Welcome to Lincoln’s Trails!
In July 2022, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and Lincoln Conservation Commission jointly approved an updated set of Conservation Land & Trail Use Regulations. The intent of the process was to seek community input and revise the existing regulations to better reflect current trail usage in Lincoln. In the following year, LLCT and the Lincoln Conservation Commission will be evaluating the changes. Trail users are encouraged send in reports of their experiences on the trails to better help the organizations understand user experience on the trails. Reports may be jointly emailed to llct@lincolnconservation.org and conservation@lincolntown.org. Stay tuned for more updates here, including new bike maps.
Welcome to Lincoln’s conservation lands and trails. Your opportunity to use Lincoln’s open space is accompanied by the responsibility to be a good steward of the land. You can view the complete list of Conservation Land Use Regulations here. A summary of the rules is posted below. To report any issues you see on the trails, please contact the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust at 781-259-9251; llct@lincolnconservation.org, or the Lincoln Conservation Commission at 781-259-2612 (conservation@lincolntown.org).
Please observe the following Rules while using Lincoln’s trails:
- Conservation land is open to the public from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset.
- Stay on Marked Trails: People and pets must stay on marked trails. Some of the trails are on private property, so if you are off the trail, or on an unmarked trail, you may be trespassing.
- Trail Etiquette: Slow down and make yourself known when you approach another trail user. Everyone must yield to horses. Bikers yield to walkers and runners.
- Bike Riding is permitted only on trails expressly marked for such use. Riders must walk bikes through wet/muddy sections of the trail. Any bike outing which involves 5 or more unrelated people must obtain a Group Use Permit (see below). Click here to view a map of Biking/No Biking Trails.
- Horseback riding is not permitted where so marked & in wet areas where their use may result in damage to the trail. Any horse-riding outing which involves 5 or more riders must obtain a Group Use Permit (see below).
- Dog Walking Rules
- Dogs must be leashed or under effective voice control at all times. “Voice Control” is defined as the dog being always within the owner’s sight and hearing & trained to come immediately when called.
- Dogs must be leashed (or held by the collar) when approaching other trail users unless the other user expressly gives permission to leave the dog off leash. Some people are not comfortable around dogs.
- A maximum of 2 dogs are allowed off leash per person. Three dogs total are permitted per person.
- Dog owners must always carry a leash for each dog (8-foot maximum).
- Dogs are not permitted to chase, hunt, or harass people, wildlife other dogs, horses, or livestock.
- All dog waste must be picked up and removed from the property.
- Dogs must be leashed:
- In parking areas and within 100 feet of trailheads.
- At Flints Pond Conservation Area in order to protect Lincoln’s water supply (see map).
- In agricultural fields which are used for food production, and in pastures while livestock are on those fields.
- Along certain trails at Mt. Misery, and in other ecologically sensitive areas & in hayfields as posted.
- Group Activities and Special Land Use Permits are required as set forth above and are required for other activities or events when 10 or more people are involved. A Special Land Use Permit may be issued for certain activities otherwise prohibited*. See https://tinyurl.com/GroupUsePermit-Lincoln to apply.
- Prohibited Activities*:
- Using a motorized vehicle or equipment, drones, and other loud/disturbing electronic equipment
- Littering, dumping, or disposing of waste of any kind (including yard waste)
- Defacing, damaging, installing, or removing signs, gates, fences, walls, dams, or other structures.
- Creating, trimming, or marking trails
- Posting of signs, selling, or distributing materials or products
- Blocking of any fire lane, trail, or of any waterways or streams
- Swimming, smoking, paintballs, camping, or campfires
- Picking fungus, plants, or flowers; injuring vegetation
- Trapping, hunting, fishing (except catch and release), harassing wildlife, carrying of firearms.
- Commercial activities, fee-based programs, or organized group activities.
Trails and conservation areas owned and managed by LLCT and the Town of Lincoln should be entered at your own risk. Neither the Town of Lincoln, LLCT, nor private landowners assume any liability for injuries to persons or damage to property while on Lincoln’s trails or conservation areas. Failure to comply with the above guidelines may constitute trespassing, result in fines, or the revocation by the owner of permission for public use.
Fines: Any person violating these regulations shall be liable to the Town in the amount of $50.00 for the first violation and $100.00 for each subsequent violation.
