Cape Cod Rail-Trail

The Cape Cod trail extends 27 miles from South Dennis to Wellfleet, Massachusetts. It is paved and has bike rental, food and rest stops along the trail, The trail passes several cranberry bogs on the western end. The trail also includes a traffic circle/rotary/round-about as part of the trail at the intersection with the Old Colony Rail-Trail.

I rode most of the trail in early May 2022. It was mostly flat with only an occasional small incline to pass over some busy roads. When there are road crossings traffic is supposed to stop for trail users and most do. There was one short on road section that was not well marked. I called up Google maps to be sure I was headed in the right direction. Overall, I found it to be a very enjoyable ride.

 

See a video of my ride on my YouTube channel Mark’s Bike Tock

Here are a couple of links for more information:

https://www.mass.gov/locations/cape-cod-rail-trail

https://www.capecodbikeguide.com/railtrail.asp

Minuteman Commuter Bikeway

The Minuteman Trail is north of Boston. It is a Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail. The 11 miles paved trail is often included in the top 10 bike rides in the Boston area. It roughly follows the route taken by Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride.

I rode the trail the beginning of May, 2022. There is garage parking at the southern end of the trail. I instead parked at 42.40069588271775, -71.14513804643462. This is a surface lot at a public park a very short distance up the trail. There is a 2 hour limit for parking which is free. I was a bit longer and didn’t have any issues.

The trail itself was asphalt paved making for a generally smooth ride. Just a few tree root bumps here and there to watch for. Mile markers were signs attached to granite posts. Unfortunately, vandals removed these signs on a couple of the posts. Similar signs were apparently added later to indicate half miles. These are mounted on steel posts. There are bike shops, eateries, and visitor centers right on the trail. As with most urban trails there were a fair number of users especially on the south end near Boston. I rode midday, I would guess it gets even busier in the morning and afternoon commute times. The south end of this trail ends as the Alewife mass transit station.

The trail is just a few miles from Logan airport so you will see and hear planes passing over the trail. You are still far enough that the planes are already high enough to not create significant noise.

If you are interested in history this trail oozes it in spades. Not just railroad history (is also has that) but American history. A history buff could spend all day just in Lexington.

To see a video of my ride visit Mark's Bike Tock on YouTube.  For more information visit the bikeway website: minutemanbikeway.org   

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail

 

The Farmington Canal Trail extends across Connecticut and into Massachusetts. It starts in New Haven on the campus of Yale (an additional 1.5 miles is planned to extend to the waters of the Long Island Sound) and continues north, bisecting the state ending in Massachusetts. The trail is approximately 80 miles in total. Unfortunately, it is not completed with some sections temporarily on roads.  

I rode this trail the end of April, 2022. I started at the southern end and did about 19 miles before returning. This portion of the trail plus an additional 5 or so miles, is paved, off road bike path. There are numerous road crossings, but they are well marked. Drivers are supposed to stop for trail users and generally do.

The asphalt was in good shape with only the occasional root bump. It was great seeing several stops along the trail that include flush toilets. That is in addition to the several commercial establishments along and near the trail. Mile markers were sometimes visible painted on the trail surface but were often faded beyond usability.

For more information visit the Farmington Trail website at FCHTrail.org To see a video of my ride visit my YouTube channel Mark’s Bike Tock.