Skip to main content
Sugar River Recreational Rail Trail Sugar River Recreational Rail Trail

Recreational Rail Trails

General Information

All state-owned recreational rail trails listed below are multi-use trails. Users of multi-use trails may include hikers, bikers, equestrians, snowmobilers, OHRVs, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and sled dogs.

Active Railroads MAY allow recreational use ONLY during the WINTER months on some lines. Dates for winter use are determined by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

Winter Use Only = when there is contiguous snow cover on the trails.

Please note: Different types of motorized usage are allowed at different times of the year on some multi-use trails. Please check to be sure your particular activity is allowed before using the trails.

Recreational Rail Trails with rails in place may have service-type equipment such as putt-putts or speeders using the rails when not snow covered.

If there is no designated parking, some parking may be available at road crossings. Please do not park in front of gates and pull safely off the road.

Recreational Rail Trails Map
Recreational Rail Trail Pamphlet
 


List of State-Owned Rail Trails Under DNCR Maintenance

  1. Non-Motorized Rail Trails with snowmobile use
    1. Ashuelot Recreational Rail Trail (Keene-Winchester) 21 miles
    2. Cheshire Recreational Rail Trail (North Walpole-Fitzwilliam) 42 miles
    3. Farmington Recreational Rail Trail (Farmington-Rochester) 6 miles
    4. Fort Hill Recreational Rail Trail (Hinsdale) 8.9 miles
    5. Monadnock Recreational Rail Trail (Mass line-Jaffrey) 7.2 miles
    6. Northern Recreational Rail Trail (Boscawen-Lebanon) 59.3 miles
    7. Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail, Portsmouth Branch (Manchester-Newfields) -25.3 miles
  2. Motorized use with snow cover only
    1. Cotton Valley Rail Trail (Wolfeboro-Wakefield) 12 miles
    2. Presidential Recreational Rail Trail (Jefferson-Gorham) 18.3 miles
    3. Profile Recreational Rail Trail (Bethlehem) 1.5 miles
  3. Motorized use except for Mud Season
    1. Greenville Recreational Rail Trail (Greenville) 2.2 miles
    2. Hillsborough Recreational Rail Trail (Hillsborough-Bennington) 7.7 miles
    3. Upper Coos Recreational Rail Trail (Colebrook-Beecher Falls) 10.5 miles
    4. Warren Recreational Rail Trail (Warren) 4 miles
  4. Motorized use year-round
    1. Ammonoosuc Recreational Rail Trail (Woodsville-Littleton) 19.2 miles
    2. Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail, Fremont Branch (Route 107 Fremont-Route 28 Derry) 18 miles
    3. Sugar River Recreational Rail Trail (Newport-Claremont) 9.5 miles
  5. Active Rail Road line – time of year restrictions for any use determined by Dept. of Transportation. OHRV use is prohibited on all active rail lines. Public use of Rail Rights-of-Way is prohibited.
    1. Concord to Lincoln Line (Tilton-Lincoln) 53 miles * Winter Use Only
    2. Conway Branch Recreational Rail Trail (Ossipee-Conway) 21 miles, the trail has active trains on it from Silver Lake to Boulder Road in Madison. 
    3. Wilton/Lyndeborough Branch (Wilton-Bennington) 17 Miles * No Allowed Use at the Time
 

Additional Information/Resources

NH DOT Rails Trails Plan
2021 House Bill 311: Committee to Study Rail Trail Management Practices
Seal of the State of New Hampshire © NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
172 Pembroke Road Concord, NH 03301