Nashua River Rail Trail

Terrain

Rail trail: Mostly flat with some grades

Surface

Good pavement

Scenery

Trees, ponds, small New England towns

Auto Traffic

None

Pedestrian Traffic

Light

Distance

11 miles each way

Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and Dunstable

The Nashua River Rail Trail is a former railroad right of way that travels 11 miles through the towns of Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, and Dunstable. The trail offers a 10-foot wide paved surface for the entire length. The NRRT travels along a varied landscape, offers numerous scenic overlooks and opportunities to see wildlife, and has several resting stops. The trail is particularly attractive during fall foliage season. The trail is built along the site of the former Hollis branch of the Boston and Maine Corp. railroad. The Hollis Branch was purchased by the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in 1987, and Mass. Highway completed the trail between 2001 and 2002. The Nashua River Rail Trail was officially opened and dedicated on October 25, 2002.

How to Get There 

Parking areas for access to the trail are located in Ayer, Groton, and Dunstable. Plans are underway for another parking lot in Pepperell Center. You can also reach the NRRT from the Ayer stop on the commuter rail service between Boston and Fitchburg.

• Ayer Center parking lot (60 paved spaces): Take Rte. 2 east or west to exit 38B, then follow Route 111 north to Ayer Rotary. Go halfway around rotary to Rte. 2A west. On Rte. 2A turn right after Ayer Center, and take first right on Groton Street to trail parking lot on the right.

  This map shows a close up of the commuter rail station and parking at Ayer end. Note that as shown on the map by the arrows, West Lawton is one way in the wrong direction, thus the instruction to proceed around the corner to Groton St. Click for the Commuter rail schedule for Ayer (If the map looks scrunched, try changing the multimedia option on Internet Explorer to not "enable automatic image resizing.")

• Groton Center parking (Court Street, 10 to 15 spaces): Take I-495 north or south to exit 31, then Rte. 119 west approximately 7 miles to Groton Center. Take left at Station Ave. to the on-street parking area beside the trail.

• Groton Sand Hill Road parking (10 to 15 gravel spaces) Take I-495 north or south to exit 31, then Rte. 119 west approximately 10 miles. Take dog leg right on Nod Road and right on Sand Hill Road. Follow Sand Hill Road to parking area on the right after crossing rail trail.

• Dunstable state line parking (10 gravel spaces) Take Rte. 3 to Exit 35, then Rte. 113 west beyond Dunstable Center. Take right on Hollis Street to New Hampshire state line. Parking is on the left.

An overview map of the trail and its parking areas is available at Trail map.

Where to Skate

We've skated most often from Ayer to Dunstable, and then back. There are some casual eateries in Ayer to have lunch that are welcoming to skaters. Note that there is water in front of the Groton Town Hall, close to the trail on Station Avenue. Non-flush public toilets are located at the trail head in Ayer.

For Further Info

For more information, see the trail home page.

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InLine Club of Boston