Lake Winnisquam & WOW Rail Trails, NH
• 4-star trail
• 4.2 miles each way
• Easy difficulty | Elevation gain nominal
• Lakes Region | Laconia - Belmont NH
• Driving Directions: South | Beach | Lakeport

Passing lake views at Bartlett Beach, on the WOW Trail.
Built on the Southern shores of Lake Winnesquam, threading through the town of Laconia and heading North along Opechee Bay, this route links two trails to become an excellent and varied tour through part of the scenic lakes region of New Hampshire.
Entering the town of Laconia, buildings obscure any views and you must continue parallel to the railroad, past the large station at the center of town and out towards Lakeport and Opechee Bay. Thankfully the route of the trail manages to avoid any road biking, mostly with dedicated trail but occasionally by co-opting a former sidewalk or two. Some views of the Bay can be spotted as you ride North towards what is currently the end of the trail at Lakeport. Just beyond and across the road is also the former station building of Lakeport, where many vacationers must have alighted on their way to their lake houses, back in the days of steam.

"Rails with Trails" allows for a multitude of trail use.
As a family we enjoyed a fun out-and-back ride of this combined route, and would recommend it even more when combining with a visit to the beaches, the ice cream shop in Laconia or the miniature golf course located half a mile from the South end of the trail.
We've identified the best trail parking on our maps as usual. The South end has only three spots plus an ADA accessible space, whereas the North end at Lakeport has a ton of parking near the Lake Opechee Inn and Spa. More parking is available in marked spaces at Belmont and Bartlet beaches (only park in rail trail identified spots). Parking around Laconia station is limited to two hours, but some neighborhood streets a little further out have no such restrictions.
Plans are under development to add more rail-with-trail heading Southwest towards Tilton, where you can pick up the Winnipesaukee River Trail. Even closer is the 1.9 mile Belmont Village Spur, if you're looking for more former railroad routes to traverse.
Trail Conditions:
Trails are asphalt paved from end-to-end, including some repurposed sidewalk. The WOW trail (East 2.2 mi) is flat. The Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail departs from the railroad alignment and has some small hills (around 150ft over 2 miles).


Winding woodland trail on the Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail.

Catch the Hobo Railroad scenic railroad excursion from Laconia Station.
Phone Navigation:
• Lake Winnisquam & WOW Trails | 4★ | 4.2 mi each way | GPX | AllTrails
Tangents:
• External Links: AllTrails Public
• Trailspotting: Railtrail Map of NH | NH Railtrail Articles
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