Merrimack River Trail

above photo © James Higgins 2011   

In support of its mission to preserve and enhance the region's historical, cultural and natural resources, Essex Heritage, in partnership with the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), is providing leadership to a strategic planning initiative focused on developing the Merrimack River Trail, a long envisioned 50-mile multimodal recreational trail along the Merrimack River in Massachusetts. The project entails the engagement of trail advocates and municipal officials in the 17 Massachusetts communities that border the Merrimack River. An early stage reconnaissance planning study was completed in December 2011 with the support of a Recreational Trails Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.          

With the goal of promoting increased use of the Merrimack River Trail, the project partners seek to build upon prior efforts by adding and improving connections between existing sections of the 20 year-old trail. Tracing the river’s route, the trail will ultimately connect six cities and eleven towns from Tyngsborough to Newbury, effectively creating the backbone of a continuous, non-motorized, on- and off-road trail system.

Merrimack River Trail communities include Tyngsborough, Dracut, Chelmsford, Lowell, Tewksbury, Andover, Methuen, Lawrence, North Andover, Haverhill, Groveland, Merrimac, West Newbury, Amesbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, and Newbury.

Read the Merrimack River Trail Reconnaissance Planning Report (.pdf file)