FRAMINGHAM – The fence closing off the north entrance of the Carol Getchell Trail is gone! And the newly renovated north section of the trail now appears ready for public use 🎉
I went down to check the status of the trail after Framingham Conservation Agent Rebecca Nau wrote in the latest Friends of Saxonville Newsletter: “We expect that the full trail will be open again for public use prior to the end of 2025.” It seems to be!
The north entrance is at the end of Little Farms Road (off Elm Street).
The trail’s north section is now surfaced with what looked like it might be some sort of crushed gravel.
And there are wheelchair-accessible overlooks to enjoy the view of the Sudbury River.
The center portion of the trail is scheduled for renovation but for now remains an uneven, sometimes muddy dirt path with tree roots and rocks – not yet wheelchair or stroller friendly.
The south section of the trail sports some nicely renovated boardwalks.
The status of the south entrance was a little unclear. There’s an obvious opening in the fence at the entrance. A sign several yards away just says “closed for maintenance,” but that’s not the same as when the trail was truly shut off to the public. In any case, you can walk the entire length of the trail from the north side. (To get to the south entrance by roads, head down Danforth Street from Concord Street and make a left onto Sudbury Landing.)
I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign encouraging people to take a narrow dirt spur trail north of the Getchell Trail that connects to the Weston Aqueduct trail. I was never sure if that was an actual official trail open to the public. It’s about 1/10 of a mile long, but much narrower than the Getchell Trail and includes one small area that’s a step down with tree roots – not too difficult, but I wouldn’t recommend it for people who prefer flat, even surfaces.
A few more of the photos I took on the trail today:
(Sorry if slow to load, it seems that the SmugMug platform where I post my photos is having some issues tonight)
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