Clipper City Rail Trail

The Clipper City Rail Trail is a paved loop of about 3.4 miles that links the Newburyport train station, downtown and the Merrimack River waterfront. People use it to walk or bike from the train to downtown and to ride an easy loop past the harbor.

Length: 3.4 mi; rail trail
Surface: Paved; the whole way
Get on at: 8 places; on the map

Loops through Newburyport, Newbury

Parking at 5 of the 8 places to get on · See where

Train back from Newburyport station · Next trains

Open. No closures as of Oct 19, 2026.

Ride it as a roam Directions to the trail

Where to get on

Numbers match the list; P has parking.

Download the GPX

For Ride with GPS, Strava, Komoot or a bike computer.

Newburyport MBTA station
Southern start of the loop. Port Bikeshare has a station near the commuter rail station.
Newburyport station, Newburyport/Rockport Line commuter rail (about 200 m)
Paid MBTA lots.
Directions
Low Street (Graf Skating Rink)
The trail goes over Low Street on a bridge here.
Free parking at the Graf Skating Rink, west of the trail. A paved connector runs from behind the rink to the trail.
Directions
Washington Street
Port Bikeshare has a station on Washington Street.
Limited on-street parking. Free parking at Cushing Park on Kent Street nearby.
Directions
Merrimack River end, Gillis Bridge connector and Harborwalk
North end of the first phase. The Harborwalk heads west along the river, and a connector goes up to the Route 1 Gillis Bridge to Salisbury's trails.
Directions
Downtown waterfront boardwalk (Market Landing Park)
Boardwalk along the downtown waterfront. Port Bikeshare stations at Market Landing Park and next to the American Yacht Club.
MeVa Transit routes 19 and 20 run hourly between the train station and downtown
Directions
Joppa, Water Street
Riverfront section through the South End, opened in 2021 after shoreline work.
Directions
High Street (Route 1A)
Trail passes under High Street.
Free on-street parking on High Street.
Directions
Parker Street at State Street (Oak Hill Cemetery)
Last link of the loop, back toward the station. Signal-controlled crossings on Parker and State streets.
A few free spaces on Parker Street.
Directions

Getting there

By transit: Newburyport station (Newburyport/Rockport Line commuter rail) sits at the south end of the loop.
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From the station it is about a 1 mile walk on the trail to downtown. MeVa Transit routes 19 and 20 run hourly between the station and downtown.
Bike share: Port Bikeshare (a city pilot started November 2025, relaunched April 2026) has five stations: near the MBTA station, on Washington Street, at Market Landing Park, next to the American Yacht Club, and off High Street at March's Hill.
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No Bluebikes here.
Parking: Free parking at the Graf Skating Rink on Low Street, at Cushing Park on Kent Street, on High Street and a few spaces on Parker Street.
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Paid parking in the MBTA station lots. Washington Street has limited on-street parking.

Ride out, train home

Ride the trail one way and take the Commuter Rail back. Newburyport station is right on the trail.

A roam on this trail

A roam is a self-guided route with stops along the way. The free Shift app checks you in at each stop, and you unlock a badge at the end.

The whole trail