From urban walks to all-natural strolls, Massachusetts is home to trails of all types, a varied quality that was recently celebrated by outdoor discovery platform AllTrails, which included a Boston-based byway on its list of 25 trails to explore in 2025.
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Yes, along with Italy's Il Sentiero della Pace (The Path of Peace), Mexico's Cerro Pelón, New Zealand's Hump Ridge Track and Japan's Nachi Falls, the global list included Beantown's own world-famous Freedom Trail at No. 3 on its 2025 rankings. Easily spotted by the signature brick red “line” marked along the sidewalk, the 2.5-mile trail through the heart of Boston passes by some of the city’s most historic sites, made even more informative and intriguing by the 18th-century costumed guides.
"Over the years, this urban trail has become a must-do in the city of Boston. While it may not offer the abundance of trees and wildlife that most nature trails provide, it offers a wealth of historical monuments to explore, including Paul Revere’s house and the Old South Meeting House. Did someone say, the British are coming?" reads AllTrail's write-up of the Boston attraction, also citing the trail's free audio tour on the National Park Service website conveniently offering "a stop-by-stop overview of key historical sites."
Along with the Massachusetts trail, our buddies over in New Hampshire also got some love thanks to the stunning Appalachian Trail, which the site ranked at No. 8 and dubbed "one of the most treasured thru-hikes in the world." Spanning more than 2,000 miles along the eastern United States, the trail has "welcomed countless adventurers, from its first solo female thru-hiker, Grandma Gatewood, in 1955, to the trail’s first blind thru-hiker, Bill Irwin, in 1990," says AllTrails, but notes, "you don’t have to be a hardcore backpacker to experience the magic of the Appalachian Trail."
Other stunning American trails featured in the top 10 include Utah's Dark Sky Reserve, Arkansas's Slaughter Pen Trail and the Firefly Trail in South Carolina's Congaree National Park.