Right as Rail: Take a trip through West Concord on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
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BY CARLENE HEMPEL
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Discover CONCORD | Summer 2024
Laura Davis rides her “cargo bike” through West Concord Village on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. She uses the trail to access everything from her doctor to her son’s school. The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail winds its way through West Concord Village past the MBTA staton and the Club Car Cafe.
All photos ©Carlene Hempel
Laura Davis laughs as she ticks off all the ways she’s built her family’s life around the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Concord. “I basically moved everything in my life to West Concord so I could get to it on a bike,” said the 35-year-old Concord resident. “So, my dentist, my doctor, the barber, we do most of our shopping at Debra’s or Trader Joe’s. We use the bike path to go to Staples. I am coming here with my husband on the bike tonight for a date night at Wood’s Hill Table” restaurant. Davis, who lives near Verrill Farm and rides a “cargo bike,” which has a large carrying bin installed over the front wheel, is one of thousands of people who have relished the construction of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail through Concord starting at the bridge over Rte. 2 near Acton and continuing just before White Pond in West Concord. About 20 miles long so far, the trail begins in Lowell, travels through Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, and Acton before it runs through Concord and by this fall will A bike repair end just north of Rte. 20 station stands in Sudbury. It’s still under year-round design in parts of Sudbury just outside the center of and Framingham and will West Concord total about 25 miles when Village. it’s completed. Features of the Concord portion of the trail include stops at the newly constructed Gerow Park near Warner’s Pond, which includes walking trails and a pavilion, and West Concord Village, which has everything from quaint shops and restaurants to galleries, a library, a natural foods store, a performing arts center, conservatory, and an MBTA train station. Soon, the trail will travel along the White Pond Reservation area as it winds into Sudbury. Along the way are benches, bike racks, a bike share site, and a bike repair station.