978 491-5922 Book now
  1. Home
  2. Cape Ann dogs
  3. Georgetown Rail Trail with your dog: the Border to Boston route on a leash

Georgetown Rail Trail

Georgetown Rail Trail with your dog: the Border to Boston route on a leash

Georgetown's piece of the Border to Boston corridor is a trail people already walk, though it has not yet been built out as a finished path. Until it is, the town lets the public use the powerline corridor in the condition it is in, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Here is the rule, the route, the access points, and what as-is means for a dog.

Book online See pricing
A German Shepherd in a blue harness walks beside a person in shorts on a dirt path.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · rules checked for fall 2026

The rule

Leashed, cleaned up after, and off the corridor by dusk

The committee's page carries four guidelines: open dawn to dusk; no motorized vehicles; dogs must be on leash and owners must clean up after their pets; no trash disposal or dumping, carry in and carry out. Among the activities it lists are walking, running, biking, birding, cross-country skiing and, in the committee's own words, dog walking on leash. The page sets no leash length, so use a standard leash you can shorten fast when a bike comes up behind you.

Carry-out covers the waste bags too. This is a utility corridor rather than a park with bins, so every bag goes back to the car with you. The committee's December 2020 update adds that horses are not allowed, along with motorized vehicles, and repeats the dawn-to-dusk hours. If you walk at either end of the day in fall or winter, a light on the collar or leash lets cyclists see your dog well before they reach it.

  • Dogs on a leash, the whole way
  • Clean up, and carry the bag out with you
  • Open dawn to dusk
  • No motorized vehicles, and no horses per the 2020 update

The route

4.5 miles of old Boston and Maine corridor, from the Boxford line to the Byfield line

The trail follows the Boston and Maine railroad right-of-way that once ran from Newburyport to Danvers. Rail service ended in 1941 and the electric company took over the corridor; the committee's 2020 update measures the Georgetown section at 4.5 miles, from the Boxford town line through the center of town to the Byfield town line. In 2006 the selectmen voted to join the coalition of towns from Salisbury to Danvers working toward one continuous shared-use trail through Essex County, the route MassDOT now calls the Border to Boston Trail.

The town signed a license with National Grid in 2013 that lets people use the right-of-way in its existing condition, and volunteers have done the mowing and trimming. The 2020 update says wheelchairs, in-line skates and skateboards will become practical only as the surface gets smoother, which tells you what as-is means underfoot. MassDOT held a design hearing on May 1, 2025 for about 2.6 miles of off-road trail from West Main Street, Route 97, to the Newbury line, with eight road crossings.

Access points

Five access points with parking, and one that is also a town park

The committee lists five access points with parking: Georgetown Road, 103 Central St, American Legion Park, Mill St and Thurlow St. Its 2020 update also names Camp Denison and road crossings, and places the Georgetown Road access in Boxford, at the southern end. That update said walkers could link the northern and southern sections by following Moulton St and Nelson Ave, which means a stretch on public streets; keep the leash short there and stay well to the side of traffic.

American Legion Park is a town park as well as a trailhead, and Georgetown's rules for its fields, beach and picnic areas are separate from the trail guidelines. Treat its lot as the start of the walk: leash on in the car, straight to the corridor, and read the park's signs before your dog goes near the fields or the water. Thurlow Street also appears on MassWildlife's list of gated parking for the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area, a different property with its own dog rule, so be sure which lot you are pulling into.

  1. 01

    Pick an access point: Georgetown Road, 103 Central St, American Legion Park, Mill St or Thurlow St

  2. 02

    Clip the leash on before the car door opens

  3. 03

    Walk the corridor with your dog on the side away from passing bikes

  4. 04

    Stop and bring your dog to your side when a runner, bike or skier passes

  5. 05

    Shorten the leash and sit your dog at every road crossing

  6. 06

    Bag every mess and carry it back to the car

  7. 07

    Turn around with enough daylight to be off the trail by dusk

What to watch for

Bikes, road crossings and ticks on an open corridor

The trail is shared. The committee lists running, biking and cross-country skiing beside dog walking, and a leashed dog that swings across the path at the wrong moment can bring a cyclist down. When anyone comes up behind you, call your dog to your side, stop and let them pass. In winter, keep paws out of any ski track someone has set; skiers notice. The guidelines leave the leash length to you, and a shorter one is easier to manage here.

Road crossings are the bigger hazard. MassDOT's design for the northern 2.6 miles alone counts eight at-grade crossings, and on a long leash a dog can reach the road before you do. Sit your dog at each one and cross together. Ticks wait in the long grass along the edges of any mowed corridor, and on the North Shore they are active from April to November; check ears, armpits, groin and toes before the dog gets back in the car.

  • Bikes and runners: dog to your side, stop, let them pass
  • Road crossings: a short leash and a sit at the edge
  • Ticks April to November: a check at the car
  • Dusk: off the trail, as the guidelines require

After the walk

Grass, burrs and mud come out in a bath and brush, with no evaluation needed

A summer walk along a mowed powerline corridor can send a dog home with burrs in the feathering and dust in the coat, and a spring one sends it home wet. Our bath and brush at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester is priced by size: $55 up to 25 pounds, $65 to 50 pounds, $75 to 90 pounds, $85 over 90 pounds and $95 for an extra-large long coat. Grooming books online or in the Dogtown app with no evaluation, and nail clipping adds $16.

Georgetown is outside the Pup Van towns, so ask us about pick-up, or pair the bath with a day you are driving toward Cape Ann anyway. The fastest route is Interstate 95, Route 62 and Route 128 to Eastern Ave, about 45 minutes outside rush hour by our estimate. If burrs have matted a long coat, dematting is $15 per 20 minutes, and Shed Release at $10 helps a double coat let go in spring.

At Dogtown

After the corridor

A bath and brush by size, booked without an evaluation, and daycare for the days the trail has to wait.

Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign Dog GroomingFrom $55 · Explore Husky standing on the turf play yard at Dogtown, looking at the camera Dog DaycareFrom $33 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Are dogs allowed on the Georgetown Rail Trail?
Yes, on a leash. Georgetown's Recreational Path Committee lists dog walking on leash as an activity and asks owners to clean up after their pets. The trail is open dawn to dusk, motorized vehicles are banned, and trash, waste bags included, is carry in and carry out. There is no posted leash length.
Is the Georgetown Rail Trail paved?
Not yet as a finished trail, from what the town and MassDOT publish. The town uses the National Grid right-of-way in its as-is condition under a 2013 license, and MassDOT presented preliminary designs for the section from West Main Street to the Newbury line in May 2025. The 2020 town update says a smoother surface will come with construction.
Where do I park for the Georgetown Rail Trail?
The committee lists five access points with parking: Georgetown Road, 103 Central St, American Legion Park, Mill St and Thurlow St. Leash your dog before you open the car. At American Legion Park, walk straight to the trail, since the park's fields, beach and picnic areas have rules of their own.
Is the Georgetown Rail Trail part of the Border to Boston Trail?
Yes. Georgetown joined the coalition of towns from Salisbury to Danvers in 2006, and MassDOT's 2025 design hearing presents the Georgetown work as part of the Border to Boston Trail. The town's section runs about 4.5 miles from the Boxford line to the Byfield line on the old Boston and Maine corridor.
Can Dogtown pick up my dog in Georgetown?
Georgetown is outside the four Pup Van towns of Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, where the fare is $10 each way, so ask us about pick-up from your street. A bath and brush needs no evaluation, so you can book one online for the same day as a trail walk.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.

Keep reading

Bath and brush for dogsGeorgetown-Rowley State Forest with your dogDanvers Rail Trail with your dogDogtown for Georgetown dog owners Cape Ann dogs All guides

Next step

Corridor dust and burrs, washed out.

Book a bath and brush online or in the Dogtown app. Grooming needs no evaluation, and prices run from $55 to $95 by size.

Book online Customer inquiry Call 978 491-5922
  1. 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
  2. 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
  3. 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
New customers FIRST15 15% off your first daycare visit · use at checkout

Follow along

Daily photos and report cards.

@dogtowndogdaycare on Instagram

Call Book now