Find the top rated fishing trails in Massachusetts, whether you're looking for an easy short fishing trail or a long fishing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a fishing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
If you want to have a good bike workout I recommend to try to bike the two sections of the trail. Start at the Acton trailhead and when you reach the end of the Acton-Maynard trail after you biked 1.9 miles on a dirt road (near the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge) veer right on Sudbury Road. After you pass a sign for Honey Pot Hill Farm (you will be in Stow at this point) veer left and continue on Sudbury Road until the intersection with 62 west. Ride until you see the sign of the Riverside Gun Club. Right after you will reach the Hudson trailhead parking on your right and you will be on the Hudson-Marlborough section. You will be on the road for two miles until you reach this section. The 2 miles on the road and the 1.9 miles on dirt road add extra mileage to a complete trip of this trail around 12.5 miles (one way). Beautiful ride on the Acton- Maynard section.
This is a great place to walk, but should wear a mask as many portions are not wide enough to social distance. Passed many not wearing. I wish it was posted to please wear a mask as social distancing is not possible in many spots.
This is a 4 mile rail trail that is in ok condition for road bikes with a few cracks in it. The eastern end is under construction. A pretty path going through woodland, farms and overlooking marshes. Very quiet on a hot July weekend
I enjoyed riding this trail. lots of twists and turns ups and down small hills. You start at salt pond visitor center and end up at coast guard beach. Very scenic views there. Trail has some scenic views when you go over the bridge very pretty.
It’s a nice short trail, and I don’t think many people know about it.
***WARNING! This portion of the trail is challenging. I wouldn't attempt it w/o experience or a wider/gravity tire***
I started at the parking lot on Church St. Ext. It is right next to the Plummer's Landing parking lot, which is the launch site for using the river. You want the lot just past Plummer's Landing.
The trail starts off quite wide and is a very low, grassy area. It is not a well-worn dirt path. However, after approx a half mile the trail suddenly narrows and is a slender dirt line with tall, hip level grass and brush.
There are several sections with lots of very large tree roots and deep ruts in between them. There are also lots of large rocks that create issues for your pedals. You definitely need to evaluate pedal height and position to get through spots and avoid damaging your bike.
Good elevation changes at some points. Some areas were too steep to ride up. Other parts were right against the edge of the river with little to no room for error. A few deep holes were also washed out in the middle of the trail.
I'll also add that there are two bridges that are not bike friendly. There are steps at both ends, so you need to pick-up your bike.
This "greenway" section ended at E. Hartford Ave in Uxbridge, right across the street from Tri-River Health Center. All things considered, I successfully completed this portion of the trail, but it was really difficult. If I had known how it was, I would not have attempted it solo or w/o wider tires. Now you know too. For you "fat tire" folks, have a blast!
I started on a very warm day, at the parking lot on Glenwood Rd. in Rutland. This trail matches the description perfectly! Beautiful, well-shaded ride and that is pretty continuous. I learned Rutland is the higher point of the ride, so all my work was on the way back from Oakham. But, it was very manageable and well worth the 16+ miles roundtrip.
I wanted to love the Manhan Rail Trail, but it fell short of my expectations. I went on a Monday and it was fairly crowded. Obviously, covid. But still, lotsa people. The trail head wasn't that easy to find, but some people guided me well. The trail head is right under a bridge where some homeless people have set up their campsite. It was sad. I think I took some of that with me while I rode. But when I got to the other, shorter fork of the trail, there was bridge construction and they wouldn't let me through so I couldn't finish that spur. Bummer. The trail goes through some nice forest, but also some pretty nasty, toxic looking places. It's definitely a well worn paved trail, but I'll pass on it next time.
This path is so well maintained with beautiful views of Falmouth. I just love it
Nice stretch of paved trail between Winchendon and Gardner, MA. It’s a quick 14 mile out and back with only one small stretch where you have to merge onto a road to find the trail again.
We bicycled a sort of loop, from Mosely Woods parking lot, along Merrimac River, crossing to Salisbury and then returning via I-95 bridge bike path. The latter was our true goal, as this was a mighty project! From the start and throughout, we had some head-scratching moments trying to find our way on the network of rail-trails and roads. I'm not sure if it's the fault/responsibility of the municipalities, the DOTs, or the trail organizations, but there are few, if any, signs indicating bikeways. This struck us as odd because in many other areas throughout Essex County in Massachusetts, and in parts of NH and ME, we have seen copious signs for the East Coast Greenway in remote countryside locations.
Before I say more on that, we enjoyed the gravel-paved Marsh Trail and Ghost Trail. The latter was shaded and welcome on a very hot summer day. The mile or so of asphalt-paved trail that parallels I-95 and crosses the Merrimac is great for getting from A to B, but it's open and not especially pleasant except for the river views, which can be enjoyed from two bump-outs on the bridge and include historic interpretation signs. (A note: if you are nervous crossing major bridge structures on bicycle, this is a good crossing. I have minor such fears, but felt completely comfortable.)
Back to signs. There are signs. But I don't think they are always where they should be, nor say what they should say. More than once, we came to intersections of various kinds and it was unclear where each option would take us. In some places there are posts with trail names and mileage., but few signs to provide context. Within long stretches of the bike paths there were posts indicating mileage (for what reason, I have no idea). Coming from the Ghost Trail there was no explicit sign to point the way to the I-95 crossing. And in Newburyport, we did not see any signs pointing the way to the trail, crossing via the Route 1 bridge. Coming off the I-95 crossing into Newburyport, we had to intuit the way back to Mosely Woods on a neighborhood road.
My suggestion is that if you are solo or with a partner, have fun and explore, and if you have to do a bit of back-tracking, no big deal. If you have kids, it might be better to thoroughly plot your route, as you don't want to be fumbling on roads with cars with kids or a larger group. That said, it would be a nice adventure to cross by two different bridges and experience a variety of trail types and scenery that runs the gamut from marsh, woods, industrial (including a massive solar array), neighborhood, etc. It is almost all flat, and eminently do-able for people of various fitness levels and bike types.
A note: the Route 1 bridge does not have a bike lane, so you must walk your bike across on a sidewalk, and will likely encounter others either on bike or foot in either direction.
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