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    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

    4.6 (23 reviews)

    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Photos

    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - paintings - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - sign - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Watching what the beavers do best - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - saw bambi! - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Between chelmsford and westford - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Results from beavers - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts
    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - Random view on trail - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts

    +35

    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - View of the pond - Parks Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts

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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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    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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    Nara Park

    Nara Park

    4.2(12 reviews)
    6.2 mi

    A nice sized park to take the doggy out for a walk. There's paved walkways, which is nice…read moreespecially for those with mobility issues. There's a lake/pond I believe that is open to the public during summer time to go swimming and all. When we went during early April, we didn't have to pay for parking but I believe this changes with warmer weather.

    This park is absolutely beautiful and the walking trails are paved and flat which is great for…read morepeople who are physically challenged like me lovely wife. My only concern and complaint is the lack of trash cans around the pond. In general human beings are self centered and inconsiderate of nature and others in general which leads me to my concerns and complaints. The amount of trash and bags of dog poop scared around the pond and trail is unacceptable. The only two trash cans that are left are at the snack bar area and most of the time they are overflowing with trash. There is always fishing gear including fish hooks scattered around the benches at the bridge along with waste such as worm containers discarded bate and alcohol bottles. In short the park maintenance is lacking to say the least. I realize that the pond swim and picnic area does not open until Memorial Day weekend but that is not a good reason for the lack of cleanliness and disrepair off the benches and buildings. My wife needs to take a break from walking because she has post polio syndrome and the beaches that are scattered around the pond are a blessing for her and other physically challenged people who also enjoy the walking path but most of the beaches are coming apart and people have decided that leaving their bags of dog poop next to them is a acceptable practice. There are kid toys and flotation devices scattered around the shoreline of the pond that have been there for the three years that I have been coming to the park along with water bottles and other trash. If all of these things were taken care of on a regular basis I would be able to give this park a five star with two thumbs up. This park could be a diamond if the people would just pick up after themselves and the parks and recreation department would do better at their jobs, however the people of the town of Acton and the surrounding area need to do better at picking up after themselves and stop being disrespectful of nature and other peoples property!

    Photos
    Nara Park
    Nara Park
    Nara Park

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    Cat Rock Park

    Cat Rock Park

    4.2(53 reviews)
    14.9 mi

    Great hike! This hike is easy and the length is 1.2 mi, it might take 30 minutes to walk around…read more The huge surprise was that you can let your dog walk without the leash. A lot of people bring their dogs. This hike has a lake where your dog can swim. Nature is beautiful, when you are walking around you could hear the woodpeckers. The only problem is parking. There are not a lot of parking spots, and if you go there, there are only residents parking on the weekends. There is no additional parking available for people who just visiting the park.

    First time here, but I don't know a single person that hasn't recommended it without rave reviews…read more PROS: Trails. Great for off leash dog walking. There were tons of dogs roaming about, owners right on their heels, so no worries about unattended animals. Clean(er) ponds, since they're connected to flowing water sources. There was only spot we saw where the water seemed stagnant. Most everywhere else it was relatively clean. It's not crystal blue Caribbean waters, obviously, but for your dog to swim in, it's good. CONS: Parking seemed tight. Found a spot, but it looks like local residents are not happy about street parking for overflow, so there were signs prohibiting street parking. This was at the Drabbington entrance. I'm sure there's another entrance I don't know about. OVERALL: My new gold standard for off leash hiking.

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    Cat Rock Park
    Cat Rock Park
    Cat Rock Park - The two lovely dogs are hunting for rabbits.

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    The two lovely dogs are hunting for rabbits.

    Fawn Lake - Fawn Lake

    Fawn Lake

    4.0(2 reviews)
    6.9 mi

    Beautiful! How can you rate a lake? Well there are a few things that come to mind: rest area, bug…read morepopulation, accessibility, and swim-ability. Rest: there are places all around the banks to plop down or set up some folding chairs. There is lots of tree coverage and shade around the lake. Bugs: Plenty. (I think they're primarily baby dragonflies because it's Spring and 'tis the season) Accessibility: There's a parking lot! (G-d bless the 21st century in which natural areas come with parking lots) It also is along the Narrow Gauge Rail-Trail so it's accessible by a bike/walk path. You do need to do a tiny 1-minute hike down a small hill to get to the lake. Swim-ability: Rules for swimming are unknown. I can tell you that right on the edge of the lake, it's a little scummy, so I'm not sure it's appealing/a good idea to do so. No trash though! All in all, a wonderful lake to visit, might not spend the day here, but still worth the pretty views.

    Fawn lake is surrounded by a loop trail. It is still a quiet and pleasant trail to walk after…read moredinner. The scenery view is okay but not nothing special or breathtaking. It is an easy hiking trail with an accessible parking lot. The length of the loop trail is about one mile with marks. During the winter, the trail could be muddy after snow or rain. If you were looking for a stunning place, Fawn lake may not be the first choice.

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    Fawn Lake - The lake!

    The lake!

    Fawn Lake - Loop trail at Fawn Lake

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    Loop trail at Fawn Lake

    Bruce Freeman Rail Trail - parks - Updated June 2026

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