Over the last year, we’ve delved deep into New England’s hiking culture. Using a combination of Google search data (to measure monthly search volume) and interviews with New England hiking experts, we’ve determined:
Connecticut’s Most Popular Hikes
Maine’s Most Popular Hikes
Massachusetts’ Most Popular Hikes
New Hampshire’s Most Popular Hikes
Rhode Island’s Most Popular Hikes
Vermont’s Most Popular Hikes
We’ve done all of the individual states, but what about the region as a whole?
If you’re planning on visiting one of these places, make sure you Google it first! Check out the official website, make sure the place is open, find out if you need a reservation, observe any COVID-19 rules they have, and leave no trace when you go!
1. Acadia National Park, ME
132,000 Monthly Google Searches
As the only National Park in the entire Northeast, it makes sense that Acadia is the top hiking destination, with over 51,000 beautiful acres to explore. It has 26 named mountain peeks.
In our article on Maine’s most popular hikes, local experts recommended avoided it between Memorial Day and Labor Day because of overcrowding. It’s best to go in May and in the fall… although once you get out on the trails, you can still have a fairly socially distant and quiet experience.
2. Walden Pond, MA
31,000 Monthly Searches
It’s said this is more of a walking place than a hiking destination. There are about 330 acres of land here off of Route 2 in Massachusetts.
3. Cannon Mountain, NH
17,000 Monthly Searches
In New Hampshire, Cannon Mountain is an accessible place where you can always find snow. You can always get to the top on a ski lift, so some hikers may be surprised to find a crowded summit after a long ascent.
4. White Mountain National Forest, NH
16,000 Monthly Searches
White Mountain’s forest includes Mount Chocorua, the entire presidential range, Franconia Ridge, and more; millions of acres of hiking and exploration.
5. Flume Gorge, NH
13,000 Monthly Searches
More New Hampshire representation on this list. It’s located off of Route 3, just north of Lincoln. It’s said to be a great, accessible place for kids.
6. Cadillac Mountain, ME
11,000 Monthly Searches
This is popular because visitors have an option of driving to the top. There are lots of great day hikes here, and it’s located in the very popular Acadia National Park.
7. Baxter State Park, ME
11,000 Monthly Searches
The main feature of Baxter State Park is Mount Katahdin, which looms a mile high over the park. The park is located in north-central Maine, with over 200,000 acres of land and 200 miles of trails.
8. Mount Monadnock, NH
11,000 Monthly Searches
Located near Keane, NH, Mount Monadnock has about an hour-long hike to get to a 360 view of the surrounding area. Part of its popularity is due to the fact that it’s only an hour drive from Boston.
9. Franconia Notch State Park, NH
11,000 Monthly Searches
Franconia Notch has a lot of visitors due to its proximity to NYC and Boston, and is right on Route 93.
10. Bash Bish Falls, MA
8,000 Monthly Searches
You probably shouldn’t go swimming here, but make like Henry David Thoreau did in 1844, and walk around and enjoy the views.
11. Mount Katahdin, ME
7,500 Monthly Searches
This is in the southern part of Baxter State Park. You should make reservations before you go, and give yourself eight to ten hours for a spectacular and strenuous hike.
12. Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
6,400 Monthly Searches
This is also one of Cape Cod’s Most-Instagrammed Places. If you go, make sure you check out the Salt Pond Visitor Center first; and let the endless expanse of sand and surf wash over you.
13. Mount Pisgah, VT
6,200 Monthly Searches
Pisgah is the first Vermont hike that makes the list. It’s said that this is like no other place in Vermont. There’s a sustained uphill hike, with views of cliffs on either side and a spectacular overlook of Lake Willoughby.
14. Pawtuckaway State Park, NH
6,200 Monthly Searches
Pawtuckaway has rock climbing, hiking, swimming, and blueberry picking. It’s great for families.
15. Mount Mansfield, VT
5,700 Monthly Searches
Mount Mansfield is the highest peak in Vermont, and is a must-visit if you’re in the state. There are lots of trail options to ascend the mountain.
16. Bear Brook State Park, NH
5,700 Monthly Searches
The largest developed state park in New Hampshire, and you can still see the New Deal-era “Civilian Conservation Corps” work camp on the premises.
17. Blue Hills Reservation, MA
5,200 Monthly Searches
There are lots of trails at Blue Hills, that touch on the nearby towns of Braintree, Canton, Dedham, Milton, Quincy and Randolph, MA.
Like Bear Brook in NH, there are remnants of the Civilian Conservation Corps that blazed the trails and built the stairways that are still in the park.
18. Arethusa Falls, NH
5,100 Monthly Searches
This is only a 1.6 mile hike, but you need to be careful here (like with most waterfall trails). Once you make it, it’s a great place for a picnic by the waterfall.
19. Mount Greylock State Reservation, MA
3,800 Monthly Searches
Mount Greylock is located in the Northwestern part of the state and is the highest peak in MA. There are about 70 miles of trails.
20. Cape Cod Rail Trail, MA
3,600 Monthly Searches
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a fantastic level trail for exploring Cape Cod. Many people bike through it.
21. Sleeping Giant State Park, CT
3,200 Monthly Searches
This is the first Connecticut hike to make the list. It looks like a giant man lying on his back, hence the name. There are lots of trails for everyone, and near Quinnipiac, so it can be crowded.
22. Roger Williams Park, RI
3,200 Monthly Searches
This is the first Rhode Island hike on the list, and it’s earned the nickname of the people’s park. It has five scenic, woodland trails.
23. Cliff Walk, RI
3,200 Monthly Searches
Cliff Walk is the only national recreational trail that’s in a historically preserved city; it combines the beauty of the ocean and landscapes, along with the history and architecture of a city.
24. Presidential Traverse, NH
3,200 Monthly Searches
A hike in the White Mountains, this place features multiple Adirondack Mountain Club huts for spending the night (they require reservations!)
It’s a serious hike for serious hikers.
25. Tuckerman Ravine, NH
3,200 Monthly Searhces
Part of Mount Washington, this is part of the legacy of the last North American glaciers in the area. It’s a tough, almost vertical trail.
26. Middlesex Fells Reservation, MA
3,100 Monthly Searches
Just outside of Boston, this location offers lots of community programming, but once you get out on the trails, there are trails like the Skyline Trail that offer some solitude as well as challenging low-level rock scrambles.
27. Camel’s Hump, VT
3,000 Monthly Searches
Since the 1960s, Camel’s Hump has been protected as a national natural landmark, which protects it from being developed over. It’s said to be one of the easiest 4,000 footers to summit in New England.
28. Mount Major, NH
3,000 Monthly Searches
There are panoramic views of Lake Winnipesaukee after a relatively short (2 hour) hike.
29. Mount Wachusett State Reservation, MA
2,900 Monthly Searches
Located in the middle of the state, this is a great place to watch raptors (the birds, not the dinosaurs). It’s a great place to see the skyline of Boston, which is about 50 miles away.
30. Diana’s Baths, NH
2,900 Monthly Searches
Diana’s Baths’s is a great place for families; it’s only a 10 minute hike and gets you to ankle deep water where you can sit down and cool off.
31. Myles Standish State Forest, MA
2,900 Monthly Searches
The park is the size of Manhattan, taking up a large chunk of Eastern Massachusetts. There are lots of campsites, ponds, and several marked trails, and is considered the third-largest tract of pine barrens in the country.
32. Franconia Ridge Loop, NH
2,600 Monthly Searches
It’s the most popular hike within Franconia Notch State Park, with views well above the treeline but also only a couple of miles from a major road.
33. Mount Chocorua, NH
2,600 Monthly Searches
Mount Chocorua combines convenience (it’s right off a major highway) and several rigorous hikes, with the payoff of a 360 view of the White Mountains.
34. Jordan Pond, ME
2,500 Monthly Searches
Jordan Pond is part of Acadia National Park. It’s a popular hub for the park’s trail network, and there’s even a place to buy popovers, tea, and lemonade to be enjoyed on its grassy lawn.
35. White Lake State Park, NH
2,500 Monthly Searches
Not far from Mount Chocorua, it features a nice lake with a campsite, with views of the nearby mountain.
36. Mount Washington, NH
2,500 Monthly Searches
Mount Washington is the highest point on the eastern seaboard and sometimes has 50 mile winds; you can either take a 4-5 mile hike to the summit, or drive up.
37. Mount Moosilauke, NH
2,500 Monthly Searches
It’s a popular, misty, foggy and icy place to hike with a lodge at the bottom.