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    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

    4.6 (23 reviews)

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    Between chelmsford and westford
    Heather L.

    This is our favorite bike path. Not many road crossings on most of the trail. Lots of parking options. The path is pretty wide and not many hills. We like the chelmsford to Acton portion better than chelmsford to lowell because there are more street crossings toward the lowell end. There is a big hill in Acton though!

    trail
    Karen 2.

    nice place to go on a walk or definitely bike ride. there's some water nearby which is nice to look at. kinda on the busier side.

    Kim K.

    Awesome trail! Pretty flat, though there are some big hills at the bridge/road crossings. Quiet, clean, serene! Multiple spots to park - though I like parking at Heart Pond. The extensions and work done to the trail shows - it's a very smooth, very nice ride. All street crossings are well marked and very visible. A couple very clean port-a-potties along the route too. I'm impressed!

    Between Chelmsford Center and High Street

    This bike trail took the town of Chelmsford 25 years to complete -- it opened just shy of my 26th birthday, and I grew up in this town, so yes, they've been working on this trail since I was *BORN.* The wait was worth it. This fantastic trail is a very worthy addition to Massachusetts' wonderful array of rail trails. While the Chelmsford section is just one of (hopefully!!) three sections of the entire Freeman trail, it's only 6 miles or so, it takes the walker/jogger/biker/skater through some gorgeous wetland and woodland scenery that I didn't even know EXISTED in my quiet hometown. One trailhead is at the Crosspoint building (formerly known as the Wang tower) in Lowell, and the other is on the Chelmsford/Carlisle border. I recommend approaching from Carlisle and making your way north, as close to the Lowell trailhead you go through Chelmsford center, a convenient pitstop. Not to mention, as you go north from Carlisle, the landscape changes from woods into open wetlands that then feed into more and more streams until suddenly the path parallels a large, gushing stream that feeds into the Middlesex canal. My jaw dropped when I saw the amount of water that was flowing (just barely half a mile from Chelmsford center) around swathes of trees and giant boulders, like a scene from some storybook idyll that seems like it totally, definitely shouldn't be in Chelmsford. But it is! As of this writing the trail is barely a week old, so yeah, it's a little crowded, but that should dissipate with time. For people not from around the Chelmsford area -- please note the High Street crossing and be VERY CAUTIOUS. Local drivers go notoriously way too fast on High street, and while the bike path crossing there is well-marked, old habits die hard. Experienced bikers might be tempted to pull a rolling stop at this intersection but I recommend vigilance at this crossing, especially since drivers are coming around a curve and a down a hill when they get to the intersection.

    Random shot in Chelmsford

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Beautiful trail..nice and level. Can't wait for the planned extensions

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    8 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

    Has anyone yet riden the Bruce Freeman from Chelmsford 225 to W Concord on either a mt bike or cross bike? Is it packed down enough?

    The trail is paved from Lowell to Acton. I can't tell you about Acton to W Concord.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

    “There is paved trail from Acton to the border of Lowell, contrary to the information on Google maps.”

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Thoreau Farm

    Thoreau Farm

    4.6(7 reviews)
    9.1 mi

    For my birthday last year, I gifted myself a day's retreat in the house/room where Thoreau was…read moreborn. My entire trip to the Concord area was a transcendental pilgrimage in its own right, and my day alone in the home of seclusion's champion was more than meaningful. I read all the exhibit panels, wrote at the little desk by the window, picnicked on the lovely grounds for lunch, and read Emerson's "Read, then Write." I might have even slept a little in the peaceful, bird-sung quiet. It was a gift to have the entire day in this place, to see the shift of sunlight across the eaves, to contemplate the coming year. The staff made it so easy - they worked with me to shift days - and they made me feel absolutely welcome. It was quite humbling to have a key of my very own for the day! I came away with good written words, good philosophy, and a belief in the actuality of personal connection with literary heroes. Thank you for allowing it to happen!

    I am so grateful for the writing space at the Writer's Retreat provided by the Thoreau Farm:…read moreBirthplace of Henry David Thoreau. It is a privilege to spend time in the very room that this American author was born. As the author and illustrator of eight children's books on Thoreau, I can attest that the Writer's Retreat has provided me the impetus for creating them during the numerous times I attended the Writer's Retreat. One might say that they were conceived in that room where many of my words and illustrations began. The Writer's Retreat provides a quiet space where one might write, read, and be reflective. It is beneficial to the amateur or professional writer or to anyone who just needs a space to think and read. The Farm is in a rural setting where one may take a meditative walk and is a special treasure. Imagine writing or reading on a replica of Henry's own green desk where he wrote his works. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to have a place to rest and think without any distractions in the room where Henry was born. Rebecca Migdal, Executive Director of the Thoreau Farm: Birthplace of Henry David Thoreau, is warm and welcoming to anyone who visits the Thoreau Farm or uses the Writer's Retreat. During the time I spent at this special place, Rebecca made me feel very comfortable. Rebecca's cheerful demeaner makes any visitor feel special and at ease. I highly encourage anyone who needs a space for quiet reflection or pursue literary endeavors to spend a day or two at the Writer's Retreat.

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    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - parks - Updated September 2026

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