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Methuen Rail Trail

Coordinates: 42°43′27″N 71°11′18″W / 42.72417°N 71.18833°W / 42.72417; -71.18833
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Methuen Rail Trail

The Methuen Rail Trail is a rail trail in Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) long, measuring from Manchester Street in Lawrence to the New Hampshire state border.[1] The abandoned rail path continues in both directions; south of Manchester Street, the path is abandoned and walkable, although with no indication of it being a trail, while to the north, the trail continues as the Salem Rail Trail in Salem, New Hampshire.

Along the trail, there are marshes, fences, houses, and a few businesses on the adjacent streets. Birds of various types, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, turtles, beavers, and otters can be found on or next to the trail.[2]

Route

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From south to north, the trail officially starts at Manchester Street in Lawrence. The trail quickly enters Methuen. Near the city border, the trail connects to the Spicket River Greenway, a trail running from west to east through Lawrence. The Methuen Rail Trail parallels Railroad Street in Methuen, passing under Oakland Avenue and having an at-grade intersection with Union Street. Here there is a building that used to be a railroad station for the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad.[3] The trail then reaches a parking area along Railroad Street. At about the halfway point, the trail passes under Osgood Street and Lowell Street (Route 113). The trail then crosses the Spicket River, a tributary of the Merrimack River vital to Methuen's development. Continuing north, the trail crosses under Route 213 and reaches a back entrance of the MSPCA. The Methuen Rail Trail ends at the New Hampshire state border, but the physical trail continues north into Salem, Windham, and Derry.

References

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  1. ^ "Methuen Rail Trail: Home page".
  2. ^ "Methuen Rail Trail: Spicket River".
  3. ^ "Methuen Rail Trail: Depot".

42°43′27″N 71°11′18″W / 42.72417°N 71.18833°W / 42.72417; -71.18833