This 8-mile ride starts in Northampton and ends in Amherst, providing a pleasant connection between two bustling college towns. If you are looking for additional miles, continue on the trail until its eastern end in Belchertown (and optionally take the trail all the way back to Northampton for a 24-mile out-and-back ride).
The Mass Central Rail Trail Norwottuck Branch is an 11-mile paved shared-use path stretching from downtown Northampton to Warren Wright Road in Belchertown. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) manages the trail. It forms the westernmost segment of the envisioned 104-mile Northampton-to-Boston Mass Central Rail Trail. Following a “trunkline” of the former Central Massachusetts Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad, the route passes through farmland, over the Connecticut River, and alongside swamplands, offering abundant opportunities for wildlife-watching. Located in the heart of the Five Colleges region—Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass Amherst—the trail connects to cultural attractions, museums, and additional paths, including the Northampton Bikeway, the Manhan Rail Trail, and the Robert Frost footpath. The trail’s name honors the Norwottuck, a band of the indigenous Pocumtuck people, whose homeland encompassed this section of the Connecticut River Valley. The name comes from an Eastern Algonquian language and is often translated as “in the midst of the river,” reflecting the valley’s fertile floodplains and river bends.
This ride is designed to be accessible by Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) bus service (from Springfield, Northampton, Worcester, or Amherst), Peter Pan Bus Service, or Amtrak train service along the Vermonter and Valley Flyer routes (via Springfield, Holyoke, or Greenfield). All PVTA routes are operating fare-free at time of publishing but check their website for up-to-date information. PVTA also provides information about bringing bikes on the bus.
You can access the trail from a number of parking lots in downtown Northampton. Your route length will vary based on the transit service stop or parking lot you begin at.
Getting there:
PVTA G73 bus: The PVTA G73 bus from Springfield to Northampton runs every 30 mins and is a 35-min bus ride
Amtrak: Amtrak’s Valley Flyer or Vermonter Service to Northampton runs three times a day and is a 42-minute train ride from Springfield
Getting back:
PVTA B79 bus: The PVTA B79 bus runs from Amherst College to Worcester three times a day, and is approximately a 90-minute bus ride
PVTA B43 bus: The PVTA B43 bus runs between Amherst and Northampton every 60 minutes and is a 35-minute bus ride
Bike Share:
If you don’t want to bring your own bike, ValleyBike offers easy, affordable bikeshare service with several dock options to pick up and drop off a bike in Northampton and Amherst. Some docks around the trail are shown on the map below but download the app to view the whole system and to rent bikes.
Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge (2 miles from start)
This stunning, quarter-mile long bridge was the former railroad bridge that carried the Boston & Maine Railroad over the Connecticut River. Originally constructed in 1887, the bridge was redesigned, rebuilt, and re-opened as the Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge in 1992. The bridge is also referred to as the Northampton Lattice Truss Bridge, due to its design as a steel lattice truss.
Calvin Coolidge Bridge (off-trail)
Before he was President of the United States — and Governor of Massachusetts — Calvin Coolidge was the mayor of Northampton. This bridge is named after him. It opened in 1939, replacing the previous structure that was destroyed in a flood. The bridge pylons contain certain Art Deco features.
Connecticut River Greenway State Park, Elwell Recreation Area (2 miles from start)
The entire Connecticut River Greenway State Park offers 12 miles of protected shoreline, acquired over a 20-year period. At Elwell Recreation Area, there is a wheelchair-accessible dock, and rowing and canoeing are allowed.
Brickyard Conservation Area (1.6 miles past Amherst end point of route as designed)
Established in 1994, this 89-acre natural preserve is one of many conservation areas in Amherst, MA. There are ample walking and hiking trails to explore here, offering an opportunity to take a break from your ride and experience an additional adventure.
Lawrence Swamp Conservation Area (3.6 miles past Amherst end point of route as designed)
The Lawrence Swamp contains more than 600 acres, most of which are protected land, and showcases Amherst’s ecological diversity. Some of Amherst’s town wells are located here, making this an important local aquifer.
Smith College Museum of Art (off-trail)
Just off the trail in downtown Northampton, the Smith College Museum of Art features an impressive collection ranging from ancient to contemporary works. The museum has particularly strong holdings of American and European paintings and works on paper, as well as rotating exhibitions by visiting artists.
Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College (off-trail)
The Beneski Museum is home to over 200,000 specimens across the fields of archeology, paleontology, geology and anthropology. The museum famously holds one of the world’s largest collections of dinosaur footprints, with over 1,700 slabs collected from the local Connecticut River Valley. Most of the tracks are attributed to meat-eating, small-to-medium sized bipedal theropods, who inhabited the area 190-200 million years ago. When Local farmers and quarry workers started noticing the tracks in the early 1800s, leading Rev. Edward Hitchcock, a professor at Amherst College, to begin scientifically studying their origins, originally hypothesizing the tracks were left by giant ancient birds. Hitchcock made significant contributions to the field of early dinosaur paleontology, and his specimens are today housed in the Beneski Museum.
Emily Dickinson Museum (off-trail)
Located near the trail in Amherst, this museum showcases the home and legacy of one of America’s most celebrated poets. The site includes a pair of preserved Victorian houses, home to Dickinson herself and her brother and sister-and-law. The museum offers an intimate view into the poet’s reclusive life and the creative environment that shaped her work.
Hadley Farm Museum (off-trail)
The Hadley Farm Museum explores the town’s agricultural heritage as one of New England’s oldest farming communities. Housed in a historic barn, the collection features 18th and 19th century farm tools, animal-drawn vehicles and household artifacts that trace the evolution of rural life in the Connecticut River Valley.
DCR, who manages the trail, has a website about the Mass Central Rail Trail Norwottuck Branch.
You can also learn more about the whole Mass Central Rail Trail project and the 501(c)3 organization Norwottuck Network that supports the trail, too.