Length:                 Norwottuck Rail Trail; 10 miles

                                Elwell State Park to Letterbox; 5.9 miles

                                Mt. Farms Mall lot to Letterbox; 2.1 miles

                                Route 116 parking to Letterbox; ½ mile

                                UMass Bikeway Commuter Trail; 1 ½ miles

                                Norwottuck Extension Trail; 1 mile 

Difficulty:             Easy. Flat, paved rail trail. Well shaded during the summer months.

Directions:

To start from Elwell State Park; Take exit 19 off of I-91 northbound. Cross over Route 9, park is on the right. Take exit 20 off of I-91 southbound. Merge with Route 5 south. Take a left at traffic light onto Damon Road. Park is about a mile down on the left. Note; This parking lot fills up quickly during the summer months and weekends.     

To start from other parking lots; From Elwell SP, go east on Route 9. Mountain Farms Mall will be on your right side after about 3 miles. In Amherst, take Route 116 south for about 1/3 mile. Street parking is available across from Amherst Admissions Center ( to park at the center you need a visitors parking permit from the Campus Police).   

To start from Wright Road; Take Route 9 for about 6.5 miles from Elwell State Park. Take a right down Southeast Street and a left onto Station Road after about 2 miles. Less then a mile you will pass the Station Road parking lot on your left. Continue on until you come to Wright Road on your right. The parking lot is less then a mile down the road.

For a Drive-by; From Elwell State Park, go east on Route 9. You'll pass by the Mountain Farms Mall, as well as a lot of strip malls after about 3 miles. You'll pass by the turn for Route 116 north and come to a set of lights. Left takes you down University Road towards UMass, take a right instead onto Snell Road. After you cross underneath the old railroad bridge (now part of the Norwottuck Trail) look to the left for a dirt path that will allow for one car to park. Follow the path on foot to the paved Norwottuck Trail and turn right. This will put you next to the UMass Bikeway Commuter Trail entrance. See clues.

The Norwottuck Rail Trail is about 10 miles in length and follows the old Massachusetts Central Railroad Line that connected Northampton to Boston. Starting just across the town line of Belchertown, it passes through Amherst, Hadley and across the Connecticut River to Elwell State Park in Northampton. The Norwottuck Extension Trail continues west from Elwell State Park to King Street (Routes 5 & 10) and connects to the Northampton Bikeway and Northampton Connecting Trail. For directions to this bikeway and the connector trail, See; Northampton Bike Path . For more information visit;  NORWOTTUCK RAIL TRAIL .

Starting from the Elwell State Park parking lot; The trail crosses over the Connecticut River on an old railroad trestle that spans close a third of a mile. As you cross the bridge, you will see Elwell Island below. It is currently 60 acres and is one of the largest islands in the Connecticut River. Definitely a highlight of the trip, this 1,492 foot iron bridge was built in 1887. After crossing over the bridge, note an old granite Whistle Post marker on the right side of the trail. There are many of these old markers along the trail, as well as old granite mileage markers, that reflect the history of this old railroad bed. Note; the mile marker signs posted along the trail relate to the distance to the Station Road parking lot. The 1 ½ mile section to Wright Road is the newest addition to the trail and not reflected in the markers. As you ride along the trail you will also notice a series of earthen dikes to your left. These flood control dikes were constructed in 1938 after two devastating floods swept through the valley. After about 1.5 miles you cross the historic Hadley Common. This Common is over a mile long. You then encounter a bike shop and eatery in the former Hadley Railroad Station at mile 1.8. You travel through a tunnel underneath Route 9 at 3 ¼ miles. You can spot a Bison Farm located across Route 9 just after you emerge from the tunnel. About 3.8 miles will bring you to the Mountain Farms Mall parking lots along the left side of the trail. Another mile of level trail then gives way to a slightly steeper grade. You pass alongside a golf course and eventually come to the start of the UMass Bikeway Commuter Trail (also called " Swift Way ") on your left at 5.8 miles.

Note; The UMass Bikeway Commuter Trail is a paved 1 ½ mile trail that follows alongside University Drive and enters UMass through the south gate. 

Just past the UMass Bikeway Commuter Trail you will spot a line of boulders on the right, leading to a small field with picnic tables. Stand on top of the center boulder and take a compass reading of  86 degrees and head in that direction through the open area to the tree line. Where the path meets the woods, walk about 33 paces (1 pace = 2 steps) along the path into the woods. Hemlock trees cover the right side of the path. There will be about a half dozen Hemlocks on your left in a bunch. In front of these trees you will notice a dead, 6 foot tall tree stump about 5 paces off the trail. Inside the trees cavity you will collect the Norwottuck Rail Trail Letterbox. Continuing along the trail, it finally crests and starts a more downward grade. You then travel underneath Route 116 at the 6 mile mark and come to the former Amherst Railroad Station, which now houses a lumber yard.

Note; If you go north up Route 116, you can check out Amherst College. Very scenic campus on top of a hill. You can also go downtown for a variety of restaurants and shops.

At just over 7 miles you cross over the Fort River and Hop Brook. The trail is fairly level again. You pass through several conservation areas and swamps including the Brickyard Conservation Area, Poor Farm Swamp and Lawrence Swamp . You reach the Station Road parking lot after about 8 ½ miles. You can see the active rail line to your left as it now begins to parallel the trail. This is the New England Central Railroad, which runs from New London , Connecticut to the Canadian border and passes through Amherst. Another 1 ½ miles takes you to the Warren Wright Road parking lot.