Assabet River Wildlife Sanctuary near Old Marlboro Road entrance in Maynard MA.jpg
Swampyank · CC BY-SA 4.0

Track Road/Assabet River Rail Trail Easement Viewpoint–Rice Tavern Foundation, 8 sights is a 7.9-mile out-and-back in Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge near Pine Lake, MA. The route passes Rice Tavern Foundation and Voss Pond before reaching Track Road/Assabet River Rail Trail Easement Viewpoint at the turnaround, 4 miles in. It is mostly level, with 0 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 26/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.

Elevation

0 mi174 – 226 ft8.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Taylor Way 42.40934, -71.44914
Nearest town Pine Lake, MA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Track Road/Assabet River Rail Trail Easement Viewpoint–Rice Tavern Foundation, 8 sights

7.9 mi · ▲ 0 ft · 2 hr 38 min

Elevation 175–226 ft

Out & Back · Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge

Trailhead: Taylor Way · 42.40934, -71.44914

Weather Aug 4: sunrise 5:42 AM · sunset 8:03 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Taylor Way, heading NW.
  2. 50 ftPass Rice Tavern Foundation.
  3. 50 ftPass Voss Pond.
  4. 0.3 miBear left onto Otter Alley, heading W.
  5. 0.3 miSharp right, heading N.
  6. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Harry's Way, heading W.
  7. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Towhee Trail, heading SW.
  8. 0.8 miBear right, heading W.
  9. 150 ftTurn left onto White Pond Road, heading S.
  10. 0.3 miTurn right onto Patrol Road, heading S.
  11. 50 ftSharp left, heading S.
  12. 100 ftSharp right, heading SW.
  13. 0.7 miTurn left, heading NE.
  14. 0.2 miTurn right, heading W.
  15. 0.5 miSharp right onto Track Road, heading NW.
  16. 350 ftContinue straight onto Track Road/Assabet River Rail Trail Easement, heading E.
  17. 0.3 miTurn left, heading E.
  18. 50 ftReach Track Road/Assabet River Rail Trail Easement Viewpoint, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  19. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Track Road, heading W.
  20. 400 ftSharp left, heading W.
  21. 0.5 miTurn left, heading SW.
  22. 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
  23. 0.7 miSharp left, heading SE.
  24. 100 ftSharp right onto Patrol Road, heading SE.
  25. 50 ftTurn left onto White Pond Road, heading SE.
  26. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
  27. 150 ftBear left onto Towhee Trail, heading NE.
  28. 0.7 miContinue straight onto Harry's Way, heading NE.
  29. 0.5 miSharp left onto Otter Alley, heading E.
  30. 0.3 miBear right onto Taylor Way, heading E.
  31. 0.3 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

72% dirt28% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 5:42 AMSunset 8:03 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 7:43 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 8:03 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 8:35 PM.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from Taylor Way Trailhead