The Northborough Trails Committee would like to invite you to the Grand Opening of the Boroughs Loop Trail (BLT) on Friday, October 4 and Saturday, October 5.
The BLT links 33-miles of trails existing in Marlborough, Northborough, Westborough and Southborough and is the result of the collaboration of the Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT) and town trails committees. The BLT will include walking trails, bike paths, aqueduct trails and sidewalks.
As of September 2019, the trail is 3/4 complete, with 24 miles of the 33 miles of the loop open for walking. Further work on the trails will be done over the next few months and continue after the first frost of the fall, when the risk of EEE will be diminished.
Volunteers from all walks of life gave over 2000 hours over the last two years to make the vision of an inter-community rail a reality.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, October 4 from 3-4 pm. State and local leaders will speak followed by a 30 minute hike on the trail.
A guided hike led by a trail volunteer will be held on Saturday, October 5 starting at 9 am.
Both events are family friendly and will be held at the trailhead at Algonquin Regional High School located at 79 Bartlett Street in the upper parking lot. Dress appropriately for trail walking and don’t forget the bug spray, especially due to the EEE risks until first frost.
The entire BLT includes and connects trails in the northern portion of the Panther Trail in Marlborough, the Sudbury Reservoir Trail in Southborough, the Charm Bracelet in Westborough, and trails in Northborough managed by the Northborough Trails Committee.
Highlights of the trails include the Felton Conservation Land on the Marlborough-Northborough line; the Assabet River Rail Trail, that runs from Marlborough to Hudson; the Chestnut Fall Farm in Southborough; the Charm Bracelet, which is a 60+ mile network of trails with a 28 mile loop that connects most of the open space in Westborough; and the Crane Swamp, a 2,225 acre conversation area that spans all four communities and includes Cedar Hill in Northborough.
Additional guided hikes will be held throughout the month of October. Additional information on the hikes schedule times, location and descriptions, please go to the SVT website at www.svtweb.org/blt. More information and maps can also be found on the website. If you would like to volunteer or need more information on this project, please contact Mia McDonald at mmcdonal@town.northborough.ma.us.