Old Colony Rail Trail
The Old Colony Rail Trail is a paved rail trail located in Harwich and Chatham, Massachusetts. It occupies the Old Colony Railroad's abandoned Chatham Branch railroad right-of-way. Most of the trail follows roughly the path of the old railbed, except for deviations around the Chatham Municipal Airport and a utility yard in Harwich. Its west end connects to the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Harwich at a bike rotary.
| Old Colony Rail Trail | |
|---|---|
 The Bike Rotary in Harwich | |
| Location | Barnstable County |
| Trailheads | Bike Rotary, Cape Cod Rail Trail, Harwich Crowell Road, Chatham |
| Use | Hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, roller blading, and cross country skiing |
| Hiking details | |
| Trail difficulty | Easy |
| Season | year-round |
| Hazards | deer ticks poison ivy road crossings |
| Surface | Paved surface |
| Right of way | former railroad line |
| Massachusetts | |
 Location in Massachusetts | |
Although largely built to modern bike path standards, the trail has certain elements potentially dangerous to cyclists. Several road crossings have tight corners and limited sightlines, while others are poorly marked or have too-closely-spaced bollards.[1] The trail also includes several on-street sections without separate bike lanes, including on the relatively busy George Ryder Road in Chatham.[1]
Crossings
The whole trail is in Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
| Town | Crossing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Harwich |  |
Western
Terminus |
| Island Pond Rd. | ||
 |
||
| Woodbine Ln. | ||
| Meadow Ln. | ||
| Oak St. | ||
| Colbys Ln. | ||
 |
||
| Depot Rd. | ||
| Morton Rd. | ||
| Chatham |  |
|
| Huckleberry Ln. | ||
| Sam Ryder Rd. | ||
| George Ryder Rd. | overlap | |
| Wilfred Rd. | overlap | |
| Old Queen Anne Rd. | ||
| Stepping Stones Rd. | (twice in
a row) | |
| Crowell Rd. | Eastern
Teminus |
See also
References
- Allen, John S. "Chatham Branch, Cape Cod Rail Rail". Retrieved 12 July 2013.