Trails

Our goal is to create a backcountry "wilderness" mountain bike and nordic ski experience that the whole family can enjoy and contribute to building a healthy community. We currently have around 70 miles of trails open to mountain bikes with half of that being machine built single track trails. In the winter we groom 50 km of trails for nordic skiing (please, no fat biking in the winter).

The Greylock Glen area covers 1,000 acres in the shadow of Mount Greylock, which overlooks the scenic Berkshire County town of Adams. This area is in the process of being developed by the town and the Commonwealth in partnership with the Thunderbolt Ski Runners as a model for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, and education. The new development of this area will include hiking and other pedestrian trails, downhill backcountry skiing (including the historic Thunderbolt Ski Trail), single-track mountain biking and running trails, cross-country skiing trails, and snowmobile connections.

The DCR’s Harold Parker State Forest is in the towns of Andover, North Andover, Middleton and North Reading. With 3000+ acres, the Park has 51 miles of roads, old woods roads, double track and singletrack trails. The singletracks are some of the most enjoyable to be experienced in the region. For many years the members of North Shore NEMBA, in close collaboration and partnership with the DCR's park officials and the Friends of Harold Parker State Forest, have been actively maintaining, repairing and upgrading the trails in Harold Parker State Forest. The best way to get introduced to Harold Parker's trails is to explore. Go there, take off on a trail, and get lost. Then find yourself and get lost again. You'll never be too far from a paved road; so cutting the forest up into pavement encircled blocks will keep things manageable. Not to mention provide you with many days of fun exploring. I particularly like the way the singletracks make use of all of the forest's best terrain. They wind around and over all of the forests' hills and provide you with lots of scenic photo opportunities along the shores of the forest's many ponds.

Kennedy Park is one of the best places to mountain bike and run in Berkshire County. Unlike most trails around here, these have not been destroyed by 4-wheelers (because they aren't allowed). Volunteers (mostly Art Stringer) do a great job maintaining the trails. The trails in the park are pretty smooth and not very rocky; great for running, beginner mountain biking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. There are several more challenging single track trails that are mostly outside the park on Berkshire Natural Resources and Lenox Watershed land.

The most technical trail network in our region, most of Kiski's trails feature relentless rock gardens, boulders, and punchy climbs. The loops at the bottom feature minimal elevation gain in exchange for pure technical riding. The Overlook / Downhill trail is the cherry on top, featuring a 1-mile climb and fast downhill fun. Probably not the best trails for beginners, but if you are up for a skills challenge, riding trails cleanly here is a marker that you can pretty much ride anywhere else.

The 880 acre Leadmine Mountain Conservation Area, along with the adjacent 84-acre Heins Farm Conservation Area, is open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, hunting, and fishing. The trail markings, signs and map are all color coded for ease of use. Trails are in various stages of completion, and some wetland crossings are not completed.

The Lilly Pond Conservation Area is part of the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust. Lilly pond is an intermediate technical trail system and is also groomed for fat biking in the winter.As you explore this area you will discover many more trails that are not on the map, including other areas managed by the Land Trust.

Lincoln Woods State Park is one of the most enjoyable riding areas in all of Rhode Island. At 627 acres it may seem a little on the small size, especially considering that a lot of that area is taken up by Olney Pond, a deep water lake. But don't let its size fool you. Lincoln Woods hosts some of the best riding in the state. Many of the trails are old woods roads. Leading off of them are almost countless singletracks. It's hard to ride for more than a few hundred yards without encountering a new 'trail option'. And that's what keeps drawing me back to Lincoln Woods. Every one of my rides there is different. And each is just as much fun as the last.

The Maple Swamp conservation lands consist of 500 acres of upland property that are composed of 25 different parcels. Located on the Service Road between exits 3 and 4, Maple Swamps’ vast 500 acre property also has some of the most diverse topography on Cape Cod. Ranging from 40 feet above sea level to 250 feet above sea level, Maple Swamp has spectacular views north across Cape Cod Bay to Provincetown and south to the Vineyard Sound.

At 325 acres it offers a little bit of everything, dense forest stands, semi-precious stone mining sites, abandoned quarries, ledges and large glacial erratics.The trails are all natural surface ranging from old woods roads to sinuous singletracks. In all you'll find just under 8 miles of trails. They are very well maintained by the City. You'll notice many drainage features to keep water off the trails. There are long armored "turnpikes" to keep you high and dry in perpetually muddy areas. There are even benches every half mile or so in case you want to stop and take a break.