The trail begins at the S. Dennis trailhead parking area, conveniently located just minutes from Route 6 on Rt. 134. Get off at Exit 9 and head south on Rt. 134 past Patriots Square plaza and Cumberland Farms. About 1/2 mile down from the exit you will see the parking lot on your left. Turn here and you will see the trail entrance straight ahead.

The trail itself is 28 miles from end to end. It extends from the Route 134 trailhead to Lecounts Hollow Road in South Wellfleet. The name stems from the old railroad right of way it follows, which used to transport passengers and freight to Cape Cod in the early 1800s until around 1960. The route is managed by the Mass. Department of Environmental Management. It passes by many local points of interest and several lakes suitable for swimming and picnics, including Nickerson State Park in Brewster.

Continuously monitored by local police bike patrols, the trail is a safe and enjoyable way to spend a Cape Cod summer day. Traveling through the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet, the smoothly-paved surface (akin to gravel asphalt), makes this trail ideal for cyclists, equestrians, walkers, in-line skaters and runners. Bicycle and rollerblade rentals are also available at various bike shops conveniently located right along the trail in Dennis, Brewster, Orleans and Wellfleet.

The Harwich bike bridge has been completed between exits 9 & 10 over Route 6. The structure serves to link an existing trail gap between Headwaters Drive and Queen Anne Road. The bridge and a new trail segment now cross over the highway between the two roads. This eliminates the formerly perilous detour cyclists took down Headwaters Drive to Route 124 past the busy Route 6 exits, and then again onto the designated path.

Another bridge extension is presently under construction in Orleans at Rock Harbor Road. This bridge and connecting trail will eliminate a treacherous 2-mile stretch of road travel from Main Street to Rock Harbor Road and back onto the trail. Construction will continue through mid-2003. Like the Harwich bridge, it will also be a concrete span with wooden railings and fencing.