Mass Central Rail Trail W, Hudson MA.jpg
John Phelan · CC BY 4.0

Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside is a 3.5-mile out-and-back in Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest near Gleasondale Station, MA. It is mostly level, with 80 ft of elevation gain, and mostly paved. It scores 17/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi187 – 295 ft4.0 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 42.38349, -71.50435
Nearest town Gleasondale Station, MA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside

3.5 mi · ▲ 80 ft · 1 hr 12 min

Elevation 186–297 ft

Out & Back · Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest

Trailhead: 42.38349, -71.50435

Weather Aug 4: sunrise 5:42 AM · sunset 8:04 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading NW.
  2. 50 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  3. 300 ftTurn right, heading N.
  4. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NE.
  5. 50 ftSharp left, heading NE.
  6. 50 ftBear right, heading NE.
  7. 50 ftTurn left, heading NE.
  8. 450 ftBear left, heading N.
  9. 50 ftTurn right onto Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside, heading N.
  10. 0.5 miTurn left, heading SE.
  11. 300 ftSharp right, heading SE.
  12. 350 ftTurn right, heading SE.
  13. 0.7 miReach the turnaround, then head back the way you came.
  14. 0.7 miTurn right, heading NW.
  15. 100 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  16. 350 ftSharp left, heading NE.
  17. 0.6 miTurn left, heading NW.
  18. 50 ftBear right, heading NW.
  19. 500 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  20. 50 ftBear left, heading NW.
  21. 50 ftSharp right, heading NW.
  22. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  23. 0.3 miTurn left, heading W.
  24. 250 ftTurn left, heading SW.
  25. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

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

Trail surface

67% paved8% dirt25% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 5:42 AMSunset 8:04 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.9 mi in (~22 min). Leave by 7:22 PM for the 8:04 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:43 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

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