nashua river rail trail

This trail goes from Ayer, Massachusetts all the way to Nashua, NH, passing through Groton and Pepperell. On a sunny day, it can be overrun with bicyclists in large groups. I walked frequently with my dog and people are friendly. When it is not crowded, you can see a variety of wildlife, especially in the Groton area by the ponds and lakes with the beaver dams. We have seen beavers, turtles, birds, a mink, horses being walked and huge pigs that escaped from a farm.

You need not be all that athletic to enjoy this trail as its quite nicely paved, and flat. There are several parking places, but most start at either end. We have done it several times now by bike. The fall season is especially nice.

This is a great trail for walking, biking, and everything else. It is pretty well maintained, paved all the way, and relatively few road crossings considering the length.

Great exercise trail. A little too busy with bikes on the weekend. But beautiful, especially in the fall with the leaves changing and geese flying overhead.

we have done this trail dozens of time. Excellent flat bike trail, ideals for families with little children. Nice ice cream shop about 3/4 of the way into the trail going north. We wish it was longer. It is about 12 miles one way

A quiet, peaceful trail. On weekdays you feel like you have the well-kept trail to yourself. About 24 miles roundtrip, and most of the trail is shaded by trees. Plenty of nice scenery; in the first pond from the Ayer end you will likely see several very large turtles, with shells over a foot across. Not many road crossings, and the traffic is light anyhow. About halfway on the trail is a good ice cream store. A large parking lot at the Ayer end, with a Dunkin Donuts right across the street for a nice iced coffee after your ride.

The trail is well maintained although this winter created a few frost heaves. There are beautiful views with water and woods. You may get to see some wildlife. Stop in Pepperell for ice cream.

i go biking there a lot , one of the best bike trails ,very safe and there are towns you can stop at and get bite to eat

Although it can be crowded in the summer and the asphalt has buckled in a couple of spots from tree roots, I like it! It's long and relaxing and it's nice to get away from the Massachusetts traffic once in awhile.

My wife and I go roller blading for fun and exercise. Living in the suburbs of Boston, there are only a few paved trails that are long enough, smooth enough and near enough to be useful. The Nashua River Rail Trail is our go to choice.Access to the parking lot is off Groton St. off Rt. 111. It's actually a commuter lot, so there is little to no parking available on week days. You may have to park on a nearby side street. On weekends, most of the spaces are taken by cars with bike racks.Once you're on the trail, its a dream. There are periodic bumps from frost heaves and roots, but most are marked with paint and easily avoided. Unfortunately, the pavement is getting old, so there may not be many more years that it will be good for blading. For now, it's a 12.3 mile carpet ride. There are road crossings, but not too many, and they don't have cobble stones or rubber mats to trip you up. Most of the trail is in the woods, and therefore shaded, but there are also nice sunny sections. Watch out for pine cones and leaves in the fall.The nicest section of the trail is about 2 1/2 miles from the start. The trail comes out of the woods to cross a beaver pond on both sides, followed quickly by wild fields. Another lovely section follows the Nashua River for a while starting around mile 7.8 miles from Ayer, you arrive in Pepperell center. The Spa offers good breakfast, sandwiches and ice cream. In the summer, a dedicated ice cream shop offers huge portions to fuel you up.Heading further North, the trail has more bumps, but also beautiful woods. A spur heads off to the right around mile 11, but the trail continues straight into New Hampshire. Better pavement from here, with a major road crossing at Rt. 111A. Then, only part of a mile to the end of the trail at Gilson Road. Nothing much there except a parking lot, so its turn around and head back. 12.3 miles of bliss still to go.Note, the only supplies on the trail are in Ayer and Pepperell, and a trail-side drink machine around mile 10. There are port-a-potties in the parking lots at the ends, and possible bathrooms in Pepperell, but nowhere else.

Nashua River Rail Trail - http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-central/nashua-river-rail-trail.htmlI parked at the Northern end of the paved trail and road south to Ayer MA and back. The one-way distance was 12.3 miles. The surface is pretty good with just a few stretches that had frost heaves. There was some spectacular scenery along the way especially while passing through some protected areas in Groton MA. There was ample parking at both ends of the trail, but I was out just after sunrise. By the time I finished the Nashua parking lot was nearly full, a testament to how good this trail is.

My brother and I biked this trail for the first time in early September, and were both very impressed. It goes through mostly wooded and marshy areas, with great scenic views of the Nashua River. Stop about halfway in East Pepperell for a cold drink. The trail is relatively flat and straight, with few road crossings, making for a great family ride.

We love this trail for cycling. It's great to get you started in the spring, nice and flat but a good 25 miles round trip. Quite a few areas where you need to cross busy roads with cars, so watch the kids. Easy to jump off the trail and ride into the local towns and grab an ice coffee or lunch if you'd like. It's starting to see a little wear and tear over the past few years, frost heaves etc, but pretty well marked. The parking can get busy if you go mid day. I drop my car at the jiffy lube at the bottom of the hill before I go on my ride and get my oil changed while I get my ride in

I went there during Fathers day weekend and ride was excellent. Parking at Ayer location is ample and is start of bike trail. One way is about 12 miles to Dunstable. I usually ride a mountain bike so gets me good exercise. Trail is nice as it goes thru wooded area, farms, water reservior. Trail is almost flat with very slight variation in elevation. Very easy ride for families with young children. Should be good during Fall season also. Plan to go back there. Trail was quite croweded the day i went with lot of people jogging, roller skating, families walking in group and pushing strollers so watch out for them.

This is always a nice ride - from Nashua on down to Ayer - or only part way. A nice, flat trail for families, novices and experienced riders. A few street crossings, but nicely marked. Stop for ice cream in Pepperell or have lunch in Ayer before heading back. It's an easy way to do 25 miles.