Find the top rated bike trails in Chelmsford, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_144627_st.jpg)
_147891_st.jpg)
_144627_sc.jpg)
The Blackstone River Greenway (previously known as the Blackstone River Bikeway) is a 3-mile trail that represents the first open segment of the Massachusetts portion of a pathway that will eventually...
The newly open Bradford Rail Trail occupies the former Pan Am rail lines, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the...
Although short, the scenic Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path travels through forests and pastures full of birds and wildlife. The asphalt pathway parallels the eastern side of the present-day Interstate 95...
Walkers and bicyclists alike enjoy Upper Charles Trail, a popular rail-trail crossing through small towns. Traveling the entirety of the trail puts users on varying trail surfaces, mostly packed...
The Old Eastern Marsh Trail (a.k.a the Salisbury Rail Trail) runs for 1.4 miles between the north bank of the Merrimack River and Mudnock Road in Salisbury. The beautifully landscaped trail was built...
_17076_sc.jpg)
The Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path) knits together neighborhoods in southern Boston from the Back Bay to Jamaica Plain. Popular as a route for commuters as well as casual walkers,...
The Pine Tree Brook Trail travels alongside the brook in Milton, Massachusetts. The path travels through woods and residential neighborhoods for a distance of about 1.8 miles, and it connects to the...
The Charles River Bike Path, also referred to as the Charles River Greenway, offers a paved, 22-mile route from Boston to its western suburbs. The trail is also part of a larger, developing network...
The Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
The North Bank Bridge, which opened in 2012, provides a safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connection between Cambridge's North Point Park and Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. Spanning 690...
The Salisbury Rail Trail Connector, also known as the Gillis Rail Trail Connector, is a 0.3-mile link between two rail-trails: Salisbury's Old Eastern Marsh Trail and Newburyport's Clipper City Rail...
Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
_146077_sc.jpg)
The Heritage Trail is managed by the state of New Hampshire to provide access to recreational and historical attractions across the state. Eventually, the north-south route along the former Boston and...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
The Stillwater Scenic Walkway is a short trail that follows an old railroad bed between Capron Road and State Route 104 (Farnum Pike) south of Smithfield. The trail passes through a wooded area along...
The Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
The trail begins in the small town of Boxford, about 25 miles north of Boston. For just shy of 5 miles, the hard-packed stone-dust pathway follows a former rail bed through Topsfield, meandering...
The Dover Community Trail snakes its way through the heart of the Garrison City—so nicknamed for the fortified log houses, or garrisons, built by 17th-century settlers—-offering a variety of trail...
The Nashua Heritage Rail Trail begins adjacent to City Hall on Main Street in downtown Nashua. It is a short trail that takes you through one of the first neighborhoods that was planned and built in...
Although short, the scenic Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path travels through forests and pastures full of birds and wildlife. The asphalt pathway parallels the eastern side of the present-day Interstate 95...
The North Bank Bridge, which opened in 2012, provides a safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connection between Cambridge's North Point Park and Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. Spanning 690...
Mile 0.0 - DPW Garage Cross the bridge in the parking area, the trail starts behind the fence, crossing over Great Brook on a old dam. Mile 0.53 - After crossing Union St. you will come to a...
The South Manchester Rail Trail is a proposed bike/pedestrian path that would connect the downtown Millyard area of Manchester to the Town on Londonderry. The South Manchester Rail Trail will utilize...
The Dover Community Trail snakes its way through the heart of the Garrison City—so nicknamed for the fortified log houses, or garrisons, built by 17th-century settlers—-offering a variety of trail...
The 83 acre West Foss Farm is one of the properties owned by the University of New Hampshire, Durham. The property was purchased from the Boston & Maine Railroad company, and features a 1.6 stretch of...
Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
The trail begins in the small town of Boxford, about 25 miles north of Boston. For just shy of 5 miles, the hard-packed stone-dust pathway follows a former rail bed through Topsfield, meandering...
The Whitney Spur Rail Trail runs from just north of the MBTA’s Cohasset Station through dense woodlands to the edge of Wompatuck State Park. The corridor was originally a spur off the Old Colony...
The Peanut Trial is a distinct trail in the town of Newton that spans one-mile. This rail-trail was meant to connect to the Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. However, due to a controversial lawsuit by land...
Walkers and bicyclists alike enjoy Upper Charles Trail, a popular rail-trail crossing through small towns. Traveling the entirety of the trail puts users on varying trail surfaces, mostly packed...
Lowell's Canal System Trails are part of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. The park preserves some of America's industrial past: its 19th-century textile mills formed the first...
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now to...
The Clipper City Rail Trail is part of the Coastal Trails Coalition, which is developing in the four towns of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury along the Merrimack River and will...
The Windham Rail Trail passes through the woodsy periphery of Windham in southern New Hampshire, but it sits in the heart of the future cross-state Granite State Rail Trail. Its connections to the...
About a dozen miles west of Concord, the Stevens Rail Trail offers a quiet, wooded route along the former Concord-Claremont rail line in Contoocook Village. It starts off Krzyzaniak Road and continues...
The Marblehead Rail-Trail appears on maps as a Y resting on its side, connecting Marblehead and Salem in the north and the city limits of Swampscott in the west. The 4-mile trail knits together a...
When complete, the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor will run for more than 5 miles on a former Boston and Maine Railroad corridor from connections with the Windham Rail Trail (north) and Methuen Rail Trail...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
The Upper Falls Greenway is a short rail-trail that cuts through the charming village of Newton Upper Falls in Newton, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the same former rail corridor as the developing...
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now to...
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
The Neponset River Greenway is a south Boston jewel, utilizing the best in design and construction standards as it winds through the Neponset River valley, offering a low-stress, high-quality...
Ten Mile River Greenway, named for the waterway it parallels and not its length, runs 3 miles through a serene and green corridor connecting the City of East Providence and Pawtucket. The southern end...
The Piscataquog Trail, though only about 2 miles long, provides a vital off-road link between the communities on the western side of the Merrimack River (the West Side of Manchester) to several parks...
The Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
The Haggetts Rail Trail is a short, but sweet unpaved trail located on the periphery of Haggetts Pond, the local reservoir for the nearby town of Andover. Built on part of the former line of the...
The Peanut Trial is a distinct trail in the town of Newton that spans one-mile. This rail-trail was meant to connect to the Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. However, due to a controversial lawsuit by land...
The Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) is a developing, multi-use trail that will run from the Village of Saxonville in Framingham to Natick Center, a distance of 4 miles. Currently, its northernmost mile in...
Bruce N. Freeman was a Massachusetts state representative from 1969 to 1986. Beginning in 1985, he championed the creation of a bike path that would run along the former Penn Central railroad line...
The Nashua River Rail Trail stretches from southern Nashua, New Hampshire, to downtown Ayer, Massachusetts, connecting to the towns of Pepperell and Groton. The trail is built on the former rail...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
_137741_sc.jpg)
Although only a grassy, hard-packed dirt pathway, the route along the Salem-Beverly Canal (also known as the Grand Wenham Canal), is scenic and peaceful. The old canal, built in 1917, lies between two...
The newly open Bradford Rail Trail occupies the former Pan Am rail lines, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the...
When complete, the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor will run for more than 5 miles on a former Boston and Maine Railroad corridor from connections with the Windham Rail Trail (north) and Methuen Rail Trail...
The Northern Strand Community Trail is part of the visionary and almost-complete Bike to the Sea plan to link Boston and the Mystic River to the seashore in Lynn, north of Boston. It currently runs...
This exquisitely maintained trail slices through forested areas and wetlands for a wonderful experience in southern New Hampshire. The trail will eventually be part of the Granite State Rail Trail,...
In the southeastern outskirts of Boston, the Hanover Branch Rail Trail connects the communities of Abington and Rockland. (Locally, the trail’s east and west halves are sometimes referred to as the...
The health and fortunes of Lowell have been intimately tied to the Concord River for hundreds of years. This tributary of the more well-known Merrimack River continues to be at the heart of the local...
The Harrisville Rail Trail runs for just under two miles between the outskirts of Harrisville and Hancock in rural New Hampshire. The former railroad bed is located on lands conserved by the Harris...
I love the community path - the art, the kids, the people hanging out. It seems really well used.
Of course the path just ends. There's a not totally horrible way (with kids) to get to the Museum of Science aka the Charles River Path from the end of the community path. We took a side street to Central Ave., then the bike line on Somerville to Union Sq., crossing via sidewalks. Then the bike lane on Somerville Ave, with a RT on Medford, to School, to Thorndike. The Medford Street portion goes underneath a train bridge with fast traffic, but there is a bike lane. Considered Webster > Cambridge St. to get around that, but the last part of Webster is a Show for kids.
Started on this trail (by the noted parking), with a goal of connecting to the MBT. We found the trail very smooth and well maintained, not crowded (even on a weekend) and very pleasant. Not long enough for a ride by itself, but definitely a more interesting way to start your Minuteman experience.
Combined with the Danvers and Peabody trails the result is a lovely ride through woods and wetlands. Plenty of parking at the Topsfield end. The trail is well marked and the street crossings all have crossing lights. The grade is nearly flat for an easy ride!
I ride a recumbent trike. At the beginning of the Salem bike path there are three sets of post to block vehicular traffic I guess, but the posts are not wide enough for recumbent trikes. I had to lift my trike sideways and angle it so I could get it past the barriers. I ended up going back route 114 so I wouldn't have to pass the post on the way home. I will not ride my trike there again.
they still use old fashioned stanchions & raised brick lane dividers. my Wife crashed twice & broke her wrist 2 days ago. the stanchion she crashed into is reportedly (by a town employee) the site of multiple SERIOUS crashes (Pond St, Chelmsford)
also, there are other multiple poorly designed issues such as at some road crossings
do yourself & your family a favor & stay off this trail
I live near one of the main stopping points for this Rail Trail. It's gorgeous in any and every season. I noticed a lot of people saying there isn't a stopping point from Ayer until you get to Pepperell - don't forget about Groton! If you stop near the bus depot and go up the road, there is a health food place with some GREAT smoothies as well as a Dunkin' Donuts and a convenience store. From Pepperell to Nashua, there aren't any major stops, but there is a vending machine with a few chairs if you bring a couple dollar bills!
Overall, this is a great, family-friendly, small town Rail Trail. It cuts through some of New England's best small towns (in my entirely biased opinion) and both terminal points are worth a little look around (though Ayer might be more accessible, especially with kids!).
I've been a hiker for about 20 years. For some reason I'm not into it that much anymore, so I bought my Trek D-3. This trail is perfect for smooth hard dirt riding. I only did about 8 miles round trip from the Webster Beach area. I'm new to biking and noticed I'm using different muscles then hiking. But I am retired and try to get out every day. Soon 8 miles will be nothing. That should be coming up and I'm going to go back to this rail trail. It's very shady and relaxing. I plan on doubling that mileage on my next visit here.
6/27/18: well maintained trail for the first mile (from Whittier). Last 1/2 mile by the stables is not well maintained and not good for trail running. Beautiful scenery, very flat and mostly very dry. A few trees down, but nothing you couldn’t lift a bike over. Bring your bug spray and keep moving.
June 2018. Trail Link has 2 trails detailed for the Blackstone river when there are at least 3 or more. The first one is from 287 Oak Street Uxbridge which is separately detailed on this site - it's a dirt track and you need at least a hybrid or off road bike to ride it. This is not connected with the one below, and to do so is a 2-3 mile road ride through central Uxbridge, heading south on route 122 then south on rte 146A.
With this review I cover the two sections starting at south Uxbridge, Massachusetts and riding to Providence RI. The first section in Massachusetts is not detailed on the Trail Link site.
The Massachusetts part of this trail starts near rte 146A on the far southern outskirts of Uxbridge, MA where it meets rte 146. The trail heads south towards Woonsocket, RI between here and St Paul Street in Blackstone village is very new, paved and in great condition, a pretty ride and downhill as you head south. It stops abruptly near St Paul Street, and if you've gone past the parking lot, you've already gone too far. It's about 4 miles long.
At this point you need to take Canal Street and River Street into Woonsocket, RI through the industrial areas where most of the route is marked, until the markings disappear near Front Street, Woonsocket where you need to follow Hamlet Avenue, bear right on Manville Road and left on Willow Street to the river edge parking lot.
This is where the Rhode Island part of the Blackstone Bikeway truly begins. From here its about 16 miles to the park at India Street, Providence, RI. The first 8 miles as you head south to Providence are alongside the river, with the track in mostly good condition and some great views as you trace the river towards the sea.
At about mile 8 the bikeway turns away from the river and through the backstreets of Central Falls, then Pawtucket all on the regular road. While the signposting is generally good, the state of the roads isn't and it's not a nice ride. This continues for a few miles until you get to Blackstone Boulevard in Providence. It's another nice section, however you are in a bike lane sharing the road with cars. Turn off here (marked - follow the signposts) and for the last mile or two and you head to the river again rejoining the bike path for the last half mile or so.
All of the sections can be ridden with a road bike, there are some sections in the last 8 miles that you certainly need to take more care. Would I ride this again? Woonsocket to Central Falls, yes, perhaps. Central Falls to Providence RI? No.
The towns of Saugus and Revere used recycle asphalt for their trail surface. It's free but totally unsuitable for skinny tire bikes. With time and weather, large stones have come to the surface making for a very bumpy ride. If you have a mountain bike you'll be fine but with a hybrid or road bike you'll be in for an unpleasant ride.
Did this for the first time this morning, 6/18/18, the entire length and enjoyed the ride tremendously. Well marked with numerous crossings and stops if you would like to. The Chelmsford end is a little rough and tough to cross the busy intersections but certainly bearable. Friendly people enroute, good nature with some small animals along the way. I saw a small snapping turtle off to the side along Heart Pond. Will certainly ride this trail again... thanks!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
_146077_st.jpg)
_137741_st.jpg)
_17076_st.jpg)
