tough mtb climbs in MA?

[tmorash]

As the subject says, what are the toughest mtb climbs in Massachusetts (in your opinion)?

[MTBME]

I'm assuming were talking about strictly dirt climbs, no fire roads? Also are you talking about rideable climbs as opposed to those tough washed out climbs that nobody seems to make.

In that category there is a climb in an area known as the "grim" located in Ayer / Groton. Nobody ever does the whole thing.

In the ridable category there is a climb in Tyngsboro, part of the Dracut state forest, called Whortelberry Hill. 9/10 of a mile from top to bottom, loose gravel in many spots, always going up, no recovery, several false crests to piss you off, but if you do everything right, you can be successful.

[tmorash]

Sounds like fun. There are many ways of interpreting tough climbs I suppose. Technical vs. endurance. Etc. I have found the Buck Hill climb at Blue Hills to be a good challenge. I always lose traction on that flat rock just after the steeper loose rock area. If I get past that, I blow up shortly after. Good award at the top though. 360 degree view of the Boston area.

[EVIL BOTA]

In the ridable category there is a climb in Tyngsboro, part of the Dracut state forest, called Whortelberry Hill. 9/10 of a mile from top to bottom, loose gravel in many spots, always going up, no recovery, several false crests to piss you off, but if you do everything right, you can be successful.



I have done that climb many of times. It is tough ,but I would say that there are quite a few harder.I took SMJ There when he was a rookie and he climbed it no problem.My friend SMJ is also a sandbagger..lol

[Jisch]

Not in MA, but the climb from the covered bridge to Day Pond at Salmon River Forest is perhaps the most demoralizing climb I know of. Its probably a mile or longer, there are one or two short downhills mixed in to give you that false sense of accomplishment. At the very top of the toughest section there is a rock you either have to jump up on to (very difficult to do by the time you get there) or go around (keeping rear wheel traction on a tight corner is equally difficult). The "hill" is split into maybe 7 different sections, with the last one being the most technically difficult.

Another good one at Case Mountain climbing up the slick rock faces. If you ride in the "correct" direction from Birch Mt road, that climb hits you after 15 miles of technical riding.

John

[MTBME]

"I have done that climb many of times. It is tough ,but I would say that there are quite a few harder."

True, but that's why I included it as a tough but climbable climb. Try it in the fall when the leaves covers the trail :'(

EVIL, are you familiar with the GRIM in Groton?

[Kilroy]

Northfield mountain had the toughest climb I have ever attempted.

Take the 1oth mountain trail to the summit from the base, long steep grueling climb, that results in a total elevation gain of 1200 feet and kicked my but.

otherwise rest of the trail system there is tame.

Kilroy

[w900l]

i can agree with the one at case,also in ct there is a coupl in pachauge(going towards hell hollow rd) that are long steep and loose

[Quo Fan]

Any climb that I can't make! ;D

[Scott O]

Back side of Big Blue at Blue Hills going up Coon Hollow Trail. It helps to have a group of hikers watching you, not believing that a bike could actually make it up such a tough trail.

Call me weird, but Scott O's avatar just make me feel good. Just the right size, just the right content. Love it. I'm working on a new one. Can't wait can ya!

By the way, I'm with Quo Fan on the climbing issue.

[Baconman]

Escoheag Trail in Arcadia. It has steep loose sections and rock gardens but it can be ridden.

[bdee]

I'll second Coon Hollow as far as technical and fairly steep goes. Part of MT Tom in Arcadia (the long one with the MX rut down the middle) is pretty damn exhausting as well.

[radair]

Call me weird, but Scott O's avatar just make me feel good. Just the right size, just the right content. Love it. I'm working on a new one. Can't wait can ya!

Haha, I was just wondering whether to put out an oversize violation notice! ;D

The Red Tail Trail here in North Conway (OK, not in MA) is a superb testpiece of a climb. Almost 3 miles to the top of Black Cap, ~1600' of elevation gain, very tricky/techy in places. Yes, there are harder climbs, but many border on the undoable category.

[Slider]

Lolts of Blue Hill mentions, but none about repeats on the ski slope. Technically illegal, but back in the day no one ever gave me a hard time. I'm not a regular there now, so things may be more sensitive than when I was.

The last few yards are absolutely murder.

Slider

[Medic]

there is a website floating around about all of the forgotten and former ski slopes however I don't remember the addy but I will do some research on it.....I would imagine if they are not completely grown in they would give some pretty decent climbs only to be rewarded with gnarly downhills...and as far as it being legal I can't see why not...

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-\

[steve_b]

The Red Tail Trail here in North Conway

Tougher than anything in Massachusetts. :P


If you want tough mtb climbs in Mass, head west to the Berkshires. Good luck at Pittsfield SF on the Hownee? trail. Also, Mt Greylock, October mountian, behind BCC up towards the Skykine trail, going out towards Bosquet, and the fireroad from Resivoir Road up to the top of Yokun ridge.

[slapheadmofo]

Northern end of the Midstate trail has some decent climbs in Westminter/ Ashburnham, including Mt Watatic at the end. Can always keep heading N from there too towards Temple Mt...

Some good rolling hills in and around the string of resevoirs that run from Leominster SF south towards Sterling/Princeton - there's one of those abandonded ski areas in there somewhere too...

[Scott O]

Lolts of Blue Hill mentions, but none about repeats on the ski slope. Technically illegal, but back in the day no one ever gave me a hard time. I'm not a regular there now, so things may be more sensitive than when I was.

The last few yards are absolutely murder.

Slider


I had no idea this was illegal??? I ride Blue Hills alot and try to bang out a few laps on the ski slope at lunch and never got a hard time from anyone. The steep part of that trail might be might favorite 25 yards of climbing around.

[Slider]

No one ever stopped me, but if you look at the map, or at least at the map in circulation a few years back, it is marked as closed to bikes. I don't see the sense, other than to prevent lawsuits from people doing the downhill thing and not quite clearing the water trenches.

My guess is no one really cares too much.

Slider

[off piste]

there is a website floating around about all of the forgotten and former ski slopes however I don't remember the addy but I will do some research on it.....I would imagine if they are not completely grown in they would give some pretty decent climbs only to be rewarded with gnarly downhills...and as far as it being legal I can't see why not...

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-\


http://nelsap.org/

Mt. Watatic in Ashburnham, MA has a great little puker on it -- the access road put in from the old ski area to the summit by the company that owned the mountain for a time and was going to put a cell tower on top. VERY steep and sustained, albeit very boring except for the sound of your pulse blowing out your eardrums just before you lose conciousness. It's quite different on the descent due to it being covered in gravel and snaking around with sharp corners.

Mark

[Heather]

There are a couple of long tough rides in western mass, The Berkshires....one is the old jeep path up Berlin Mt.
Its long its ledgy and its fun if its dry...

Or the Bellows pipe trail on the Mt. Greylock Go Round ride.
At mile 18 it is a 2 mile gradual climb with a sharp uphill to the right and I've only seen a few people ever hop their bike up over it...there is a ledge at the top..

Heather

[PutAwayWet]

The Red Tail Trail here in North Conway (OK, not in MA) is a superb testpiece of a climb. Almost 3 miles to the top of Black Cap, ~1600' of elevation gain, very tricky/techy in places. Yes, there are harder climbs, but many border on the undoable category.


Hey rob, is that the one that leaves from the "height of land" on Hurricane Mtn road?

[nhiker]

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-\


:o 30 ::) no offence but you ain't seen nuttin yet sonny :P

[off piste]

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-\


:o 30 ::) no offence but you ain't seen nuttin yet sonny :P


Yep, these youngsters. I can't even remember 30! 30's just the beginning -- just wait till hair starts growing out of your ears... ;D

[hammerhead]

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-


:o 30 ::) no offence but you ain't seen nuttin yet sonny :P


Yep, these youngsters. I can't even remember 30! 30's just the beginning -- just wait till hair starts growing out of your ears... ;D


And stops growing out of the top of your head...

[Sci Teach]

Putawaywet....

Actually, the ride up Red Tail starts at the base of cranmore. I rode this on a ride led by Rob et all during the White mtn weekend in Aug, and got my butt handed to me.....I was weezin' for sure! It is a great climb, no one section is unrideable, just a lot of it....with a rippin' downhill after. All ridable, just gotta have the wind.

You can access from hurricane mtn road, but this skips the climb, and that just wouldn't be right. I think the climb makes a great benchmark to work from, I've not been back yet.....but I can't wait to ride it again, hopefully needing less of the wheez breaks.

[Scott O]

as far as tough climbs......I am 30 so it doesen't take much for it to be a tough climb :-\


:o 30 ::) no offence but you ain't seen nuttin yet sonny :P


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think in general, a lot of cyclists peak in their early 30's.

[bike187]

i second the blue hills. coon hollow has some difficult sections but most of it is covered in loose rock or large boulders. i can ride up about %80 of it. there's also another trail in the bluehills that you can hit off of the road that houghton's pond parking lot is on. i think it's called jacob's trail, not sure. i always climb up teh other side and ride down that part, going toward the road. the climb up buck hill is pretty hard.
at lynn there's a trail that i think was built a year or two ago off to the right of the service road from the baseball field. i think it links up with the stuff recently built behind the ballfield. that was a hard climb. you could really use some trials maneuvers on some parts.

[comtom1]

My take on tough climbs is that the mtb gods put the climbs in with all the other cool stuff like drops and gnarly desents because if you are like me i get a relly great high clearing a climb that i have been tring to make all season and at the very last moment when you think you cant go any more you realise you are at the top

One of the toughest climbs i think would be the first climb a the nam by the elec. station not only is that a climb but you have to go over and around lots of roots and rocks as well
thats my goal someday but for know i keep on tring and crashing

[tmorash]

Yeah, that Nam climb is tough. Especially when you are still warming up! Yeti, regarding the Jacobs trail, where is that exactly? I don't see it on the map and it sounds fun.

[Slider]

Only cleaned the 'Nam initial climb a couple of times, but it was dead of winter, and all the dirt was frozen like cement. Even then, luck and momentum were heavily leaned on.

Slider

[Superb Man]

Berkshire rides have plenty of tough climbs, usually two to three in a row-Pittsfield state forest (crazy climbing), October Mountain (crazier) and Yokun Ridge (especially the trail from reservoir rd up to the fire tower and over to bosquet) all boast some pretty gritty climbing (hey man, a thousand feet in less that a mile and a half is hard east or west of the divide). In deerfield, we do an early morning ride that covers the climb from the bottom of clapp's pond to the top of the pocumtuck ridge via the powerline "trail" (euphemistically called stairmaster) and the Single track climb from lower hillside road up the north east side of Sugarloaf north in less than an hour...trust me, your quads will plead their case for tough climbing in MA.

[BigMac]

who is this Superb Boy he's stuck all over these forums like fly's to s#@!

[Quo Fan]

In all the times I've ridden 'Nam, I've never cleaned the first hill by the cell tower. My personal best is where it starts to get really steep.

[off piste]

I "found" this nasty little trail in Leominster Sunday. I'm sure the regulars are familiar with it -- out by Notown, blazed in yellow. I ended up hike a biking the whole thing, as I was blown out from the previous day rock climbing and riding at Pawtuckaway. Looks like it would be terrifying as a descent -- has anyone cleaned this thing as a climb?

GPS map:

http://home.comcast.net/~wi1w/hill.jpg

[slapheadmofo]

Yellow blazes sounds like Midstate, but can't place that section from looking at the topo...how'd you end up there?

[off piste]

Yellow blazes sounds like Midstate, but can't place that section from looking at the topo...how'd you end up there?


No, Midstate is the opposite side of Rt. 31. I was actually trying to get to that ledge overlook out by Notown, after you do the big climb and go under the power lines. But this time I went to the end of Parmenter by Elm and followed the blue blazed trail throught the logging mess to the power lines.