There are three sections of the North Central Pathway. For a total of 11 miles of trails. In Gardner, Massachusetts the section begins at the Veterans Memorial Skating Rink near Crystal Lake and goes behind Heywood Hospital. The path then picks up off Green Street where it goes down an old railroad bed into Winchendon.
Another section is Southeast of Winchendon where the trail goes from Old Gardner Road through woodlands to Gardner's north end near the Perley Brook Reservoir. I have not done either section of this trail.
We recently checked out the northernmost section which travels across Winchendon from Summer Street to N. Ashburnham Road, connecting users to Whitney Pond and the Clark Memorial Community Center. We parked in a parking lot off of Glenallen Street in Winchendon near Route 12. There is a kiosk with a map of the Pathway.
We walked the paved path along Whitney Pond. The path was beautiful.
The trail follows the pond and comes to a bridge, an old mill building and the Clark YMCA. From the Parking lot to Central Street was about .8 miles.
We turned around at Central Street to head back to the parking lot. We saw a decent amount of people walking, biking and fishing. The trail was well maintained and free of trash. We found our walk peaceful and would absolutely return to explore more sections of this trail.
