Massachusetts is an amazing state with a lot of trails that you can explore. There are a number of parks and forests that have mountain biking trails to them.
1. Sampler Loop – 7.1 miles – Intermediate/Difficult
This is a great loop that is located in Harold Parker State Forest and it is made up of parts of other trails that you will find in that forest. This being the case, there are plenty of alternate lines that you can take to avoid the advanced features and there are more than 30 miles of trails that you can explore in this State Park.
The scenery is lovely with a pond that makes a good place to take a picture at. There is a pump track, and both winter biking and night riding is allowed here, with trails ranging from easy to black diamond. A mountain biker named Liz refers to this trail as: “A nice, chunky loop that shows off the best of what Harold Parker State Forest has to offer.”
2. The B-Street Outer Loop – 7.9 miles – Difficult
This singletrack loop is located in Mount Holyoke Range State Park with only the occasional bit of doubletrack. This loop makes a complete circuit of the Park, though there is the option to change things up by taking detours of some of the other trails if you want a slightly easier ride.
The trail both begins and ends near the parking lot and has plenty in the way of rock gardens, tough climbs, and rugged descents that are there to be conquered.
3. DLS Trail – 0.8 miles – Intermediate/Difficult
This trail is part of the NEMBA Vietnam trail system, and is one of the most interesting of the singletrack trails that you can ride here. Even though the trail is fairly short, it still holds a lot of fun in the form of a technical climb with plenty of rocky sections and a fun downhill that has more rock features and some rock jumps.
There are over 20 miles of trails in this system that you can use to make your own routes, but you should try to include this one. You can even night ride here and bike here in the winter time. Jamie B. calls this trail: “A fun loop with a tough and long (but not steep) climb to some flats & a great downhill with jumps!”
4. Russell Mill Tour – 4.9 miles – Intermediate
This singletrack loop is a great way to catch some of the trails around Russell Mill. And, if this trail is too short for you, then you can take the larger loop that is nearly 20 miles around and shares some of the same singletrack as this trail.
One mountain biker with the username of Gues says: “These trails are great for beginners to learn, as well as intermediate MBers, there are nice obstacles to challenge you if so desired, or, take the alternate low risk routes, there are log bridges various heights, drops of boulders, nice switch backs, lots of rocks/roots in some sections, other sections, nice downhill switch back for exciting turns, the trail is very well maintained (thanks to whoever does that), pump track is condensed and a nice option.
5. Otis Atwood Loop – 1.4 miles – Intermediate
This singletrack loop is part of a trail system that has over 30 miles of trails in it, most of which are point to point so that you can plot your own loop out of them. There are five places that you can park at for this trail system, each of which has trails that are close to it.
One mountain biker with the username schwei says: “This place is super fun and it drys out really early in the season, so it’s a great place to knock off the winter rust. There are a lot of trails and I’m typically lost the entire time I’m there, but it doesn’t matter because you’re going to have a good time whether you know where you are or not! Fortunately, you can only get so lost. I live about an hour and a half from Otis and it is absolutely worth the drive to get there. Especially when everything else is still covered in snow!”
6. Wolf Den Hill – 1 mile – Difficult
This short but sweet trail is found in the Leominster State Forest and is point to point trail that is part of a system of point to point trails that you can ride in your own loop if you want to. When it comes to the terrain, a mountain biker named Jennifer O. sums it up best when she says: “Leominster has varied terrain with one consistent theme.. Rocks…
“There are some fairly smooth sections but then there are rocks.. rocks to jump over/off, rocks to avoid and rocks that beckon the call to climb over.. I originally asked myself why anybody would want to ride such terrain and the answer I have now is.. ‘Because it’s fun’ If you are an adventurous type and want some challenging rock gardens with sweeping turns this place won’t disappoint..”
7. Sugar Line – 3.3 miles – Easy
Located in Thunder Mountain Bike Park, this trail is used for skiing the winter. This being the case, there is not only a lift to get you up to the top of the trail, but this trail is also a total downhill ride. There are other trails in this bike park, most of which are closer to black diamond level, but this one is the easiest for beginners to try out some nice downhill. There are also bathrooms and water available.
Jimmy C. says this about this park: “Thunder mountain is definitely the best riding in MA if you like going down… fast! Lift access to the top and an array of sick trails going down. From beginner flowy tabletop trails to intense rocky enduro trails there is something for everyone.”
8. Rayburn Trail Loop – 4.2 miles – Intermediate/Difficult
This is a great trail to go to if you do not like wildlife or riding through a forest. Most of it is singletrack that is really tight and is best for smaller bikes. There are also a number of bumps which mean that you may or may not want your full suspensions.
One mountain biker with the username of krazykazakh has a few nice details about this trail: “Awesome tight singletrack, probably the best in Central MA. There are many parking options, the most popular is on Rayburn Dr. under the powerlines. Another good place to park is at Dorothy Pond, its easy to pickup trails by going north on Riverlin St. There are also many more unpopular trails on the west side of Riverlin St. branching off of an abandoned railroad.”
9. Plummer’s Landing – 15 miles – Intermediate/Difficult
This trail crosses the Blackstone river and runs along the side of Church Street near Northbridge, Massachusetts. The trail is tight and twisty, mostly singletrack, with some climbs, bridges, and even a fishbowl.
One mountain biker with the username of Sr Chadwell Heath says this about this trail: “Great selection of trails here, hills, flats, switchbacks, etc. probably my favorite place to ride in the area, better than Rayburn. I consider these trails to be intermediate, not advanced. There is nothing here that is overly technical. I spent about 2 hrs here on Friday and didn’t get bored. Highly recommended.”
10. Pittsfield State Forest Trail Loop – 17.6 miles – Difficult
This loop, like you might guess from the name, is located in Pittsfield State Forest and it includes the best portions of some of the other trails that you will find here. It even uses part of the Taconic Skyline trail which takes you up for some amazing views of the scenery.
Leslie K. sums this up nicely when he says: “A tour of Pittsfield State Forest including hard climbs, rowdy descents, and a traverse of the Taconic Skyline Trail.” Another part of the scenery that you will find is Berry’s Pond, but you should consider riding this trail just because of how old it is – since it was first made in the 1930s.