Wonderful opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors abound in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

In no particular order, I came up with some amazing, free  or low-cost outdoor New England travel and vacation destinations for scenic walks, hikes and places to ride a bike that will be sure to please the senses while you get in some good exercise.

Let’s start the journey now with these 35  “feel good” outdoor New England travel gems…

Monarch Trail, Adams Farm, Walpole MA
World’s End, Hingham MA
Paddling the Housatonic River in Connecticut
Short Sands Beach, York Beach, Maine
Cape Cod beaches
Noon Hill, Medfield MA
Marginal Way, Ogunquit ME
Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park ME
Newport Cliff Walk, Newport RI
Parker Wildlife Refuge, Newburyport MA
Vermont hikes for the family
Castle Island, Boston MA
Bird Park, Walpole MA
Walden Pond, Concord MA
Borderland State Park, Easton MA
Trustees Reservation locations throughout Massachusetts
Bushnell Park, Hartford CT
The Freedom Trail, Boston MA
Walpole Town Forest, Walpole MA
Popular walks in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire
Hale Reservation, Westwood MA
Mt. Chocorua, Tamworth, NH
Multi-use recreation trails in Maine
Blue Hills Reservation, Milton MA
Mt. Sugarloaf, South Deerfield MA
Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park Maine
Pack Monadnock, Peterborough NH
East Bay Bike Path, Bristol to Providence Rhode Island
Minuteman Bikeway, Cambridge to Bedford MA
Stowe VT Recreation Path
Cape Cod Canal Bike Trail
Shining Sea Bikeway, Cape Cod
Colt State Park, Bristol RI
Gillette Castle State Park, East Haddam CT
Long Sands Beach, York Beach Maine

Our scenic places to have a picnic article also can serve as a resource for some amazing walking and hiking opportunities, including mentions of Loneseome Lake at Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, as well as Cape Cod National Seashore. For a more comprehensive overview of places to walk and hike in New England, I recommend logging onto the Appalachian Mountain Club Web Site. Let’s also keep in mind that Cape Cod is a tremendous place for walks and hikes and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce has come up with a great list of hiking and walking trails there. For the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, BerkshireHiking.com offers some excellent resources on where to enjoy the great outdoors in this beautiful region!

Please share with us in the comment box below some of your favorite places to get outdoors in New England. Thanks!