The Swampscott Rail Trail is part of the East Coast Greenway linking Florida with Maine. It is also part of the Border to Boston Trail
Local Rail Trails
- Marblehead Rail Trail – Shaped like a Y, this 4.1-mile dirt and gravel rail trail connects Marblehead and Salem, ending at the Swampscott town line. One branch meanders through conservation areas and past harbor overlooks to Salem, the second branch offers a longer route heading toward Swampscott through Marblehead’s residential areas.
- Salem Trails & Paths – The rail trail continues from the Marblehead town line into Salem where it connects with Salem’s extensive network of off-street multi-use paths and on-street bike lanes.
- Bike to the Sea – There are 7.5 miles of trail, some of it rail trail, starting in Everett and going through Malden, Revere, and Saugus to the Lynn line.
- Danvers Rail Trail – 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.
- Independence Greenway – This rail trail offers 8 miles of trail in three disconnected segments through western Peabody. The rail trail follows the abandoned Salem and Lowell Railroad and passes by wetlands and ponds. An on-road route is available to close the gap between the trail’s two longest segments.
- Topsfield Linear Common – This 4.9-mile rail trail connects Boxford with the Danvers Rail Trail, crosses the Ipswich river, and meanders by wetlands and the Great Wenham Swamp.
- The Northern Strand Community Trail – This trail will link up with the Bike to Sea trail at the Saugus/Lynn line and will travel through Lynn to Nahant Beach.
Proposed Local Rail Trails – these trails are in various stages of completion.
- Wakefield – Lynnfield Rail Trail – This rail trail is a 4.4 mile community path that will provide much needed community recreation space for four seasons of running, walking, biking, bird watching and cross country skiing.
For more information on Rail Trails around the United States, visit the Rails to Trails Conservancy.