The "Topsfield Linear Common" Rail Trail is the longest recreational trail in Town. The Friends of Topsfield Trails, a 501(c)3 tax deductible organization, was formed to support development and maintenance of the trail”. Our shared use path links Boxford with the Proctor school, downtown Topsfield village, Pye Brook park, residential areas, the Topsfield Fair grounds and the Ipswich River.
The 3.9 mile trail is built on the abandoned railbed which runs from the town of Wenham to the town of Boxford. It is part of the Boston-to-Border trail (connecting Boston to New Hampshire) as well as the East Coast Greenway (connecting the Florida Keys to Canada). Other trails in Town include Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Bradley Palmer State Park, Willowdale State Forest, and the Topsfield Town Forest. During the "Gilded Age," a number of wealthy individuals, in particular Thomas Proctor and Bradley Palmer, built their summer estates along the Ipswich River. Their generous gifts to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Audubon Society have preserved the properties they cherished for all of us to enjoy. Other properties have been preserved and trails have been created by latter-day stewards of the land, including the Town of Topsfield, the Essex County Greenbelt Association (ECGA) and the Essex County Trails Association (ECTA).
The Topsfield Rail Trail Committee was created in 2005 to help build the Topsfield Linear Common without cost to the Town. The “Friends of Topsfield Trails”, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 entity, continues the tradition of building and preserving the paths and trails that allow us to celebrate the beauty of our natural environment. Funds for this come from federal, state and private grants as well as private donations. The bulk of the labor is provided by a dedicated group of volunteers. Please visit our donor page if you are so inclined to help us continue to improve the trail. If you would like to join us in a work party please let us know. If, by any chance, you might have equipment to lay down stone and compact it please let us know.
The southern part of our trail (for which the Town has a 99 year lease) has 2.3 miles of beautiful stone dust surface. It reflects light from the mica crystals in the mix. This section is “accessible”. The remaining 1.6 miles (owned by National Grid and licensed to the Town), has a temporary combination of fine stone surface and grass with a single track in the center. We are committed to not paving the trail due to comfort its users and initial expense and high cost of maintenance. Our trail is used by walkers, runners, handicapped individuals, bikers (even with skinny tires), class 1 electric bikes, snow shoers and cross country skiers and equestrians. Finishing off the trail will be costly. Please contact us with questions and ideas to help us finish the trail. We'd love to hear from you!
For a virtual of our trail visit see Baxter Demers trail video (click here).
We ask for your generosity. Please donate for yourself and others that love the Topsfield Linear Common.
News and Notes
In November 2024 we laid down 4" of 3/8- stone to cover areas that were prone to being muddy at a cost of about $7,000 plus a lot of volunteer labor. The areas were located from Washington St. going north. Why was it muddy? Most of our trail is withe the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission which requires us to flie documents for their approval. This section of the trail has shallow active drainage ditches on both sides. During big snow and rain events water flows briskly. When utility trucks from National Grid and their tree crews work they drive across the trail, which is soft, and create new channels for the water to flow. This creates a muddly mess which, by the terms of the license from National Grid we have to repair!
We ask for your generosity. Please donate for yourself and others that love the Topsfield Linear Common.
