Cycling in North Conway

North Conway’s newest reason to bring a bike is the Mount Washington Valley Recreation Path — a 2.9-mile paved, ten-foot-wide multi-use trail that opened in 2023 and runs from Cranmore Mountain Resort down to Hemlock Lane near the edge of the village. It crosses wetlands on a trio of bridges and boardwalks, stays flat and family-friendly, and is fully wheelchair-accessible. It is short today, but it is the first piece of an ambitious plan for a continuous rec trail stretching from Bartlett all the way to Portland, Maine.

For riders who want more than a paved cruise, Cranmore anchors the valley: it is the only lift-served bike park in Mount Washington Valley, with full-suspension mountain bikes and mellow recreational bikes for rent right at the base — the same spot the rec path begins. Down on White Mountain Highway, Red Jersey Cyclery (Great American Ski & Bike) rents mountain, road, e-bikes, and kids’ bikes with trailers and tag-alongs, and its staff hand out trail maps for the surrounding White Mountain National Forest, which laces the region with well over a thousand miles of riding.

Bike-forward lodging is thinner here than the trail deserves, but it exists. The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott sits at the base of Cranmore with the rec path steps from the lobby and rental bikes at the same base area — a walk-out-and-ride setup. Up in Intervale, the historic 1785 Inn is listed by booking sites as offering complimentary bikes, though it is worth a quick call to confirm before you count on it.

Come between late May and October. The rec path and Cranmore’s bike operations are seasonal, and late September into October turns the whole valley into one of New England’s best foliage rides — just pack a layer, since the notches nearby run cool and wet even in fall.