Rail Trail Links

Assabet River Rail Trail

ARRT was organized to promote the creation of a multi-use recreational trail through Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Action. The path goes along the abandoned rail bed of the former Marlborough Branch Rail Road. The ARRT sponsors clean-ups as well as bicycling, hiking, and skiing activities along the proposed route. In 2005, 5.8 miles of the trail were opened in Hudson and Marlborough. In 2018, 3.8 miles of the trail were opened in Maynard and Acton. This new segment runs from the Stow-Maynard Town line in Maynard to Maple Street near the South Acton MBTA Station. A trail connection through Stow connecting Maynard and Hudson has not yet been designed. Note: While the ARRT and BFRT both go through Acton, there is no plan to connect the two trails here (a dream connection would be a rail-with-trail along the MBTA line between South Acton and West Concord ). The Mass Central Rail Trail connects the ARRT and the BFRT in Hudson ( Wilkins Street ) via Stow to Sudbury ( Union Avenue and Rte 20).

https://www.traillink.com/trail/assabet-river-rail-trail/

The Cochituate Rail Trail

The trail will extend 4 miles from the Village of Saxonville in Framingham to the commuter rail station in Natick Center. A connection with the Bruce Freeman Trail may be possible using the old Weston or Hultman aqueducts just north of Saxonville.
https://www.traillink.com/trail/cochituate-rail-trail/

The Concord River Greenway

The Concord River Greenway will ultimately link to the northern terminus of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail at the Lowell/Chelmsford border and continue north through Lowell along the Concord River to the confluence with the Merrimack River. Construction of the northern portion of the Concord River Greenway has begun. See details at:
https://lowelllandtrust.org/concord-river-greenway/

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway

The 11-mile bikeway between Bedford, MA and Cambridge (Alewife). This is the country’s 500th and second most traveled rail trail!
https://minutemanbikeway.org/

Nashua River Rail Trail

The Nashua River Rail Trail is a former right-of-way that travels 11 miles through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Dunstable, and Nashua. The trail offers a 10-foot-wide paved surface for the entire length, and a five-foot-wide gravel equestrian path for seven miles of the trail from Groton Center to the New Hampshire border in Dunstable. The entire trail is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, inline skaters, wheelchairs, and cross-country skiers.
https://www.mass.gov/locations/nashua-river-rail-trail

Mass Central Rail Trail

An intrepid adventure traveler can still find traces of it in the wilderness. A 104-mile railroad line was shattered by a hurricane in 1938. The line once stretched from downtown Boston to Northampton, MA. Now, over 60 years later, dedicated volunteers and property owners in 33 communities are working to dig it out and open it up. Instead of trains, there will be tourists and locals, Bed & Breakfast inns, cross-country skiers, bicyclists, hikers, joggers, and babies in baby carriages. The Mass Central Rail Trail crosses the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Sudbury.
http://www.masscentralrailtrail.org/

Wachusett Greenways

This is a section of the Mass Central Rail Trail section that is being developed in the towns of Sterling, West Boylston, Holden, Rutland, Oakham, and Barre.
https://www.wachusettgreenways.org/

The Squannacook River Rail Trail

The Squannacook River Rail Trail is 3.7 miles long, from Depot St in the center of Townsend, MA, to the Bertozzi Wildlife Management Area in Groton, MA. The trail occupies the Greenville Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The non-profit Squannacook Greenways, which leased the corridor from the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, built and maintains the rail trail.

The trail is a 10-foot-wide crushed stone surface suitable for all bicycles, walking, and horseback riding. It is adjacent to the Squannacook River State Forest and many hiking trails that access the Squannacook River. The last phase of the rail-trail was completed in the spring of 2024. Parking is available at the intersection of Depot Street and Center Street (1 Center St, Townsend).

https://www.squannacookriverrailtrail.org/

Upper Charles River Reservation

The Upper Charles River Reservation extends from the Watertown Dam to Riverdale Park in West Roxbury, MA. Now that native plants have been restored to the riverbanks, birds and wildlife have returned. You can follow paths that wind along the Charles River, through the towns of Watertown, Waltham, Newton, and Weston.

https://www.mass.gov/locations/upper-charles-river-reservation

The Coastal Trails Coalition

The Coastal Trails Coalition (CTC) is a non-profit organization advocating for the Coastal Trails Network, a 30-mile public system of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the communities of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury.
http://coastaltrails.org/

The Lynnfield Rail Trail

Officially known as the Wakefield-Lynnfield Rail Trail, this is a primarily State and Federally funded project using land leased to the towns of Lynnfield and Wakefield by the MBTA to convert the former Newburyport Railroad bed into a recreational trail that provides for safe off-road connection to the town's key resources.
http://www.lynnfieldrailtrail.org/home.html

Londonderry Trailways

The Londonderry Rail Trail is a cooperative effort between Londonderry Trailways and the Town of Londonderry to complete 6 miles of trail on the abandoned rail corridor that runs through North Londonderry. This project started in earnest in 2013, and 4.5 of the 6 miles are now completed, and another 1 mile is funded! The goal is to create a multi-use recreational path that enhances the quality of life for Southern New Hampshire residents and provides opportunities for economic development in the town of Londonderry.

This trail will link directly to the Derry Rail Trail to the east & the Manchester Rail Trail to the north and be part of a continuous 23-mile project that runs from Salem north to Windham, Derry, Londonderry & Manchester. Currently, about 13 of the 23 miles are completed.

Ultimately, this will be part of the larger 125-mile project that will run from Salem, NH, to Lebanon, NH known as the Granite State Rail Trail!
https://londonderrytrails.org/

Friends of Bedford Depot Park

This group is restoring the Bedford Depot Park at the end of the Minuteman Bikeway, including restoring a vintage Boston & Maine Railroad Car #6211 for a display and museum. The group also researches and preserves the history of the narrow gauge railroad lines in Billerica, Bedford, and Lexington.
http://www.bedforddepot.org/

Bay Circuit Trail

This is an effort to make a permanent recreation trail and greenway corridor extending through 21 towns in Eastern Massachusetts and linking the park and open spaces surrounding metropolitan Boston.
http://www.baycircuit.org/

MassBike

The purpose of MassBike is to promote bicycles as a safe, healthy, enjoyable, efficient and environmentally sound means of transportation.
https://www.massbike.org/

Rail-to-Trails Conservancy

A non-profit organization creating a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier places for healthier people.
https://www.railstotrails.org/

Share The Trail Brochure (International Bicycle Fund)

http://www.ibike.org/education/trail-sharing.htm