I just went on this trail at noon time today 2/8/12 and found to be even better than the minuteman in bedford.

not a lot of parking, but a great level ride, some inclines and declines but manageable. very nice scenery

kept very well clear.

CUDOS to the volunteers to keep this one clean

Bob Call

This was actually my first rail trail experience, but I have to admit that this one has set the bar really high! I loved everything about it. Fairly level terrain with tons of scenery (ponds/wetlands, farmland, horses, wildlife, etc). I'm sure it gets busy on weekends, but it wasn't too bad on the Friday morning I tried it. There's also ample free parking at the trail head in Nashua. This will by my trail of choice for a while, I'm sure!

I am very lucky to live 10 minutes from this trail. I biked this trail all last summer and have biked it 4 times this spring. I would suggest starting your ride in Hollis, NH. From Hollis to Peperell, Ma is mostly flat then from Peperll to Ayre there are some small inclines. This makes the return trip easy with some down hills. very beautiful scenery. On weekends this trail can get busy and some familys and groups do tend to forget that there are others that they need to share the road with.

Use the trail to get ready for the 50 mile MS Challenge walk on Cape Cod.
Looking forward to returning to the trail for this years training.
I will add new pictures over the spring / summer to those from last year.
To view pictures (2010/2011)go to:
http://photographybymichaelrene.ifp3.com/#/gallery/nashua-river-rail-trail/

I rode this trail today. Left good about the trail.
There is ample parking right at the start of the trail.
The trail is marked for the distance also for the bumps and cracks.
This trail kind of goes along a river, it was wonderful to stop and watch the water.
There is an extremly busy road after 9 miles or so which I had to wait for a long time to cross.
There is no walk sign, we are to cross if the cars stop for us. The road is big too.
Rode this trail for about two time now.

I have been biking and rollerblading the Nashua River Trail for a few years now, from Ayer to Pepperell and back. Over the years I have seen it become more crowded, which is overall great that the trails are getting so much use and becoming popular.

I appreciate that this is a family time, a very safe place for kids to ride their bikes.
As one, who is likely biking twice as fast as your child, and likely faster than most adults, I would appreciate the same courtesies to be shown to me, as you would expect me to show to you and your family.

It is a luxury to ride side by side, please be courteous if someone is trying to pass you. Slowing down, is not allowing space, it just means I catch up to you faster.

Move to the right, does not mean if you were on the left, move to the middle, it means move the right, so someone can safely pass you.

This weekend I got caught up, emotionally, and yelled at someone as I passed them. They were the 4th person/ group of people, who I had to yell "On your left" multiple times, each one with a bit more edge than the time before, before they even acknowledged someone was behind them.

At one time a 6 or 7 year old child, riding with his family, was riding directly at me. I am riding around 15mph - if you see someone coming towards your child, have them move over as soon as you see someone approaching. These parents said nothing to their child- despite me waving my hand and yelling at him to move over multiple times. And yes, I did slow down. I should not have had to. Please be responsible.

I don't want to have to be rude, please don't give me reason to. If there are 4 of you, please stay to the right. If you are talking you will not hear me come up behind you.

Be aware of your surroundings and let each of us enjoy the rail trail at our own pace!

This is a beautiful trail, especially this time of year. I highly recommend it for biking, rollerblading and families.

I walked 20 miles Thursday 812 and 10 on Friday.
My first time visiting.
To see pics from the walk go to:

http://photographybymichaelrene.ifp3.com/#/gallery/nashua-river-rail-trail/nashua-river-rail-trail-001/

Though sometimes it seemed crowded, this trail was a very pleasant way to spend a day riding. My husband and I were visiting the area and wanted to do some cycling. He purchased his first recumbent bike and was still a novice at riding it. In his words, "It was the straightest, most level road in New England!" We started at the trail head and rode the entire length and back. The scenery was magnificent and it was nice to ride somewhere that autos weren't allowed.

I'm looking forward to return trips!

I rode the entire lenght of the NRRT today. It was a wonderful ride on a beautiful day. When the budget permits, the mile markers on the road need to be re-painted (and larger please). They are unreadable.

Thank you for providing such a wonderful resource.

David Fitzpatrick
Sterling, MA

no problem parking in the ayer, ma lot when I arrived at 6:30 a.m.! beautiful trail, am heading back tomorrow - this will be a regular stop in my cycling rountine.

I have found that the parking lots in Ayer are full. If you are early sometimes you can park behind the bank. (Please ask for the managers permission). The police will ticket you if you park on the side roads
If you find the parking lots full, you can get back on Route 111 and go towards Groton. Turn right on Broadmeadow Road. The R.T. parking lot is on your left just after you cross the R.T. Your ride will be shorten about 3 1/4 miles.

The Nashua River Trail is a favorite. It runs along the Nashua River (duh) for most of its length. There are few road crossings and lots of ponds to observe and woods to go through. the good news is that it is not very crowded. The bad news is that news of the trail is getting out so more people will be using it in the future. I guess that's not really all that bad.

Gorgeous trail in reasonably good conditions - (few frost heaves but the worst are marked)

To eric 87," there" Some good dog owners such as myself walk on the right edge of the trail with my dog to the right of me on the grass. My dog has never gone near a bike. If there are bad dog owners on the trail then they should not be there. Sometimes I wish there was a cop on the trail. There is a huge difference between jerks with agressive dogs and people with well trained house pets. I don't know what you "heard" but whenever I have walked or biked the trail I have had the most trouble with people on bikes thinking they owned the trail. Even if I walk without my dog I have almost been hit by people trying to ride three across. The trail is for everyone and we all need to be mindful of who is there. If a dog runs in front of a bike then the dog owner should be sued for a hefty amount. Good dog owners such as myself have no tolerance for bad ones.

I love this trail. And I just wanted to say to Stephen there that I've heard of a lot more problems with dogs hitting bicyclists (and crashing them out), than with bicyclists hitting people, on the Minuteman in particular.

I biked the Nashua R.R. Trail on Monday June 30th. Three trees were across the trail and were being taking care of by a local crews. :)
We parked at the communiter parking lot in Ayer and was lucky to find a space. When we returned from our ride, a police officer was giving out parking tickets ($15.00) to cars that were not in parking spaces. Also the officer told us that people were complaining about cars parking on side streets and the cars were also getting a $15.00 ticket. I asked the officer where to park when the lot was full. He suggested downtown behind some of the business by the RR tracks? I would suggest that people look at a map and find other parking lots along the trail. The rest of the lots only have one or two cars in them and their is plenty of spaces. Their is another parking lot by Dunkin Donuts but that one is usually full also.
Good Luck...
Marilyn Drisko

The trail is less busy than other trails I have been on such as minuteman. You can walk the dog without fear of bikes hitting you.

Our favorite rail trail and now even more so thanks to the FUN engineer and lovely woman (who wears her helmet backwards) who stopped to help me with my flat tire. Thanks so much for spending a part of your labor day with us!

"We live in town and use this trail often, walking and bicycling. It is a great trail for families. Bathroom facilities are in Ayer. This is a friendly trail and saying hello to everyone you come upon is a rule. Pepperell is great stop for dinner or ice cream. Sure wish the town or state would get after the landowner who left couch and trash beside trail. It's an eyesore."

"In my opinion this is the best rail trail in eastern Massachusetts:

1) The trail is only a few years old so the surface is in excellent condition;
2) Because it is some distance from Boston and relatively little known compared to the Minuteman Rail Trail or Cape Cod Rail Trail it remains uncrowded even on the nicest summer weekends;
3) It runs through a much less developed and more scenic area than the region's other major rail trails.

Some scenic highlights include the large pond and beaver dam at mile 2.0 in Groton; the areas where the trail passes through the Rich State Forest around mile 5.0 to 6.5 in Groton (with unpaved side trails, courtesy of the Groton Conservation Commission); the section that parallels the Nashua River from mile 6.5 to 7.5 in Pepperell; and the crossing of the Unquetynasset Brook in Dunstable at mile 10.0. The trail also passes several horse farms and an orchard.

I personally find the northern end of the trail much more attractive and uncrowded than the southern end. The trail is most densely wooded and shady in Dunstable and Pepperell (better for hot summer days); the vegetation is scrubbier near Ayer and the landscape is dominated in several spots by large arrays of power lines.

There is a slight uphill grade as you travel from the northern end of the trail, at the Dunstable MA/Nashua NH border, to the southern end at Ayer. For this reason, as well as the fact that Ayer offers public restroom facilities and places to get food, I think it's best to start from the trail's northern terminus, so you can stop to recharge at Ayer and then head back northward.

I'm so glad to live near this gem of a trail! It's a real perk for anyone who lives in northern Massachusetts or southern New Hampshire."

"I love this trail, I plan to ride this trail often in 2006. Ride it if you can."

This is a great trail but they really do need to add restrooms at the NH end of the trail...

"Be advised if you plan to park your car in the large parking lot near the beginning of the Nashua River Rail Trail in Ayer:

With the growing popularity of both the rail trail and the T-station, this lot often gets completely full.

Unfortunately, people are starting to park on the grass, in the walkways and in the handicapped spaces, which is ultimately going to attract the wrong kind of attention to this trail.

On weekdays, many T commuters park in this lot all day, so parking spaces don't open up until around 5:30 PM or later.

Street parking on Rt. 111 is often available (before the bank at the corner), but there is a 2-hour limit (good for most trail users, bad for commuters).

On evenings and weekends, you can often park in the bank parking lot (on Rt. 111, at the corner) as long as the bank isn't open (there are numerous ""for bank customers only"" signs), or on the street.

Alternatively, there is almost always plenty of space in the unpaved parking area next to the trail near Groton center (at Broadmeadow Road)."

"This is a great trail and I'm thrilled that it has been extended a little more to the Nashua line. We use the trail at least once a week if not more, my only comment is that they need more restrooms. You only have the two at the Ayer end but nothing beyond that. I know that occasionally the gas station in Pepperell center will allow you to use the restrooms but they don't always. So on those occasions, there is nothing until you get back to the Ayer parking lot. Some times when you do the entire lenght you need to make a stop before getting back there and there is no place to go! "

"First off, this is one of my favorite rail trails for road biking, period.

Typically less crowded, and with fewer road crossings than the (relatively) nearby Minuteman rail-trail, yet the length is similar.

My only pet pieve is that some less experienced trail users DON'T REALIZE THEY NEED TO KEEP RIGHT, just like on a regular roadway. This creates a potentially dangerous situation.

Minuteman has dashed center lines clearly marked over most of its length, in addition to numerous ""keep right"" signs, whereas the Nashua River trail has almost none.

This is a popular trail with dog walkers and families, as well as bikers and rollerbladers. Most people make a great effort of keep everyone in their group on the right side of the path -- particularly when they see a another biker or rollerblader coming.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember that the ""rules of the road"" apply to rail trails also!!!"

We go down and rollerblade after work a couple of nites a week. We love the trail!

"I rode this trail on a warm June Saturday starting around 630pm. What a great trail to ride. I only ran into a few people riding and one group of walkers. The pavement is well taken care of.
This trail wanders through swampland, beaver dam ponds, rivers by a waterfall and by several farms and one small town that has a rail trail ice cream shop and water. Nice trail!"

This is one of the best family friendly and safe trails I have taken my kids to. Each child can go at a speed that works for them. I can let my older son race ahead and my girls can lag toward the back. I don't have to worry that a car is in waiting around each bend.

"I did this trail in August while enroute from PA to ME (not by bike!). It was a pleasant and interesting ride, good surface for my thin road tires, and easy on the legs (mine being nearly 70). At the NH border there was a sign that seemed to discourage one from going further north, even though the pavement continued."

"This is one of the best trails for riding bikes, walking or horseback riding. It's too bad, though, that the trail is not open to snowmobilers. Snowmobilers tend to bring big business to the Pepperell Center. I do not see this trail being used during the winter."

We have ridden many rail-trails and I must say this is one of the nicest. The surface is great and the scenery is beautiful. I highly recommend it.

This is a great trail. I try to get out there once a week. I've noticed that the bathrooms are still open and that's great! I hope they stay open and don't get locked.

"What a beautiful trail. I never get tired of going to this bike path. I enjoy watching people riding horses, looking at nice ponds and viewing the hawks flying around.

From my house here in Medford,MA, it`s about 80 miles round trip. A couple of friends and I do this trail at least four times a year.

-Billy Stephen"

"The paved trail now continues into New Hampshire beyond the turn-off for the Dunstable parking lot. It now ends at Route 111A at the Nashua/Hollis line. With the addition of a path from the parking lot heading north to or south from NH besides the current trail, there is now a ""Y"" intersection so caution should be exercised. New yield or stop signs will likely be put up soon."

"Excellent trail. We ride the Pepperell to Ayer section nearly every weekend. Nice options for extensions into Devens (mirror lake rec. area is great for swimming on hot days) - or even into the Ox Bow National Wildlife refuge via underpass below Rt 2. Take dirt roads through the OB NWR to far side and exit (up long hill) to town of Still River. This is only a short distance from the Fruitlands Shaker Museum in Harvard, a great destination. Continue to Rt. 110 back to traffic circle (rt 2A) in Ayer then back!

The commuter rail station in Ayer provides many other options (and you can take you bike on the train too - except at rush hour).

The Dunstable end isn't far from the Pepperel Airport & jump center. Go straight ahead on the original rail line when the paved trail turns right to the parking lot at the dunstable end. Follow dirt path to Rt 111A, left on 111A, left on 111 (towards pepperell), cross river, airport about a mile (or so) on left. It's very active (continuous parachute activity) on nice spring/summer/fall weekends.

The rail trail itself is becoming more popular which means more CROWDED on nice weekend days. Unfortunately, people operate on the rail trail much the same as they do on the roads around here, too often rude, arogant & danerous.

Be careful & enjoy this great asset to the area!"

"I rode this trail for the first time on Columbus Day 2003. The weather was perfect and there was beautiful scenery, including a field full of pumpkins. The trail is so new, there are no bumps at all.

It was a perfect New England day!"

"I have been riding this trail for 2 1-2 years now and find it a great use for abandoned rail beds. One comment, though: from Pepperell center south for about one mile there is the odor of raw sewage and I suspect it comes from some housing along the area. I hope something can be done about this soon."

The trail is beautiful and so is the wild life. Turtles and a beaver lodge are just a few. The trail's a great way to spend an afternoon to get some exercise or just to relax!

I have kick-biked the trail numerous times and ran out and back once. What a great place to train and have fun. It is a nice wide pathway.

"Wonderful sights of nesting Ospreys, Blue Herons, a Beaver Lodge along the ride. There are many places to stop and eat and enjoy nature. In Pepperell there is the Rail-Trail Ice Cream Shop."

"I've rollerbladed this trail quite a bit, and I've also cycled fairly fast on it. I've done the cycling at off-peak times and not in the main busy areas (Ayer, Pepperell parking lots), but rollerblading is a blast at any time. The path is not that crowded yet. The trail tends to get a lot of debris in certain areas that can make blading...errr...exciting. :)

The best thing about this trail is that it goes through a beautiful wetland. Also, it doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of street crossings to interrupt you, and it has some longer stretches between street crossings that tend to get fewer people because of the distance.

All in all a terrific trail!"

"I just got back from our first ride on the Nashua River Trail, and I must say I've never seen so many happy people. Everyone was smiling, saying ""Good morning"" and chatting up a storm. They have good reason to smile. This is a beautiful trail, with lovely stretches along the river and lots of woodland (much of the trail travels through State Forest land). At one point we saw a fox dart across the trail. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable ride."

Great location for a very easy and scenic ride through woods. The pavement is shaded by the trees making the ride comfortable even on the hottest days. The stop signs along the way are well marked when you come to a street crossing. I would recommend this trail to anyone and their families.

"The full length of the Nashua River Rail Trail is now paved all the way from Ayer to Dunstable next to the NH state line on Hollis Street where a new parking area has been added. The downtown Groton and Pepperell sections are quite busy with bikes (including some local police patrolling on bike), rollerblades, parents with strollers, hikers and the occasional horse and rider."

"I'm excited about this trail, mostly because it starts and ends a mile away form my house. I saw a deer yesterday right at the Hollis line as I was showing it to someone else. The trail is smooth as glass and has almost no hills the entire way. There are some great mountain biking trails to the right or left at different parts of the trail that tend to reconnect to the trail at later points.

You may be lucky and catch the beaver swimming about in a nearby swamp in the town of Groton. I also saw 2 wild turkeys early one morning. Roux's Market in Ayer offers 25 cent Ice Cream and is a great place to catch a snack. The Bike Shop has two stores right off of the trail in Ayer and Pepperel if you need to pick up some emergency equipment."