Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
Petapawag Trail & Towhee Trail via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
8.8 mi · ▲ 228 ft · 3 hr 3 min
Petapawag Trail & Towhee Trail via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside is an 8.8-mile out-and-back in Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge near Pine Lake, MA. It is mostly level, with 228 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 24/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Petapawag Trail & Towhee Trail via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
8.8 mi · ▲ 228 ft · 3 hr 3 min
Elevation 169–319 ft
Out & Back · Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
Trailhead: 42.36378, -71.47165
Weather Aug 4: sunrise 5:42 AM · sunset 8:03 PM
- Start at the trailhead, heading E.
- 0.4 miBear right, heading NE.
- 350 ftTurn left, heading NW.
- 450 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.3 miBear right, heading NW.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
- 100 ftTurn right onto Pipeline Pass, heading W.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading N.
- 0.2 miBear left onto Ocean By-Pass, heading NE.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Fisher Trail, heading N.
- 1 miBear left, heading NE.
- 400 ftBear left onto Petapawag Trail, heading NE.
- 0.8 miBear right onto Towhee Trail, heading NW.
- 0.9 miReach Petapawag Trail, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.9 miBear left onto Petapawag Trail, heading S.
- 0.8 miBear right, heading E.
- 350 ftBear right, heading SE.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Fisher Trail, heading S.
- 0.6 miTurn right onto Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside, heading S.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Pipeline Pass, heading S.
- 0.5 miBear right, heading S.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 50 ftBear left, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 450 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 350 ftBear left, heading E.
- 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
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.2 mi in (~6 min). Leave by 7:37 PM for the 8:03 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:22 PM — 13 min before dark.
Other ways to reach this destination
- 2.4 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
- 2.8 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
- 5.9 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
- 6.6 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
- 3.4 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
- 2.5 mi · out & back · via Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside
More from this trailhead
- Witches' Cove Trail 2.7 mi · ▲ 194 ft
- Pipeline Pass 3.2 mi · ▲ 168 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 5.5 mi · ▲ 168 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 5.5 mi · ▲ 168 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 6.9 mi · ▲ 201 ft
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