Danvers MA | Danvers Rail Trail

Danvers Rail Trail

The Danvers Rail Trail is a 4 1/3-mile non-motorized shared-use path linking schools, downtown Danvers, parks, residential areas, and trails in the neighboring towns of Peabody, Wenham, and Topsfield. Ideal for walking, biking, or jogging, the compacted stone dust trail is built along what was once part of the historic Boston to Maine railroad running from Newburyport to Danvers. The Danvers Rail Trail is managed and maintained by a group of community volunteers and provides a healthful recreational option available to all residents and visitors.

What's New On The Trail!

Peabody Trail Closed at Lowell Street

The city of Peabody is making drainage improvements to their trail north of Lowell Street. This section of the trail will be closed at various times during May and June. While closed, there are no convenient alternate routes when traveling between Lowell St and the Danvers trail.

Please contact the City of Peabody Community Development Office for more information. We will post updates here as we learn about them.

Thank You for Earth Day Spring Cleaning! (April 2023)

The weather cooperated on Saturday with spring-like cool and cloudy conditions. As part of the town-wide Earth Day cleanup, a group of about 30 volunteers made great progress in clearing
trash and other debris from all sections of the trail.

About 30 bags of trash (bottles, papers, dog waste) were collected and removed from the trail and trail sidings. The area around the new Beaver Brook bridge was also cleaned. In addition, with help from Endicott Park Rangers, two truck-loads of brush and branches were removed.

With the weather warming, we ask that trail users and trail neighbors do not deposit waste of any kind on or along the trail. Its illegal and restricts the ability of the Danvers Electric Division to maintain its’ right-of-way, creates a breeding ground for rats, and is generally an eyesore and safety hazard for trail users.

Thank you to Medtronic, the Maple Street Church, DHS Students, and many rail trail enthusiasts. And to the Town of Danvers for providing the trash bags and picking up the gathered trash.

Danvers Rail Trail Northwest Extension Progress Being Made!

[January 2023]

We are happy to announce that work has been completed on the timber bridge spanning Beaver Brook (a few hundred yards northwest of 34 Hobart Street). It is now possible to cross over the brook and make your way northwest towards Route 62/Maple Street. Initial work on the bridge included installing sediment control measure to help protect nearby wetlands. This bridge is a major step forward in completing the connection to Middleton. Leveling and applying a stone dust surface between the current trail and Nichols Street is planned for the near future.

For those in the Hathorne area stone dust has been applied to the trail surface from about the Lahey Outpatient Center on Hathorne Drive north to the Middleton trail. Its now possible to follow a stone dust trail from Lahey to Route 62 in Middleton (at Farmer Brown’s), which is about 1.5 miles one way.

Residents in the vicinity of the construction have been notified (more details here). We do not expect any disruption along the current trail.