year to ride it to Ayer. With its tree canopy, it's most enjoyable on a hot day. But all those trees come with a down side.
Yesterday's ride (7/4/17) was less than satisfactory. Several sections have severe tree root ridges across the entire trail, making them impossible to avoid. Those sections are in serious need of resurfacing or other maintenance.
Got to the trail before 8:00 am on Independence Day and had a wonderful ride up to Nashua and back for about 25 total miles. Yes there are a few frost heaves and some roots snaking through the trail at times, but it is a minor inconvenience for an otherwise WONDERUL rail trail. Long open stretches without crossings and beautiful scenery along the path. Much of it is shaded which is good for sunny hot days. The holiday traffic on the trail was picking up for the second half of the ride back to Ayer. As always, probably a good idea to get there early.
I truly enjoy this trail and noticed that graffiti was covered recently, however right after it was covered new graffiti was done😔. I wish there were security cameras in that area to catch whoever is doing this and heavy fines. We should be working together to make it better. Why ruin a nice trail?
would be a great trail if closed to motel vehicles. they chew up Sandy stretches making it unusable by bicycles end to end. a lot of money was spent on bridges which are beautiful but not trail surfaces. a real shame ,this could be one great trail.
My wife and two kids (7 and 10) and I started on the Newport end of the trail, on a Sunday afternoon. First impression was good, nice hard packed soil and beautiful scenery. Then we encountered our first group of ATVs, 3 of them came speeding up from behind us. A closer look at the trail signs showed that they were allowed on the trail. About 1/3 mile into the ride, the surface turned to a soft sand that was difficult to ride on. Then another group of ATVs came from ahead of us, doing a good 30mph. Next a cop on an ATV came around the corner from ahead of us doing about 40mph. The soft sand was too much to deal with so we turned around. Another 4 ATVs passed us. We rode about 3/4 of a mile before turning around. Really a wasted trip and this trail really shouldn't be called a bike or walking trail as it is mainly used by motorized vehicles and doesn't seem safe to have children riding on bicycles.
Yes, some sand in places, but otherwise, this is a beautiful trail, well maintained, with safe road crossings and an overall very good dirt/cinder surface. The trail appears to end at the School Bus Depot, but if you continue down the road, it reconnects through the woods for a short distance before taking you out onto Main St of Goffstown. Beware, the Chipmunks are fearless!
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