Grand Trunk Trail

The Grand Trunk Trail winds along the Quinebaug River, and using the connecting Heritage trail the two paths link the towns of Southbridge and Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The Grand Trunk is a defunct railroad, the brainchild of Charles Hayes, who went down with the Titanic.  Only the railbed was completed, hence, the name "Titanic Railroad".  For more on this local bit of history, pick up a copy of "Titanic Railroad: The Southern New England" by local author Larry Lowenthal.


Quinebaug River view from the Grand Trunk Trail

Work began on the Grand Trunk Trail in 2000, on Earth Day, and is a major focus for the two communities. The Trailhead is currently located at Westville Lake Recreational Park, where one can travel upstream to the Ed Calcutt Bridge or downstream to Westville Dam and the Heritage Trail.  The Heritage trail is in Southbridge, and runs along the opposite bank of the Quinebaug River to West Street School.

This trail is not finished yet. Currently, all sections of the Grand Trunk Trail located on US Army Corp property are open to the public.  Opacum Land Trust holds a trail easement, a generous gift from the Roscioli family, which allows this project to move forward over parts of the railroad that lie on private property.  You can support our continued work on this project by making a donation to Opacum Land Trust.

Merl Bassett, USACE Ranger and OLT President Carol Childress stand in front on the historic Titanic Railroad, now the Grand Trunk Rail Trail in Sturbridge, MA. This section of the Grand Trunk Trail was made possible through a generous trail easement donation from the Roscioli family in Sturbridge, to Opacum Land Trust.

Opacum Land Trust received two grants for this project totaling $10,000 for signage and an ecological survey. We thank Fields Pond Foundation and Department of Environmental Management for their support of this volunteer effort. Also, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers deserves much credit for working with the various organizations involved in this project.

The Grand Trunk Trail is a National Recreational Trail.  This designation, from the National Park Service, puts the Grand Trunk Trail into the rank of only 12 in the Bay State that hold the NRT designation.

An Americorp's crew built a spur trail at Old South Road in 2002.  Now, one can walk through the woods beside the Quinebaug River and Westville Lake, over the new footbridge to Army Corp headquarters on Marjorie Lane in Southbridge, and onward to get a different view of the Westville Dam.  You can volunteer to help build more of the trail by calling Ranger Merl Bassett at USACE: 508 347-3705.  

The Grand Trunk Trail is a partnership between The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Opacum Land Trust, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, National Park Service, Grand Trunk Trailblazers, the Towns of Southbridge and Sturbridge, and numerous trail volunteers.

 

*Please note: This trail is under construction.
 Those who use it do so at their own risk.

Looking for something to do this weekend?

 Meet your family & friends at Westville!

Bring your frisbee, cooler, fishing poles and canoe.

Hike along the Grand Trunk Trail to see Westville Dam or go upstream to see Calcutt Bridge, spanning 85 feet across the Quinebaug River*.