Assabet River Rail Trail

Massachusetts

49 Reviews

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Assabet River Rail Trail Facts

States: Massachusetts
Counties: Middlesex
Length: 10.4 miles
Trail end points: 19 Maple St (Acton) to Sudbury Rd. (Stow) and Wilkins St (Hudson) to Highland St and Lincoln St (Marlborough)
Trail surfaces: Asphalt
Trail category: Rail-Trail
ID: 6015946

Assabet River Rail Trail Description

The Assabet River Rail Trail connects five old mill towns that owe their revitalization to present-day high-tech industries. A midpoint gap splits the 10.4-mile trail. It offers a forested escape for recreation and a route for Boston-bound bike commuters to reach the train station in South Acton.

About the Route

The northernmost section of trail starts opposite the tracks of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) South Acton Station; passengers can take bicycles on the Fitchburg line on Saturdays, Sundays, and off-peak hours during the week. Dedicated trail parking is available on Maple Street.

Leaving off from Acton, the trail passes the only farm along the trail on the right, and then crosses Fort Pond Brook, which housed mills here beginning in the early 1700s. The trail enters wetlands before arriving in Maynard and traveling through its busy downtown. Here, the trail crosses the Assabet River on a bridge, which offers good views of renovated 19th-century mill buildings.

The paved rail-trail ends at White Pond Road at mile 3.2. For the next 1.9 miles the railroad corridor passes through the 2,230-acre Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge along a track road, a public access dirt road that’s more suitable for mountain bikes. The next 2 miles of corridor, between Sudbury Road and the trailhead on MA 62/Wilkins Street in Hudson, is closed, as it crosses private land.

The northern trail of the older section of rail-trail is located at the MA 62 trailhead. The trail once again offers views of the Assabet River as it crosses a small bridge alongside MA 62/Main Street, where trail users may also see a restored 1921 Boston and Maine Railroad blue caboose before it enters Hudson’s commercial district. Hudson was once known as Shoe Town for all the shoe-making factories along the river. The best view of the river comes about 0.6 mile past the caboose as the trail crosses a trestle 40 feet above the river.

Leaving Hudson, the trail again plunges into woods that offer a shady canopy as you begin a gentle climb to Marlborough. Passing beneath MA 85, the trail enters Marlborough and cross wetlands around Flagg Brook that serves as a wildlife corridor. Here, trail users can spot the Fort Meadow Reservoir from an overlook with benches. The path continues about another mile, reaching the trail high point at Hudson Street, before reaching its southern endpoint along Lincoln Street.

Trail History

Trail plans date to 1992, when local residents eyed the former railbed of the Marlborough Branch Railroad as a rail-trail project. The branch ran from a junction with the main line Fitchburg Railroad in Acton southward along the Assabet River beginning in 1849, extending to Marlborough by 1855. The Fitchburg Railroad subsequently merged with Boston and Maine Railroad. Passenger service ended in 1958; freight ended in the 1960s. All five towns along the route voted in support of the rail-trail in 1998, and the first section opened in 2005.

Parking and Trail Access

The Assabet River Rail Trail runs between 19 Maple St (Acton) and Sudbury Rd. (Stow) and Wilkins St (Hudson) to Highland St and Lincoln St (Marlborough), with parking in Acton and Hudson.

Parking is also available at:

  • 157 Washington St (Hudson)
  • 56 Jefferson St (Marlborough)

See TrailLink Map for more options and detailed directions.

Assabet River Rail Trail Reviews

Great but discontinuous

The Assabet River Rail Trail is varied and enjoyable. The tricky thing about it is that it exists as two disconnected sections, separated by 2 miles of fairly busy road that's only suitable for confident road warriors. And that's a shame because both sections are marvelous and have much to recommend them.

The northern section runs from South Acton, through Maynard, and barely into Stow. It passes right through downtown Maynard, where you can find some decent food options and a bike shop. Proceeding south, it turns into a wide, hard-packed dirt road, and then finally ends as a slightly rougher dirt path. You can also easily access the Assabet River Wildlife Refuge from here, which has miles of wonderful off-road bike paths.

The southern section starts in Hudson and passes through the eastern end of its downtown, where there are more services and some worthwhile shops, including a bike shop. As of 2025, this part also connects to a new 8-mile eastbound section of the Mass Central Rail Trail. But if you continue on the Assabet River Rail Trail, you'll climb up into Marlborough -- it's pretty consistently uphill as you head south, but it's good exercise and has at least one excellent view. The trail more or less ends in the center of Marlborough, near the library, and where there are a few more spots you can grab a bite or get a drink.

So although this one isn't a straight shot, it's easily the most pleasant way to tour these towns and see what they have to offer. I hope finish it some day, and make it a single continuous Acton-to-Marlborough trail it's meant to be.

glorious

Just rode the trail south to the Sudbury line. The east west trail is finished to the west for another 8 miles. It connects to the Hudson Trail at the end.

not what I expected

This is a decent trail but there are a few things to note: No parking lot on Marlboro end but I did find parking on a side street. The trail has many street crossings, especially when you are in Hudson. Some of the crossings are busy intersections. The trail ends in Hudson but you can bike along rte 62 for a few miles, then down a side street to pick it up again in stow. That portion of the trail will take you to action. The guide says this is 10 miles but I’m not sure if the Marlboro to Hudson section is 10 miles or if it is 10 miles with the stow to acton portion. Marlboro to Hudson didn’t seem like 10 miles. I wouldn’t go out of my way to do this tri

Very nice trail if you want to get away for an hour or two

Very nice trail if you want to get away for an hour or two

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