First rail trail section opens; volunteer day set

First 1.1 miles opens - May 2021!

After more than a decade of work, we are pleased to officially open the first 1.1 miles of the Squannacook River Rail Trail!

The first 1.1 miles of the Squannacook River Rail Trail, from Depot St to Old Meetinghouse Road in Townsend, has now officially opened!

We hope everyone gets a chance to try out the brand-new rail trail soon, and see what a great job Shepherd's has done building this trail.

Check out the map below for what is now complete. If all goes as planned, the section from Old Meetinghouse Road to Harbor Church will open as a stone dust rail trail next year!

Pictured at left: Our top quality control experts checking out bike riding on the new rail trail. Verdict - two thumbs up!

Click on the map above to download a high-resolution pdf version.

Volunteer Day - Saturday June 5, 2021 9 AM - 1 PM

Join us for the 2021 Squannacook River Rail Trail Volunteer Day, celebrating the opening of the first 1.1 miles of our stone dust rail trail! We will meet at the parking area in Townsend center, where we will break into groups to do various task along the rail trail. If the rail trail parking lot is full, please park at the parking lot on Jefts Street. Please bring work gloves and bug spray. Below we have listed some equipment you might need for different tasks, but just bring what you can, and don't worry if you don't have any of those items. Let's hope for a beautiful day along the rail trail!

Litter pick-up: trash bags
Wattle clean-up: utility knife, trash bags, wheelbarrow, hammer
Trail rut clean up: strong garden rake or hoe or shovel, wheelbarrow
Collect rail hardware: wheelbarrow
Move displaced ties off walking path: Pry bar/Johnson bar.

Check out the Facebook event page

Thanks to Sterilite and Graniteville Materials for their help!

Business support has been an important factor in the success of this rail trail. Many thanks to Sterilite for allowing Shepherd's to use Sterilite land as a staging area while constructing this year's phase of the Squannacook River Rail Trail. Our thanks also to Graniteville Materials in Westford, MA for a great discount on stone dust to help us build the rail trail.