Explore the best rated trails in Athol, MA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Common Pathway and Appel Way Trail . With more than 73 trails covering 630 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.
I love this trail! Rode it on 3/14/24 when weather was 62 degrees. This trail is short but can be expanded if you cross the metal bridge by the brewery and take the road to the left leading to the Fish Research Hatchery on the opposite side of the canal. If you meander through the little neighborhood on that side as well you can extend it further and get another view of the old mill complexes. I get 20 miles out of the ride. Bring a lunch there are picnic tables on both sides!
The Columbia Greenway Rail Trail is a beautiful rail trail that has a little of everything. City views, farmland, rivers, and tree cover in just 3 miles. The bridges are also a feature that make this trail unique. I love that it connects to trails that go much further south into CT, so whether you are just going for a short walk or a long ride you can do it here! Plenty of access points too (including 4 in downtown Westfield alone) make it easy to get on the trail from nearby neighborhoods or get off to shop and eat at downtown businesses.
It looked very nice from the parking area, but could not get through the barricades with a recumbent trike. Drove over an hour and gates were shut and would have had to lift trike over gates. Disgusted with Massachusetts and whomever designed the barricades. Has anyone heard of the ADA?
I live in the area & have walked my dog using the section from S. Beech to Gold Street for years. A new section from Gold to Perimeter Road is finally completed as well. I can't wait to try the new section in the summer when I can ride my bike or rollerblade.
Excellent experience on this fresh paved trail. The scenery of the ponds and mountains in the distance was worth the trip.
I traveled all the way from California with high expectations for this trail and I wasn't let down (except for the repairs being made on the damaged portion of the trail). It's all good. I made it work.
What an awesome trail for a mid October bike ride!
- The colors of the trees reflected upon the numerous ponds and lakes.
- The pleasant chirping and squawking of active birds.
- Leaves fluttering gently to the ground.
- A wide, smooth path carpeted in golden brown leaves.
- Historic buildings.
- Industrious squirrels.
- Old, historic stone walls.
- Deep, dark woods.
- Rolling, grass covered hills.
- Harvested pumpkins on a farm being sorted into bins.
- Goats, horses, and the friendliest trail users you could ever hope to cross paths with!
I took a leisurely four hours out and back and over 200 photos and video to capture my wonderful memories of this trail. Thank you Massachusetts and New Hampshire!
We love biking the Airline and have used non electric hybrid bikes as well as e-bikes. Both work well. On 10/28/2023 we biked the section from Willimantic parking at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum area and pedaled to Rt. 207 Lebanon Rd, Amston, CT. FYI, we're in our 60s and encountered no difficulties with the terrain.
My brother and I had no problem riding this beautiful trail on e-bikes with 1 5/8 inch tires on a weekday in Sept. 2021 and again in August 2023. Both times we rode west from Newfield and noted that the trail has noticeably more rocks as we headed west of Raymond. We were glad we had front suspension forks. Dearborn Forest just past Onway Lake was our turnaround point at about 17 miles. At Route 125 (Main St.) in Epping, be sure to take the right trail at the fork to continue on the Portsmouth branch. The left trail is the Fremont Branch where you may find yourself riding with ATV's.
At Freetown Road (Route 102) in Raymond, McDonalds is just south of the trail. If you are looking for a tastier burger and have more time, go north one block on Route 102 to Route 27 (Hannaford on your right), then go left one block to Tuckaway Tavern & Butchery (featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" television series).
Cheshire Trail South. Rode north from State Line Circle toward Kenne. We are experienced road cyclists, now riding gravel bikes. We are looking for reasonably surfaced longer trails and hoped this would be one of them. Sadly, we found this trail to be rocky, rutted, with lots of roots, and uncleared blowdown. The vigilance required to remain upright made it difficult to enjoy the beauty all around. The suddenly occurring steep inclines to roads seemed borderline dangerous. If we lived closer it would be a great trail to walk with the dogs
I have ridden this trail many times, and always enjoy it. It is well maintained, well marked, plenty of great places to park for a variety of stop/starting points. Several lovely bridges over roads that would be difficult or impossible to cross. A bike shop along the route, even EV charging stations at the lot by the West Concord train station, where you can also visit the lovely shops and cafes nearby!
Be aware that the section from West Concord towards the Sudbury expansion is well used by the nearby Middle school for after school activities and can be heavily congested during that time. Road cycling can be a challenge weekday afternoons when school is in session.
First: be aware that a recent storm has washed out a section of the trail about 2 miles from the Ayer parking lot in Sept 2023. People are portaging past it, but some set-ups might not work in this situation. That said, this is a great trail. Plenty of parking at many points along the way, some even have EV chargers!
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