Massachusetts trails · Assabet River Rail Trail
Assabet River Rail Trail
A 12.2-mile out-and-back in Massachusetts, with 293 ft of climbing. Reaches Fort Pond Brook Reservoir and other lake destinations. Managed by Local Government.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 85% of the ascent, between mile 8.1 and mile 12.1.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Fort Pond Brook Reservoir (lake)
- Millpond (lake)
- Assabet River Reservoir (lake)
Getting there
Assabet River Rail Trail access — parking nearby. About 29 min drive (20 mi) from Lowell. 42.45944, -71.45480 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:28 a.m., the sun rises at 6:57 a.m. and sets at 6:05 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:34 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 24.3-mile round trip takes roughly 9 h 18 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:14 p.m. — 1 h 51 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Assabet River Rail Trail + ASSABET RIVER RAIL TRAIL — 3.0 mi loop, 87 ft gain
- Assabet River Rail Trail + ASSABET RIVER RAIL TRAIL — 3.0 mi loop, 87 ft gain
- ASSABET RIVER RAIL TRAIL + Assabet River Rail Trail — 3.3 mi loop, 243 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Battle Road Trail (multi-purpose recreational path) — 6.6 mi
- Mass Central/Wayside Rail Trail — 13.7 mi
- Mason NH Rail Trail ext. — 14.0 mi
- Tri-Community Bikeway — 15.5 mi