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Print Friendly MapThe 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 Railroad’s Greenbush Line that served the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex. When the MBTA sought to bring commuter service to the Greenbush Line in 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation required that the transit agency construct the Whitney Spur Rail Trail as part of a broader deal for state-owned land.
Passing next to the train station’s parking lot, the trail offers a convenient way for car-free locals and visitors to access Whitney and Thayer Woods, a preserved nature and recreation area. The paved trail transitions to a stone dust surface after crossing State Route 3A and immediately winds through the reservation’s Great Swamp. After turning west and then south, the trail ends at a gate temporarily blocking access to the former Hingham Annex’s storage area.
Here large concrete bunkers, used to store ammunition ready for transfer to the main depot at the Hingham Shipyard, remained standing from the annex’s closure after the Korean War until 2014. The recent demolition of the bunkers will allow for the extension of the trail into Wompatuck State Park, which occupies the entire sprawling Hingham Annex site and now offers campsites and dozens of additional miles of trails.
Parking for the Whitney Spur Rail Trail is available at the MBTA's Cohasset Station on SR 3A/Chief Justice Cushing Highway. There is a $4 fee to park.
This trail starts right at Cohasset station and brings you into Wompatuck state park, which has many more trails and car-free roads. Great day trip or for bike camping.
Pleasantly surprised by this vast network of well-kept trails as well as rural roads. Trailhead is readily accessible from MBTA parking lot. Easy and serene ride down to Aaron River Reservoir. Passed several offshoot paths. Most seemed to offer a compact and comfortable riding surface. I had no trouble nor did I feel limited on my old school road bike.
Very nice trail within Wompatuck State Park. There is free parking and plenty of it at the Cohasset MBTA station. The trail is listed as 1.6 miles, but it is actually longer than this as my TrailLink map was showing me as being off the trail but with still some trail to be had. The trail is nicely paved and alternates from the narrow and woodsy to the wide and open. On the day I went there were a few people on the trail with me such as walkers, joggers, fellow bikers, dog-walkers, moms with strollers, etc., but it was not crowded at all.
Nice trail
I'm surprised that no one has reviewed this yet because this trail is terrific. It just opened access from the Cohasset commuter rail station where there is free parking for people using the trail. We first walked it from the staion at route 3A into the visitor station inside Wampatuck State park. Now we have been taking the bikes there and it's perfect for bikes or walking/jogging. The surface starts as a stone dust surface and transitions into a smooth as glass asphalt roadway through the woods. Mountain bikers will like that there are numerous side trails of different widths and levels of difficulty through the forest. Along the trail itself is a beautiful stream on both sides of the old railbed. You could easily bike for 20 miles from this starting point with access to the Mt. Blue Spring, campsites and picnic tables inside the park. The surface is clean and dry without any standing water.
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