
Welcome to the
Topsfield Linear Common
and the
Friends of Topsfield Trails
History and Mission
The Friends of Topsfield Trails was created in 2007 to build and maintain (at no cost to the Town) the trails in Topsfield. The primary focus of the Friends has been the Topsfield Linear Common - Topsfield's Rail Trail.

The Topsfield Linear Common is a 3.9 mile sustainable trail built on the abandoned Boston and Maine railbed which runs from the town of Wenham to the town of Boxford. It is part of the Boston-to-Border trail (connecting Boston to New Hampshire) as well as the East Coast Greenway
(connecting the Florida Keys to Canada). There are many
other trails in Topsfield, some on properties bequeathed by
"Gilded Age" estate owners to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts or private organizations. Other properties have
been preserved and trails have been created by latter-day
stewards of the land, including the Town of Topsfield, the
Essex County Greenbelt Association (ECGA) and the Essex
County Trails Association (ECTA).


The “Friends of Topsfield Trails”, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 entity, continues the tradition of building and preserving the paths and trails that allow us to celebrate the beauty of our natural environment. Funding comes from federal, state and private grants as well as private donations. The bulk of the labor is provided by a dedicated group of volunteers. The southern part of our trail (for which the Town has a 99 year lease, from the MBTA,)has 2.3 miles of beautiful "accessible" stone dust surface. It reflects light from the mica crystals in the mix. This section is “accessible”. The remaining 1.6 miles (owned by National Grid and licensed to the Town), has a temporary combination of fine stone surface and grass with a single track in the center. We are committed to not paving the trail for sustainability reasons and especially the introduction of extensive impervious surfaces in sensitive natural areas.
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Our trail is used by walkers, runners, handicapped individuals, bikers (even those with skinny tires), class 1 electric bikes, snow shoers, cross country skiers and equestrians. The compliant trail surface is comfortable for walkers and runners yet stable enough to be compliant with accessibility guidelines. A further benefit of our trail surface is lower building and maintenance costs.
Please visit our donor page to help us continue to improve the trail. If you would like to join us in a work party please let us know. If, by any chance, you might have equipment to lay down stone and compact it please let us know. Please contact us with questions and ideas to help us finish the trail. We'd love to hear from you! Your donations make this a reality without burdening the Topsfield tax rate.