MethuenRailTrail

I took my bike around Newburyport Saturday afternoon just to see what it was like to ride around a city that was relatively flat…btw it was luxurious… I have used the bike routes to and from Plumb Island and that’s a treat as well. Where the roads intown don’t have actual bike lanes there are many more cyclists and the cars give you enough room to ride..well MOST of the cars. BTW there are five pedicabs on the road in Newburyport, now THAT’s a lot of exercise.

I grabbed some pictures of their Clipper City Rail Trail under construction. Seeing as how it is part of the Border to Boston Trail it will be larger and more elaborate than the proposed Methuen Trail…but it’s good to have goals.

The Clipper City Rail Trail will connect to Salisbury’s Eastern Marsh Trail via a rail road bridge across the Merrimack River, run south through to the MBTA station and continue down into Newbury and Rowley. They are also integrating it into their plans for additional downtown bike routes.

Tags: Area Trails, Border to Boston, Clipper City Rail Trail, Newburyport

I took the 40 year old Armstrong to Newburyport’s Maudslay State Park, not a rail trail but a nice walk in the woods nonetheless. The park is billed as a multi-use park which includes cycling. And it does, but a great many of the trails are a challenge, more suitable to fat tire and mountain bikes. Not that you can’t do them with a road only bike, but you may want to wear those padded bike shorts you bought but don’t wear cause they feel silly.

[download the PDF printable map]

I only did a few of the many trails, and the surfaces range from deep canopied woods with roots and mulch, to sand and rocks – I only had to dismount once for a rocky uphill but then I am more foolish than most. The trail markers are missing in most places, so PRINT the map and bring exact change for the $2 parking ticket machine.

It is a very very nice park, with many scheduled events.
Maudslay State Park site

Tags: Area Trails, Maudslay State Park, Newburyport