Automobiles and airplanes may have taken the steam out of the railroading age, but the decline of the iron horse has been a boon for human-powered locomotion across America. Since the mid-1980s, thousands of miles of decommissioned railroad tracks have been pulled up and their corridors transformed into "rail trails" for cyclists, runners, and other recreationalists. Today, the self-propelled can enjoy 15,000 miles of trails that once served as the arteries of American industry and travel—many of them located in the Northeast. Seven such trails are featured in the AMC Outdoors story “Easy Riding,”; here are five additional trails.
Newport/Dover-Foxcroft Rail Trail
Newport, Maine, to Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
27 miles one way (gravel and dirt)
When workers ripped up the ties from the Maine Central Railroad in 1993, residents of this forested region northwest of Bangor were quick to adopt the corridor as their own. With community contributions and help from the Land for Maine's Future Program, the 27-mile-long gravel-and-dirt trail officially became a public resource. Today hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders breeze past farms and lakes to reach secluded picnicking spots in the summer. Stop in the town of Dexter (former home of Dexter Shoes) for lunch and a trip down a side trail to beautiful Lake Wassookeag. During the winter, the path is a haven for cross-country skiers and dogsledders, while snowmobilers use it to connect to the state's 3,000-mile-long Interconnected Trail System.
MORE INFO: Newport/Dover-Foxcroft Rail Trail
Presidential Rail Trail
Jefferson, N.H., to Gorham, N.H.
18.3 miles one way (dirt and crushed stone)
Tourism and logging brought the railroad to northern New Hampshire, and the automobile drove it out. When trucks and cars started carrying lumber and sightseers to and from the region in the 20th century, the Boston & Maine Railroad pulled up its ties and trail-builders moved in.
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| To find more trails near you, visit TrailLink, where the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy provides descriptions of—and directions to—the perfect path for you. |
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The result is the 18.3-mile Presidential Rail Trail, an underused gem that skirts the base of the craggy northern Presidential Range. Unlike flatter urban rail trails, the Presidential Rail Trail challenges mountain bikers with rolling grades and its dirt and crushed-stone surface. Cyclists looking for a challenge can stow their bikes and head uphill on foot at the Appalachia Trailhead, which once served as a backwoods whistle stop for hikers bound for the craggy summits of Mt. Madison and Mt. Adams. If you're looking to test your bike-handling skills, head over to nearby Moose Brook State Park in Gorham for dirt roads and challenging single-track. There is a small day-use fee.
MORE INFO: New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Nashua River Rail Trail
Ayer, Mass., to Nashua, N.H.
11 miles one way (paved)
Want to explore the 11-mile Nashua River Rail Trail, but don't have access to a car? Just take the train. The southern trailhead sits across the street from the Ayer train station, a 55-minute ride via Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail from Boston's North Station. (Bicycles are allowed on the trains, except during weekday rush hours.) Once you get there, join other bicyclists, walkers, and in-line skaters on the meandering path through wetlands and forests along the Nashua River. A crushed stone equestrian path parallels the trail for its final seven miles from Groton, Mass., to Nashua, N.H.—a perfect ride when the fall's fiery maples light up the surface of the Nashua River. To take a closer look at the wetland ecosystem, detour through the J. Harry Rich State Forest near the trail's halfway point.
MORE INFO: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
