Mass Central Rail Trail
Photo courtesy of MassTrails10 / MassDOT

Mass Central Rail Trail

A rail trail that will one day run 104 miles from Boston to Northampton, built in pieces town by town. The paved Wayside section links Waltham to Hudson through quiet woods and wetlands, and the stone dust Wachusett section follows the Quinapoxet River and climbs through Holden and Rutland.

Length
68 mi
rail trail
Surface
Mixed
paved and unpaved
Get on at
7 places
on the map

From Beaver Street to Muddy Pond lot

Parking at 6 of the 7 places to get on · See where

Not plowed in winter · Who clears it

Open. No closures as of Oct 26, 2026.

Ride it as a roam Directions to Beaver Street

Where to get on

Numbers match the list; P has parking.

Download the GPX

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

  1. Beaver Street, Waltham (east end of the Wayside section)

    East end of the open Wayside trail. Paved. Trail parking in Waltham is very limited.

    MBTA bus 554 stops on Beaver Street at Waverley Oaks Road
    Directions

  2. Wayland Center, historic Wayland Depot (Route 27)

    Cafes, bakeries and shops in Wayland Center next to the trail. The open trail goes on west to Route 20 at Russell's Garden Center, then stops. The gap to Sudbury is about 1.5 miles; use Pelham Island Road and Landham Road.

    Parking near the Wayland Depot and old Wayland station.
    Directions

  3. South Sudbury, Union Avenue

    On the Sudbury to Hudson section that opened July 16, 2026. Coffee shops and food stores about a quarter mile south on a busy road.

    Street parking along Station Avenue.
    Directions

  4. Hudson, Wilkins Street lot (Assabet River Rail Trail)

    West end of the new 7.5-mile Sudbury to Hudson section. Meets the Assabet River Rail Trail here.

    Assabet River Rail Trail parking lot off Wilkins Street.
    Directions

  5. Thomas Street lot, West Boylston (Oakdale)

    East end of a 3-mile stone dust stretch along the Quinapoxet River to River Street in Holden.

    Trail parking lot on Thomas Street. Can fill by mid-morning on summer weekends.
    Directions

  6. Manning Street lot, Holden

    Cross Manning Street at the flashing crosswalk. Year-round accessible portable toilets at the River Street and Mill Street lots nearby.

    Large lot near 200 Manning Street.
    Directions

  7. Muddy Pond lot, Route 122, Rutland (near the Oakham line)

    Start of the Rutland trail guide. The Route 122 lot (about 30 cars, year-round accessible portable toilet) is 1.3 miles east on the trail. Stone dust surface, passes Rutland State Park.

    Lot on the north side of Route 122, with a short ramp to the trail.
    Directions

Getting there

By transit
In Waltham, MBTA bus 554 stops at the Beaver Street end, and Waltham commuter rail station (Fitchburg Line) is about half a mile south of the trail.
More

No MBTA service was verified near the Wayland, Sudbury, Hudson or Wachusett sections.

Parking
Wayside section: small lots and street parking at Wayland Center, South Sudbury (Station Avenue), Hudson (Wilkins Street lot) and Weston, with very little in Waltham.
More

Wachusett section: free lots at Thomas Street (West Boylston), Manning Street, Mill Street and River Street (Holden), and Route 122, Miles Road and Glenwood Road (Rutland).

Roams 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

Wachusett Greenways (Mass Central Rail Trail)

Rock cuts, tunnel murals, and the Quabbin-Wachusett water connection

7.3 mi 48 minIn the Shift app

Photo: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The whole trail

Mass Central Rail Trail: Sudbury to Hudson

Rail history, a rare Pine Barrens ecosystem, and a rebuilt truss bridge

5.4 mi 35 minIn the Shift app

Get Shift, free. Follow a roam with turn-by-turn directions to each stop, and see closures on your trails before you go.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Keep going

The Mass Central Rail Trail joins other paths and protected bike lanes. Pick a direction to see it on the map.

This trail Where you can keep going Other bike paths

About the Mass Central Rail Trail

Surface
Mixed. The Wayside section (Waltham to Hudson) is paved, except about half a mile of stone dust in Wayland between Cochituate Road and Route 20. The Wachusett Greenways sections (West Boylston, Holden, Rutland, Oakham, Barre) are mostly stone dust, with a few short on-road links.
Rules
On the DCR-owned Wayside section, dogs must be on a leash (Town of Wayland notice on DCR rules). Rutland State Park charges an entrance fee in summer.
In winter
Not plowed between Waltham and Sudbury; it is left for skiing. Farther west, only the parking lots and entrances are cleared. Source
Conditions on every path
Restrooms
Wachusett section: Wachusett Greenways keeps portable toilets at eight spots in West Boylston, Holden, Rutland and Oakham, including year-round accessible ones at Mill Street and River Street (Holden) and the Route 122 lot and 102 Glenwood Road (Rutland). Rutland State Park also has restrooms. There are none listed on the Wayside section.
Food
Wayland Center (cafes, bakeries, a pub), Russell's Garden Center snacks at Route 20 in Wayland, and food a quarter mile south of the Union Avenue crossing in South Sudbury.
Who looks after it
Wayside section: Massachusetts DCR. Wachusett section: built and kept up by Wachusett Greenways (a nonprofit) with the towns and DCR/MWRA landowners. The whole 104-mile route is coordinated by the MCRT Alliance.
Also called
MCRT, Mass Central Rail Trail Wayside, Wayside Rail Trail, Wayside Trail, Wachusett Greenways rail trail, Central Mass rail trail

More about the trail

Where these facts come fromChecked Oct 19, 2026