Rail Trails of New England

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Rail trail, Live rail, Historic route, Access trail, Road biking.

Flat and wide trails criss-cross New England through woodland, past ponds, along rivers, over historic bridges and between charming small towns. Often separated from road traffic by miles, these routes once carried steam trains but now offer tranquility and a way to explore New England like never before.

We have created the first complete rail trail map of New England, but we've also gone further, uniquely showing the rail trails in context with the live rail network and long-gone routes of yesterday.

Green lines are rail trails in New England that are enjoyed daily by hikers, cyclists, horse riders among other types of user. Choose a state from the top of the map and we have lists of all the rail trails complete with trail lengths, elevation gain, trail conditions and maps you can download to your phone. Connecticut will be added in March 2024.

dark gray icon Dark lines are live rails. Please remember that walking along railroad track is not only illegal but dangerous, including track that you might believe to be inactive.

light gray icon Light gray lines are historic rail routes. Some sit idle, and others were removed decades ago. Some sections have been built over and others cross private property and are not accessible to the public. Traces of long-gone railroads can also be a valuable resource to help towns and trail planners identify and resurrect old railroad routes as new public parks and trails.

Trailspotting doesn't stop here. We are exploring every rail trail and providing individual rail trail reviews that include detailed route mapping and photography. You can find links to all of them in the state-by-state lists or see our latest rail trail reviews here. Here are just some of the rail trails we've explored and reviewed ..

Eastern Promenade, Portland ME
Eastern Promenade, Portland ME

  Rockingham Rail Trail, NH
Rockingham Rail Trail, NH

North Central Pathway, MA
North Central Pathway, MA

  Upper Coos Rail Trail, NH
Upper Coos Rail Trail, NH

Warren Rail Trail, NH
Warren Rail Trail, NH

  Village Spur, Belmont NH
Village Spur, Belmont NH

Cape Cod Rail Trail, MA
Cape Cod Rail Trail, MA

  Shining Sea Bikeway, MA
Shining Sea Bikeway, MA

Northern Rail Trail, NH
Northern Rail Trail, NH

  Piscataquog Rail Trail, NH
Piscataquog Rail Trail, NH

Middleton Rail Trails, MA
Middleton Rail Trails, MA

  Nashua River Trail, NH & MA
Nashua River Trail, NH & MA

Northern Strand Rail Trail, MA
Northern Strand Rail Trail, MA

  East Boston Greenway, MA
East Boston Greenway, MA

Cheshire Rail Trail South, NH
Cheshire Rail Trail South, NH

  Seacoast Greenway, NH
Seacoast Greenway, NH

Sugar River Rail Trail, NH
Sugar River Rail Trail, NH

  Tilly Wheeler Trail, Bradford NH
Tilly Wheeler Trail, Bradford NH

Winnipesaukee River Trail, NH
Winnipesaukee River Trail, NH

   Monadnock Rail Trail, NH
Monadnock Rail Trail, NH

Our maps are a combination of desktop research and fieldwork and errors may crop up occasionally. Some of the routes on this New England maps are also simplified, so we advise reading our individual rail trail review articles for greater detail. Consider subscribing to Trailspotting using the buttons at the top of the page to be notified as we add more reviews.

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