Bay Circuit Trail - New Maps

[Amicus]

Eastern Massachusetts hikers have a great resource in the Bay Circuit Trail, which runs for 215 miles, with some alternate prongs and a few short sections still to be completed, from Plum Island on the North Shore to Bay Farm on the Kingston/Duxbury line. Its website has an excellent collection of maps and detailed descriptions that cover the entire Trail.

A good thing has just gotten better, as the maps have all been updated. The new set is from GPS tracks taken by Denny Nackoney, who has done great work for Eastern Mass. hikers, both as a leading member of the Bay Circuit Alliance's Trail Maintainance Advisory Committee (TMAC) and as a leading trail developer for the Boston chapter of AMC. (He is the principal creator of the excellent Charles River Link, dedicated last year.)

Here is a link. Check these out if you have any interest in eastern Mass. hiking options.

 

[bigmoose]

Thanks, Mike! Those are some nice maps. I did notice, however, that map 2 shows a "bridge out" over the Ipswich River. That bridge has been repaired and is now passable.
I wonder how many, besides you, have completed the circuit....

 

[Amicus]

I did notice, however, that map 2 shows a "bridge out" over the Ipswich River. That bridge has been repaired and is now passable..

I'm happy to hear that the Ipswich River Bridge is open again. [Edit - I was confusing this with the Parker River Bridge on 1A in Newbury, which was also closed for a while but reopened some time ago, and which I have hiked. The Ipswich River Bridge in Bradley Palmer State Park, which you mention, was open when I hiked there in 2008.]

A couple of guys have hiked the whole BCT (at least what was then open) more than once - Al French and Denny Nackoney. There was also an event, organized by Al F. about ten years ago, when maybe 15 people hiked everything that was then open. I don't think there is a list of completers.

 

[Amicus]

Thanks, Mike! Those are some nice maps. I did notice, however, that map 2 shows a "bridge out" over the Ipswich River. That bridge has been repaired and is now passable.

jt - I passed your news along to the TMAC rep for that district, who replies:

Went by the Ipswich River Bridge today. As I suspected, chain link barricades are in place as they have been. The poster on VFFT must be thinking of the East St. boardwalk. Wish he had been correct, but not.

 

[bigmoose]

Egregious error on my part. I was thinking of the Asbury Street Bridge, which I recently drove over. Sorry about that.

 

[TenPeaks]

I live near Bradley Palmer and hike in the park all the time. The foot bridge over the Ipswich river is closed, however you can walk to the main entrance on Asbury St. and loop back to the trail. Details are shown on map 2 with a dotted line.

You can also cross the river by walking down Topsfield Rd. in the other direction to Waldingfield Rd (grey line on map). There's an entrance to the park on this side too, however it's a much longer walk.

Your third choice would be to bribe a passing canoer to carry you across the river.