Bedford (Massachusetts)
Bedford is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 14,000 (2020).
Carlisle is a town with a population of 5,000 (2020). A low population density gives the town a rural feel, and it's known for outdoor activities including hiking and biking.
Get in
By car
Driving is the easiest way to get to Bedford and Carlisle. If coming from the Boston area, take MA-2 and Lowell Rd, or from I-95, and take the exit for MA-225 west.
By bus
The MBTA operates the 62 bus to Bedford Monday through Saturday, service every 50-75 minutes.
By bicycle
Bedford and Carlisle are popular destinations for cyclists. Many enter on Concord Rd or Bedford Rd. The wildly popular Minuteman Bikeway begins in Cambridge and terminates near Bedford Center. Several options like the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail branch out from there.
By plane
- 🌍 Hanscom Field (BED IATA), 200 Hanscom Drive, ☏ +1 781 869-8000. This field, once exclusively an Air Force Base is used by commuter/commercial air services, corporate aviation, private pilots, flight schools, some charters and light cargo.
Get around
Given the infrequent nature of the 62 bus, driving and biking are the easiest ways to get around.
Do
Town owned conservation lands can be found throughout Carlisle and all areas have hiking trails.
- 🌍 Great Brook Farm State Park, 165 North Rd (Carlisle), ☏ +1 978 369-6312. Dawn to Dusk. Hike or bike 20 miles of trails around operating farm fields and through the forest. There is a boat launch onto a small pond for canoes and kayaks. Come in the winter for cross-country skiing when there is sufficient snow cover. During the spring, summer, and fall the farm offers tours of the dairy barn and there is also an ice cream stand.
- Great Brook Cross Country Ski Touring Center, 1018 Lowell St (Carlisle), ☏ +1 978-369-7486. 10AM-5PM daily, seasonal. One of the few cross-country ski areas in the Boston area. Only open when there is snow on the ground. Night skiing available a few nights a week.
Buy
- Ferns Country Store, 8 Lowell St (Carlisle), ☏ +1 978-369-0200. 6AM-8PM daily. This "olde tyme" general store sells great sandwiches, soups, and snacks to hungry travellers. You'll also find a trail guide and map for sale here. It covers all the nearby conservation lands in some detail. $10-15.
Eat
- Great Brook Dairy Farm, 247 North Rd (Carlisle), ☏ +1 978-371-7083. 11AM-8PM, Apr-Oct. Ice cream stand located at Great Brook Farm State Park. Look at and feed farm animals and get a tour of the dairy barn.
- Kimball Farm Ice Cream, 343 Bedford Road (Carlisle), ☏ +1 978-369-1910. 10AM-9PM daily. Seasonal.
Sleep
- 🌍 Bedford Plaza Hotel, 340 Great Rd (Bedford), ☏ +1 781 275-6700. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
Connect
- 🌍 Bedford Public Library, 7 Mudge Way, ☏ +1 978-275-9440. M-Th 9AM-9PM, F Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. Bedford's town flag, believed to have been carried by the Minutemen to Old North Bridge in Concord on April 19, 1775 is on display here. It is the oldest battle flag known to exist in the United States and is celebrated for having been the first U.S. flag flown during the Revolutionary War. Free.
Go next
Concord is the town directly to the south of Carlisle, known for its history in the American Revolution and for its famous authors. Lowell is a 20 minute drive north of Carlisle Center.
| Routes through Bedford |
| Lowell ← Billerica ← | N S | → Burlington → Boston |
| Hudson ← Concord ← | W E | → Burlington → Danvers |