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◂︎ Mandy & Lexi's Massachusetts Adventures
Dudley
Quinebaug River Valley Rail Trail
Dates visited: 2/19/2023 & 3/19/2023
This is a four mile rail trail through the towns of Southbridge and Dudley. Since we have to walk in both directions, I could only do half the trail, so I decided to head North from the West Dudley trailhead. The section in Dudley is okay. It runs along side the river and reservoir, parallel to Route 131, and probably looks nice in the spring and summer. The trail quickly heads into Southbridge, and you can read about that section on the Southbridge page.
We returned exactly a month later and walked the rest of the Dudley portion (just short of six miles out and back). It was the last full day of winter, and it felt like it. It was cold and windy. We started at the same spot as before, but this time headed South to the Connecticut State Line in Thompson. There is a waterfall and dam immediately after the trail head. Then the trail continues across the road, where a large tree has come down. While it wasn't too bad for me to climb over, it was an issue for Mandy and Lexi. They made it through but I wound up carrying them over on the way back. The trail passes a construction yard, and a clearing, before reaching another trail head at Mill Road. A short distance beyond that, the trail heads into Thompson, Connecticut, where the wooden railroad planks are still in place. We only walked a few feet into Connecticut before turning around. (A picture can be seen here).
