It is Short trail good trail.
Good trail for running and to walk.

For anyone interested in the history of the narrow gauge railroad that first used this rail trail route, the early history is presented in an exhibit in the meeting room of the Middlesex Canal Museum, located in the Faulkner Mill at 71 Faulkner Street, North Billerica MA. (See .)

Engines, rolling stock, etc. that began life as the B-B RR, served in Maine as the Sandy River and Rangely Lakes RR; and later as the EDAville RR in South Carver MA. Today, components of the RR are split between Portland MA (see ) and South Carver (see ).

I commute from Arlington out the Minuteman to the NGRT and then to the Tech park at the end.
About 10 miles each way. The 3 miles or so on the NGRT are the best. I ride a road bike with
700 x 32 tires and have no problem with the surface. I'd like to here more about Billerica's plans
to extend this path torwards Lowell.

Start at the Bedford Station across from the Rail Car. The first section is tar to Rt.63 and well packed gravel most of the rest of the way with well marked road crossings. Just after the Bedford line it gets a little sandy and ends in an industrial park in Billarica. Dont miss a walk around the side trail to Fawn Lake.

"When I got my bike, I thought the Minuteman trail might be nice, but it would be a 5-mile trek through busy streets to get to it, unless I dumped my bike in the car and drove there... which seemed kind of silly to me. After looking online for other trails in the area, I found the Narrow-Gauge/proposed ""Yankee Doodle"" trail goes practically across the street from me! So now I have a quick and easy way to get to the Minuteman (if I want, but like others have said, it's significantly more crowded and less rustic/scenic than the narrow-gauge/Yankee Doodle.)

The very end of the trail in Billerica (the proposed part) is a bit bumpy, but not an issue for my hybrid bike. The rest is hard-packed dirt and ash, and the next-best thing to pavement in that there are very few holes or dips, and it's pretty easy riding. I've gone several times now, when it was dry and after it rained. It doesn't seem to have much in the way of water-issues, as it's so hard-packed, and the trail is wide enough that sunlight can get through and dry it out. Any ""soft"" spots look like they've had gravel dumped on them, because those spots get a little ""soft"" after the rain - but not muddy. (Not like the unpaved continuation of the Minuteman B&M that goes to Concord through swamps and unpassable mud-bogs!)

Since the previous reviews of the narrow-gauge trail (on this site), cross-walks must have been added, because every street I've crossed had signs and pavement markings. And no, I probably wouldn't use a motorized wheel-chair, small-wheeled stroller or rollerblades, although it should be fine for something with bigger tires, and is fine for jogging or walking without worrying about twisting something.

I don't know about the poison ivy, as I haven't ridden it during that season yet, but it's pretty hard to find anywhere around here that doesn't have poison ivy. But the brush/trees/etc. seem to be well off the path, so I can't imagine it being an issue unless you go tromping through the woods off the path.

As for parking, if you go down Sweetwater Road, you will find a parking-area right by Flint's Pond and the trail-crossing. You could probably also park at the Bedford Depot (where you'd park for Minuteman) and just go a block down the paved section and cross Great Rd. - really, it's not THAT far! And (along the paved section) you can learn a little bit of history while you see some actual sections of narrow-gauge 2' track off to the side. This was the first narrow-gauge rail in the U.S., I think I read.

It's a nice and pleasant ride, and I'm keeping an eye to see what my town (Billerica) is doing with the ""Yankee Doodle"" extension to the Narrow-gauge trail. It seems the biggest hang-up right now is an alternate route around the tech-park and route 3. But once it gets routed out, I'll be in the perfect spot to ride to Billerica Center OR Bedford. :-)

From the Route 3/Concord Rd. overpass following the trail all the way to the Bedford Depot, it's about 4.5 miles."

"This trail needs upkeep. It's too uneven, with too many dips for a power wheelchair. I blew tire out on it. There is also poision ivy along path. And there's no access to VA."

"If you were to ask almost anyone in Bedford, MA where the “rail trail” was located, most likely you’d be immediately directed to the Minuteman Bikeway. However, Bedford is home base to two other great rail trails and the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail is one of them.

Lesser known than the extremely popular Minuteman Bikeway, because of its rustic character and shorter length, the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail still nonetheless offers locals and visitors alike a wonderful opportunity to view portions of residential Bedford from a route used by trains many years ago.

Ninety-five percent of the trail is unpaved (hard packed dirt). One the day of my visit I encountered dry surface conditions along the entire trail length. The trail is about 10-12 feet wide and passes through several residential areas. It also skirts a Veterans Administration Hospital complex and several conservation/nature areas. There are quite a few street crossings; only one is marked with any kind of safety signs or crosswalk.

There is no designated trail user parking. The trail is best accessed from Page Field, which is just north of Railroad Avenue near the Minuteman Bikeway trailhead. The Narrow Gauge Rail Trail heads north from this point and ends at Bedford’s border with South Billarica.

If you’re planning to visit the Minuteman Bikeway and will be riding either a hybrid or mountain bike, plan to ride the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail as well and see Bedford from another point of view."

"I took this trail from where the Minuteman Bike Path ends - what a difference! The Minuteman is crowded with rollerbladers, joggers, hardcore road bikers, etc. If you have a hybrid or a mountain bike, take this trail for an easy, *uncrowded* and refreshing ride. It's a fairly wide path, and for the most part you can admire the scenery rather than having to constantly look down for potholes, roots, and rocks.

I did the trail on a weekday evening in the summer, and I saw maybe two families on bikes, a jogger, and that was it. I wished I had had more time to explore the side trails, but it was getting dark unfortunately.

A number of short, unofficial trails branch off of the path, for more difficult trail riding if you want. Fawn Lake is clearly the highlight, though: a short loop trail skirts the edge of this deserted pond, and offers some more technical mountain biking while you listen to bullfrogs. It's great!

Check out the Bedford Depot's home page for a map of it (click on the ""trial site"" link off of the Minuteman Bike Path entry in TrailLink.com)."