Issues → May/June 2009 → Travel →
Best 5 Mountain-Bike Trails
For beginners, intermediate, and experienced
by Todd Balf
We asked longtime Yankee contributor and Massachusetts native Todd Balf, who has ridden mountain-bike trails from New Zealand to Venezuela, for his five favorites closest to home.
Great Brook Farm State Park (Carlisle, MA)
Twenty miles of trails beyond the red farm buildings at the entrance to this historic 1,000-acre property. Easy and fun with plenty of good diversions, from Native American sites to big-eyed Holsteins. mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/gbfm.htm
Friends of Massabesic Biking Association (FOMBA) trails (Auburn, NH)
A network with good beginning routes (such as the fire road loop around Tower Hill Pond), mixed with more challenging single-tracks, such as Sampler, Red Pine, and Moose Track. fomba.org
Kingdom Trails (East Burke, VT)
Simply put, heaven. By acclaim the best place for mountain bikers of every stripe: Half of the system's 100-plus miles are wide, easy double-track (including VAST and River Run), and all trails are marked for difficulty. kingdomtrails.org
Trail of Tears (West Barnstable, MA)
Brutishly named, but this Cape Cod trail is 16 miles of swooping cross-country single-track--perfect for intermediate-level riders who like an aerobic workout. capecodbikeguide.com/tot.asp
Mount Agamenticus (York, Maine)
Located near Ogunquit, Mount Ag's Ring and Horse trails lead to terrific lookout-tower views across the Gulf of Maine and inland to the White Mountains. agamenticus.org, mtanemba.org
More Biking:
New Hampshire Seacoast
Champlain Islands
New England Bikeways
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