GRANITE TOWN RAIL TRAIL:
MILFORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: August 13, 2023
Length: Granite Town Rail Trail; 2.9 miles
Difficulty: Moderate. Flat hard packed dirt rail trail. Some sections heavy with roots or embedded RR ties.
Directions:
From Routes 101 take the exit for Route 13 Milford/Brookline;
To Start from the DPW garage [Northern End]; Travel 0.5 miles north on Route 13 to the Dept. of Public Works garage on the left. Use the second entrance and bear right along the dirt road to a small grass parking area.
To Start from the Armory Road parking lot [Center Section]; Travel south on Route 13 and take your first right on Armory Rd. You'll cross the trail just before a sharp curve and come to a small parking area on your right after 0.7 miles.
The Granite Town Rail Trail follows the old rail bed of the Brookline & Milford Railroad, Fitchburg Line, Ayer & Milford Branch, circa 1894. Trains on the Brookline & Milford Branch and the main Fitchburg Line stopped running passenger trains in 1926, forcing people to ride on mixed freight/passenger trains. In September, 1931, the last train ran on the Fitchburg Line. For more information visit; GRANITE TOWN RAIL TRAIL & GRANITE TOWN RAIL TRAIL .
Starting from the DPW garage; A Map Board is located here. Cross the small bridge and follow the path along the fence behind the garage to a small concrete dam over the Great Brook. CAUTION! There are no railings. This brings you to the rail trail where you head left. The hard packed dirt Granite Town Rail Trail South travels through the woods and alongside the brook. After 0.6 miles a crosswalk takes you over Union St to an undeveloped section of trail. Follow the narrow path between the brook and just below Route 101 to a narrow culvert underneath Route 101. WATCH YOUR HEAD. This returns you to the rail trail which starts out rough with many roots, but soon improves after 0.8 miles. A marsh is on your right, but keep an eye left for an old wooden Whistle marker and granite Mile Marker? left over from the RR days. Some steps lead down to Armory Rd (CAUTION, sharp curve in the road) and the trail continues on the other side. You cross a driveway at 1 mile and pass by the Armory Road parking lot. The trail then veers off the old rail bed for a short distance utilizing a narrow path. After returning to the rail bed you travel along a ridge before encountering a short section heavy with tree roots at 1.5 miles. Soon you travel along a high berm with a pond below before the trail narrows as you approach Melendy Rd. Here the old rail bed has been filled in. A set of stairs lead up to Melendy Rd, head right on-road, then left to rejoin the trail at 2.2 miles. Heading down a slight hill this section starts off as a wide gravel trail, traveling past a marsh fed by the Ox Brook. Past the marsh you'll encounter tree roots and the occasional RR tie embedded in the hard packed dirt trail. Cross a dirt road at 2.6 miles, then follow a causeway past some ponds. Travel underneath a transmission line at 2.9 miles. You are now in Brookline, where the trail continues another 4 miles. Come to a trail intersection at 1.2 miles. Sign reads B6. Here the open trail continues straight. You'll encounter many an old RR ties along this section. This was as far as I traveled. See; Brookline Rail Trail .
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WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT