About two miles up the Narrow Gauge Rail Trail, near Fawn Lake, a sign tells walkers and cyclists that the trail does not continue into Billerica. Billerica is building the Yankee Doodle Bike Path, and the work has closed its section of the trail at the town line. That project's expected completion date is November 2028.
Back at Depot Park, everything looks the same as last year. The Minuteman Bikeway still ends here, and the Narrow Gauge and the Reformatory Branch Trail still begin here. The Freight House and the old railcar are open on weekends again. What changed in 2026 is how far each trail takes you once you leave the Depot. Construction at the far ends set those limits, and Bedford's own crews are working to fill the gaps.
| Trail from Depot Park | Surface | Rough length | Far end, fall 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minuteman Bikeway | 12-foot asphalt | 10 miles to Alewife Station | No 2026 closure notice found |
| Narrow Gauge Rail Trail | Paved to Great Road, stone dust beyond | About 3 miles to the Billerica line | Closed at the town line; Hosmer Way detour to Springs Road |
| Reformatory Branch Trail | Dirt, sand, occasional railroad ties | About 4 miles toward Lowell Road in Concord | Route 62 crossing has interim safety posts; river crossing at the end is gone |
The Bikeway is the one that didn't change
The Minuteman Bikeway gives you a baseline for the other two. From Depot Park it runs 10 miles one way to Alewife Station. It's 12 feet of gently rolling asphalt and passes through Lexington Center and Arlington Center. We found no 2026 project notice for the Bedford end of the Bikeway. A fall ride toward Lexington works the way it always has.
That makes the Bikeway the easy choice when you have guests with road bikes or a stroller and want no surprises. The other two trails take a little more planning this season.
The Narrow Gauge now ends in a detour Bedford built
From Loomis Street, the Narrow Gauge runs about 3 miles north to the Billerica line. It's paved as far as The Great Road and stone dust after that. Heading north from the Depot, here's how it goes this fall:
- Loomis Street to The Great Road. This is the paved stretch. It meets Great Road at Veterans Memorial Park, which has been closed most of the year for drainage and traffic-signal work tied to the new Fire Station at 139 The Great Road. The town warned in March that the trail near the park might be closed and detoured for short periods during that work.
- Springs Brook Park. It's mapped at roughly 1.4 miles from the Depot, though that distance comes from an older Bikeway brochure.
- Fawn Lake. It's about 2 miles out, and a marked loop walk circles the pond. The new sign about the Billerica closure stands near here.
- The Hosmer Way path. Just before the town line, a short wooded path leads from the rail trail to Hosmer Way. From there it's a short hop to Fox Run Road, near where Fox Run meets Springs Road.
That last stop is the new part. Bedford's Trails Committee expected more people to use the path once the Billerica section closed. Over the summer the committee replaced a deteriorating bridge on the Hosmer Way path, cleared the brush, and in late August added a 66-foot boardwalk so cyclists and walkers can get from the Narrow Gauge to Springs Road. For now, the Narrow Gauge works as an out-and-back to Fawn Lake, or as a loop that leaves the trail at Hosmer Way and returns on local roads.
Inside Billerica, the trail corridor is closed to everyone but authorized personnel, including the access points at Concord Road and Middlesex Turnpike. The Bedford DPW notice asks trail users not to go around barriers, fencing, or posted signs.
Back at the southern end, Memorial Park was close to finished by late July. The Bedford Citizen reported that the underground infiltration system and the Great Road drainage replacement were done. Temporary fencing would stay up while new grass grew in, sidewalk and signal work were still to come, and the contract called for completion by mid-October. We haven't seen a later reopening notice. Expect some fencing at the Great Road crossing for at least the first half of October.
The Reformatory Branch Trail ends at a river, and its busiest crossing is getting a fix
The Reformatory Branch Trail has always been the rough one. It's a natural surface of dirt, sandy patches, and the odd railroad tie, running about 4 miles from Railroad Avenue in Bedford toward Lowell Road in Concord. From the Depot, the Bay Circuit Trail guide says to cross Railroad Avenue and go west about 0.3 mile to the unpaved trail lot. On the Bedford stretch, the trail passes Elm Brook Conservation Area and the Mary Putnam Webber Wildlife Preserve and crosses Hartwell Road.
Farther west, the trail crosses Concord Road, which is Route 62, at street level. After that it runs along the Great Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary area. Monsen Road gives access to the refuge, and Monument Street is where you turn for Concord Center or a side trip toward the Old North Bridge. The old railbed goes only a short way past Lowell Road before it reaches the Concord River, where the rail bridge no longer stands.
The Route 62 crossing is where 2026 changed things. In June, Bedford received $265,078 from MassDOT's Shared Streets and Spaces Program to rebuild the crosswalk. Plans include rectangular rapid flashing beacons, advance warning devices, ADA-compliant curb ramps, new sidewalk connections, marked bike lanes, and curb extensions that shorten the walk across. In the meantime, the town put flexible delineator posts back along that stretch of Concord Road in June. They narrow the roadway visually and mark out space for cyclists. The town expects to bid the permanent project in early 2027 and finish construction later that year.
Bedford voters turned down the land acquisitions needed to extend the paved Minuteman along this corridor in 2022, and the state funding for the extension was withdrawn. So this fall's Reformatory Branch is the same unpaved trail it has been for years, just with a safer crossing on the way. Thin road tires won't enjoy the sandy sections. Walking shoes are fine.
The Depot keeps weekend hours into December
Whichever trail you pick, the Depot is where you start and finish, and it's set up for that. The Friends of Bedford Depot Park open the Freight House and Railcar Museum from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Those hours resumed September 12–13 and run into December. A July notice said the season would end in November, so the December date is the newer one. The Freight House doubles as an information center, and its shop sells snacks, drinks, and railroad and Bedford history items. The restored railcar is Rail Diesel Car 6211.
The Bedford Glass Co-Op also works out of Depot Park. It's a nonprofit stained-glass studio where artists and students work and take classes, including beginner classes. In its September report, the town named Barbara Purchia its 2026 Citizen of the Year and credited her with founding the Co-Op. She also served on the Bedford Cultural Council and Cultural District and helped organize the Bedford Holiday Market. This year's Holiday Artisans Market is Saturday, December 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. at First Parish on Bedford Common, 75 The Great Road. That's just about when the Freight House season winds down.
More is coming to the Narrow Gauge. In August the Select Board approved seven 4-by-8-foot frames along the trail between Loomis Street and The Great Road. They'll show art curated by the Cultural District, with installation targeted for next spring or early summer.
Lunch where the Narrow Gauge meets Great Road
The Narrow Gauge's paved section ends at The Great Road, close to a cluster of daytime spots. The Bedford Citizen's August 3 restaurant roundup lists them:
- Blackbird Cafe, 297 The Great Road, open daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. One of the paper's editorial board members named the Johnny Cash salad as a go-to order.
- Euphoria Coffee, 355 The Great Road, serving breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and croissants all day, plus paninis after 11 a.m.
- Gianna's Kitchen, 363 The Great Road, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Thursday. As of August, dinner service was waiting on a liquor license.
Those hours are from August, so check before you go. For something cold after the ride, Bedford Farms Ice Cream at 20 North Road lists fall hours of 3 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 9 p.m. on weekends. Another board member's pick was to skip the meal entirely and get a chocolate frappe there.
Our team at JMR Real Estate Group keeps track of projects like the Hosmer Way boardwalk and the Route 62 crossing because they change how Bedford works day to day. If you live near one of these trails and want to know what your home is worth this fall, we're glad to put together a free home valuation and go over it with you.
