Mountain biking north of Boston| mtb Massachusetts

Mountain Biking north of Boston

Willowdale State Forest With over 40 miles of marked trails, this Massachusetts state forest is a great place f or beginner to upper intermediate mountain bikers. Although most of the trails are not technical in level of difficulty, they offer outstanding scenery with wetlands, pine and hardwood forests, some modest climbs, and a good mix of glacial esker and drumlin terrain. The Pineswamp and Hood Pond areas lie on either side of Rt. 1 between Topsfield and Ipswich, north of Boston.

Bradley Palmer State Park

Crossing Ipswich-Topsfield Rd. from the Pineswamp area of Willowdale State Forest takes you into Bradley Parmer State Park. In addition to a 1.5 mile paved road closed to automobiles, the park features miles of trails with varying levels of difficulty, including climbs up Blueberry Hill and some great open fields.

Appleton Farms Grass Rides

Appleton Farms is an Ipswich, MA estate donated to the Trustees of Reservations. While part of it is open only for hiking, the section known as the Grass Rides has five miles of wide carriage paths offering some modest climbs The Great Pasture Trail parallels a stone wall.bordered by forest on one side and scenic open landscape on the other. Access is from Highland St. in Hamilton, just a mile beyond the Mill Rd. bridge in Ipswich

The Bay Circuit Trail The Bay Circuit Trail is a permanent recreation trail and greenway corridor extending through 34 towns in Eastern Massachusetts and linking the parks and open spaces surrounding metropolitan Boston. In addition to Willowdale, Bradley Palmer and Appleton Farms, the trail passes through several North Shore area state forests, including Boxford State Forest.

Chebacco Woods trail map Chebacco Woods Gordon College in Wenham offers miles of cycling trails with modest levels of difficulty. You may also access this large protected area from Chebacco Rd. off Rt. 22 in Wenham, or from the other end on Pine St. in Manchester by the Sea.

Georgetown-Rowley State Forest . This 1,112 acre forest offers a variety of year-round activities including horseback riding, hiking, walking, hunting (some restrictions), cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.

Dogtown Commons, Gloucester Dogtown is a preserved area of 3600 acres between Gloucester and Rockport, MA, covered with glacial eratics,. The harsh glacial landscape offers some of the most technical mountain biking in the North Shore area. Access is from Cherry St between Gloucester and Annisquam. Unless you are highly skilled, stick primarily to Common Road or Dogtown Road, which are unimproved fire trails. A pleasant closed paved road also circles Goose Cove Reservoir. Take a trail map and hike to the higher and even rockier terrain in the center near Peter's Pulpit and Whale's jaw.

Harold Parker State Forest Over 30 miles of old woods roads and great singletracks are to be found in this wooded area near Middleton. The trails tend to be more technical than those found in nearby Willowdale State Forest, but there is plenty of cycling for everyone. The state provides mountain bike trail maps for the East and West sides of Harold Parker State Forest .