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Massachusetts

by Collin Falls January 3, 2018
Massachusetts

Massachusetts has an incredible variety and quantity of bike trails to offer visiting or resident cyclists. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing ocean ride, a peaceful woodland trip, or a commuter trail in the heart of Boston, there’s something here for you. Massachusetts also contains a portion of the East Coast Greenway, a 3000-mile bike tour down the Atlantic Coast that links Canada to Key West, Florida.

Our favorite bike trail in Massachusetts is the Shining Sea Bikeway. It is the only bikeway on Cape Cod, a top New England tourist destination, to skirt the shore. This paved path follows prehistoric Wampanoag Indian trails, offering beautiful views of woodlands, marshes, salt ponds, and expansive seascapes to the observant cyclist. It is perhaps the most scenic bike trail in the entire state.

Massachusetts Bike Trails

  • Bridge of Flowers  –  0.1 mile  –  gravel
  • Goose Pond Path  –  0.1 mile  –  asphalt
  • Chicopee River Canal Rail Trail  –  0.2 mile  –   asphalt
  • Salisbury Rail Trail Connector  –  0.3 miles  –  asphalt
  • North Bank Bridge  –  0.5 miles  –  concrete
  • Center Trail  –  0.6 mile  –  crushed stone
  • Salisbury Beach State Reservation Trail  –  0.6 mile  –  crushed stone, grass
  • Westville Lake Community Trail  –  0.7 mile  –  crushed stone  –  Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Barker Road Trail  –  0.9 mile  –  dirt, grass
  • Bridge Street Bike Trail  –  1 mile  –  asphalt
  • Quarries Footpath  –  1 mile  –  dirt
  • Upper Falls Greenway  –  1 mile  –  crushed stone
  • Clipper City Rail Trail & Harborwalk  –  1.1 miles  –  asphalt, boardwalk  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Cochituate Rail Trail  –  1.1 miles  –  asphalt, concrete  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Mattapoisett Rail Trail  –  1.1 miles  –  asphalt
  • Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path  –  1.2 miles  –  asphalt, dirt, grass  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Amesbury Riverwalk  –  1.3 miles  –  dirt  –  Modified route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Bradford Rail Trail  –  1.3 miles  –  asphalt chips
  • Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail  –  1.4 miles  –  asphalt
  • East Boston Greenway  –  1.4 miles  –  asphalt
  • Old Eastern Marsh Trail  –  1.4 miles  –  asphalt
  • Redstone Rail Trail  –  1.4 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • World War II Veterans Memorial Trail  –  1.5 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Nauset Trail  –  1.6 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Old Colony Nature Pathway  –  1.6 miles  –  dirt, sand
  • South Spencer Rail Trail  –  1.6 miles  –  crushed stone  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Whitney Spur Rail Trail  –  1.6 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone
  • Bay Colony Rail Trail  –  1.7 miles  –  crushed stone  –  Extended route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • South Bay Harbor Trail  –  1.7 miles  –  asphalt, concrete
  • Salisbury Point Ghost Trail  –  1.8 miles  –  crushed stone
  • Lowell Canal System Trails  –  1.9 miles  –  asphalt, concrete  –  Extended route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway  –  1.9 miles  –  asphalt, concrete
  • Alewife Linear Park/Somerville Community Path  –  2 miles  –  asphalt
  • Columbia Greenway Rail Trail  –  2 miles  –  asphalt  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Concord River Greenway  –  2 miles  –  asphalt
  • Haggetts Rail Trail  –  2 miles  –  crushed stone  –  Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Head of the Meadow Trail  –  2 miles  –  asphalt  –  Extended route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Jay McLaren Memorial Trail  –  2 miles  –  dirt, grass, gravel
  • Pine Tree Brook / Popes Pond Path  –  2 miles  –  asphalt, dirt, woodchips
  • Salem-Beverly Canal Path (Grand Wenham Canal Path)  –  2 miles  –  dirt, grass  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Boxford Rail Trail  –  2.1 miles  –  dirt, grass
  • Methuen Rail Trail  –  2.4 miles  –  crushed stone
  • Hanover Branch Rail Trail  –  2.6 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone
  • Blackstone River Greenway (MA)  –  3 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Bridle Trail  –  3 miles  –  dirt, sand
  • Bedford Narrow Gauge Rail Trail  –  3.1 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone, dirt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Canalside Trail  –  3.3 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Martin H.Burns Wildlife Management Area Trail  –  3.4 miles  –  dirt, gravel, sand
  • Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park Trail  –  3.5 miles  –  dirt
  • Phoenix Bike Trail  –  3.5 miles  –  asphalt
  • Spicket River Greenway  –  3.5 miles  –  asphalt
  • Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path)  –  3.9 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Marblehead Rail Trail  –  4.1 miles  –  asphalt, dirt, gravel, sand
    • Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
    • West-East Segment route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Grand Trunk Trail  –  4.4 miles  –  crushed stone, dirt, gravel
  • Reformatory Branch Trail  –  4.5 miles  –  dirt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Norwottuck Rail Trail (Francis P. Ryan Section)  –  4.9 miles  –  asphalt  –  Modified route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Topsfield Linear Common and Wenham Rail Trail  –  4.9 miles  –  cinder, crushed stone  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Danvers Rail Trail  –  5.1 miles  –  crushed stone  –   Modified route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Neponset River Greenway  –  5.2 miles  –  asphalt  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway  –  5.4 miles  –  asphalt
  • Bruce Freeman Rail Trail  –  6.8 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Southwick Rail Trail  –  7.1 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Province Lands Bike Trail  –  7.3 miles  –  asphalt
    • Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
    • Loop route with legs  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Old Colony Rail Trail  –  7.9 miles  –  asphalt  –  Down-and-back route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Northern Strand Community Trail  –  8 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Independence Greenway  –  8.1 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone  –  Modified route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Assabet River Rail Trail  –  8.6 miles  –  asphalt  –  Southern segment route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Manhan Rail Trail  –  9 miles  –  asphalt  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Minuteman Bikeway  –  9.7 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Mass Central Rail Trail (Norwottuck Branch)  –  10 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Shining Sea Bikeway  –  10.7 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Ashuwillticook Rail Trail  –  11.2 miles –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • North Central Pathway  –  11.4 miles  –  asphalt  –  Southern segments route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Ware River  –  12 miles  –  ballast, dirt, grass, gravel  –  Partial route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Nashua River Rail Trail  –  12.3 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Upper Charles Trail  –  12.3 miles  –  asphalt, crushed stone  –  Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Cape Cod Canal Bikeway  –  13.5 miles  –  concrete
    • Mainland route  (GPX track, TCX course)
    • Cape Cod route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Southern New England Trunkline Trail  –  21 miles  –  asphalt, ballast, crushed stone  –  Modified loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Charles River Bike Path  –  22.9 miles  –  asphalt  –  Loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Cape Cod Rail Trail –  25.7 miles  –  asphalt  –  Route  (GPX track, TCX course)
  • Mass Central Rail Trail  –  31.9 miles  –  crushed stone, dirt, grass  –  Western segment loop route  (GPX track, TCX course)

If you know of (or have ridden and created) a more accurate one-way route on RideWithGPS for any of these Massachusetts bike trails, please let us know so that we can improve this page.

Massachusetts Trails on the East Coast Greenway

Of the trails included in the list above, the following are currently part of the East Coast Greenway. The mileage counts reflect the portion of each trail that is on the Greenway.

  • Northern Strand Community Trail – 3.3 miles
  • North Bank Bridge – 0.6 mile
  • Charles River Bike Path – 12.5 miles
  • Blackstone River Greenway (MA) – 2.4 miles
  • Mattapoisett Rail Trail (complementary route) – 1 mile
  • Cape Cod Rail Trail (complementary route) – 23 miles
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