One of the most populous and beautiful states of the United States, Massachusetts offers around 700 biking trails to cycling enthusiasts. That said, finding the best mountain bike trails in Massachusetts is one hell of a job. But, we’ve done our homework on it already.
This list, therefore, includes the top 10 trails that we think you should visit while riding on your MTB bike. We aren’t just listing names but also the trail’s length, estimated riding time, helpline numbers, nearby restaurants, hotels, etc.
So, let us start, without any further ado:
Our-Favorite Mountain Bike Trails in Massachusetts
Harold Parker State Forest
- Length: 35 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Helpline Numbers: (978) 686-3391
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
Topping our list is an advanced-level mountain bike trail explicitly designed for professionals. The Harold Parker State Forest is rated #1 out of 221 mountain bike trails in Massachusetts. Adding to that, it occupies 268th position all around the globe.
Talking of the trail specifically, it is 35 miles or 56 kilometres long, and it will take you around 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete it.
Considering the length of the trail, you will find a variety of challenges there. That would include the presence of single-tracks and double-track surfaces.
Other than that, you will find rocky and bushy terrains with multiple hills to make some jumps and climbs.
Talking of the location, Harold Parker State Forest’s on 305 Middleton Road in North Andover. We recommend taking the Campground entrance, 133 Jenkins road, to reach the destination.
Although the track is suitable for advanced-level riders, you will also find some intermediate terrains while visiting the park. Helpline numbers are available officially for you to contact in an emergency.
Pearl Hill State Park
- Length: 20 miles
- Estimated Riding Time: 2 hours.
- Helpline Numbers: (978) 597-8802
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
Being regarded as the best mountain bike trail for beginners, Pearl Hill State Park is another area that will intrigue many riders living in Massachusetts.
Occupying around 1000-acres of green and fertile land, the State Park’s at 105 New Fitchburg Road kin West Townsend. You can visit the place anytime you want without any hassle.
Apart from that, the trails in this area are 20 miles long, and it will take around 2 hours to cover all of them completely.
Most biking terrains are less bumpy and allow beginners to take them on without problems. Note that some advanced-level black diamond trails are also available within the park.
Pearl Hill State Park is an ideal place not only for biking but also for hiking and swimming. You can reserve your camping site and then enjoy biking on multiple trails as long as you want to.
Not to forget, the trail system in Pearl Hill State Park also connects with the more extensive Willard State Park trail system, so you can visit it out too, especially if you have the right biking gear with all accessories intact.
Robinson State Park
- Length: 25 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Helpline Numbers: (413) 786-2877.
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes.
The famous park in Massachusetts has got its name, “Robinson” from a well-renowned businessman John C. Robinson. He donated this land to the commonwealth of Massachusetts to be used for public activities back in 1934 and 1937.
The State Park’s is at 428 North St., Feeding Hills, and has occupied a space of around 1025 acres accordingly. Many leisure activities, including recreational biking, mountain biking, hiking, and camping, are allowed there.
Keeping our focus on the mountain bike trails here, they are spread over a 25 miles radius, making it a distance of 2 hours 30 minutes to cover with the help of the MTB bike.
Robinson State Park offers tricky terrains, which is one of the things you will enjoy while biking there. You will have to cover steep and uneven areas followed by a steep decline that surprises you. Hence, we’d recommend that you wear all safety equipment before taking on the challenge.
The park is also famous for wildlife as you’ll find different species of turtles, dragonflies, and other animals over there.
Vietnam Trails
- Length: 20 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: 2 hours
- Helpline Numbers: +1 800-576-3622
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
Vietnam trails are not state-owned, so their location is slightly different from the state parks that we have discussed.
Those trails were acquired by NEMBA (New England Mountain Biking Association) back in 2003 after raising about $210,000.
What happened was that before purchasing those trails, they were abandoned and were in danger of getting distorted. So, it was kind of a brave act from NEMBA to step up and purchase around 47 acres of land to make it available for the local mountain biking community.
Vietnam trails are located in Milford with 20 miles of length with an estimated riding time of 2 hours. The site is well-maintained and made quite friendly for the bikers to engage in social communication while they visit it.
Not to mention, the trail is built explicitly for mountain biking. You can test your skills, stamina, and control over your bike in its real essence over those trails.
Nearby restrooms and camping activities in the Vietnam trails are available to help you spend the night without any worries.
Lynn Woods Reservation
- Length: 5 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: One hour
- Helpline Numbers: +1 781-477-7123
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
One of the biggest municipally owned parks in Massachusetts, i.e. the Lynn Woods Reservation, is located at 106 Pennybrook Road in Lynn. The reservation is spread out on 2,200 acres of land offering exciting opportunities to mountain bike riders.
While most of the terrains in Lynn Woods Reservation are single-track, they are not easy to cover. As mentioned on the official trail map of Lynn Woods Reservation, “Mountain Biking is an inherently dangerous sport, and Lynn Woods contains some of the most challenging trails in the area.”
The 5 miles trails in Lynn Woods will take you around an hour to cover, but the time may vary depending on the type of rider you are. The challenging fire roads with steep hills and mountains await you in the Lynn Woods area.
Although the network of individual trails in the area is vast, you will not get lost while biking on them. Either way, we would suggest keeping a GPS with you in case it feels like you are not reaching the desired destination.
Leominster State Forest
- Length: 10 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: One hour 30 minutes
- Helpline Numbers: (978) 874-2303
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
Covering around 4,246 acres of land, the Leominster State Forest is home to outdoor enthusiasts who want to enjoy their time with different recreational activities.
Apart from fishing, rock climbing, and hiking, the State Forest offers a 10 miles single-track trail to mountain biking enthusiasts.
The trails are indeed short enough, but they are pretty challenging with the presence of bumps, fire roads, gravels, and whatnot.
The address for the forest is 1 Fitchburg Road, Westminster. Adding to that, the large area of the forest covers some other towns, including the likes of Princeton, Sterling, Fitchburg, etc.
Meanwhile, the trails are not too advanced as an intermediate biker can easily ride on them with proper biking gear.
Leominster State Forest is available for camping and other recreational activities, and thus, you can enjoy them later after an intense session of biking.
October Mountain State Forest
- Length: 7 miles
- Estimated Riding Time: Two hours
- Helpline Numbers: (413) 243-1778
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
The largest state-owned and maintained forest in the vicinity of Massachusetts acquires 16,500 acres of land. October Mountain State Forest is on 317 Woodland Road, Lee, and it offers a variety of trails for hiking and mountain biking.
As for the trail, it is suitable for beginner-level bikers. However, keep in mind that since the path is more of a loop, the 7 miles takes longer than you’d think.
That specifically means that the terrains are not THAT much challenging, but you should always gear up to avoid any crash or a severe injury.
Meanwhile, the whole of the forest consists of single-track trails that you can cover with your MTB bicycle without facing any problems.
Besides biking, you can also try boating and fishing with your loved ones. Camping sites are available for rent, and you can book them before visiting the forest accordingly.
Douglas State Forest
- Length: 27 miles
- Estimated Riding Time: 2 hours 42 minutes
- Helpline Numbers: (508) 476-7872
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
The state forest of Douglas, owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is located at 107 Wallum Lake Road Douglas. The land acquires 5,525 acres of area and is home to various water bodies, including terrestrial land.
Back in the day, motorcycle communities in the area visited this state forest. Lucky for the mountain bikers, those motorcyclists lost the rights to ride in this forest in 1996, and now the trails are available for local bikers accordingly.
Douglas State Forest consists of 27 miles of trails spread out evenly on a plateau. That’s one of the reasons we call it the best mountain bike trail for flat MTB riding. However, it takes around 2 hours and 40 minutes to cover the 27-miles trails.
Moving along, you will find both single and double-track terrains within the Douglas State Forest. Some fire and dirt roads are also available for you to try.
Maudslay State Park
- Length: 4 miles
- Estimated Riding Time: Half an hour
- Helpline Numbers: (978) 465-7223
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes
Not as big as the Maudslay State Park that covers around 450-acres of the land. The park is well-maintained with decorations, including meadows and gardens that the state of Massachusetts has maintained pretty well.
Talking of the location, you will find Maudslay State Park on 74 Curzon Mill Road, Newburyport. The trails in there have a length of only 4 miles, and it would take you no more than half an hour to cover them.
However, Maudslay State Park is famous mainly for its scenic views, and you should visit it if you want to enjoy beautiful views while riding your mountain bike.
Erving State Forest
- Length 35 miles.
- Estimated Riding Time: 3 hours 30 minutes.
- Helpline Numbers: (978) 544-3939
- Restaurants and Hotels Nearby: Yes.
Last but not least, the Erving State forest, being located in Erving, covers an area of 2,422 acres of land, and it’s home to mountain bikers who want to enjoy biking while looking at the beautiful and scenic views of the park.
Although the 35 miles length of the trails is not much challenging, an average biker will take around 3 hours and 30 minutes to cover them. Routes are primarily single-track, but you can also find double-track terrains over there.
Noteworthy Bike Parks in Massachusetts
Thunder Mountain Bike Park
The Thunder Mountain Bike Park is a commercial back designed for cyclists to enjoy gravity riding.
This downhill terrain is quite challenging for the bikers. But on the bright side, you don’t need your MTB for this. That’s because they have a rental mountain bike department there already.
You can visit it before hitting the park and rent out multiple bike accessories according to the park’s requirements.
Thunder Mountain Bike Park, in short, is an ideal place to test your skill level. It’s perfectly suitable for all types of riders, thanks to the helpful staff available over there that would assist you in every matter.
You can visit their website at https://berkshireeast.com/summer/thunder-mountain-bike-park/overview to check out other details accordingly.
Prospect Hill Park
The area contains beautiful and scenic views with 10 miles of flat trails to ride on your mountain bike without any hassle.
The whole of the land is suitable for a perfect family biking experience. You can bring your children there and let them enjoy riding on flat and smooth trails of Prospect Hill accordingly.
Wellfleet Ponds
Wellfleet Ponds offer a radius of around 20 miles with smooth and not too challenging trails. However, sand and dust might be a problem, so we do recommend wearing a bike helmet with visor and bike glasses before hitting the trails over there.
The trails aren’t too technical either, but they are fast-paced, and you should keep this aspect in mind before starting your journey over there.
Chebacco Woods
Owned by Gordon College, the 10 miles trails available at this destination offer a smooth and flat bike riding experience.
Some places, such as the fire-loop road and many other dirt roads situated there, are ideal for kids and teenagers to try out on their bikes.
Weston Forest Trail
Western College Land is a public-owned park that offers about 5 miles of marked trails and some unmarked terrains.
The park is perfect for XC riders who want to experience leisure and scenic views while riding on their bikes. However, it’s perfectly suitable for beginner-level biking as well.
You can find the rest of the details about this place at: https://www.westonforesttrail.org/.
MTB Clubs and Groups to Join for a Ride in Massachusetts
The first club or group that comes to mind is NEMBA, one of the largest biking communities in the United States. The New England Mountain Bike Association focuses on tending to the needs of the bikers and preserving the trails.
You can join NEMBA by visiting their official website at https://www.nemba.org/.
FOW or Friends of Wompatuck is not specifically a mountain biking club. It’s more of a volunteer organization working to preserve the land of Wompatuck State Park. You can get further details about this club at https://friendsofwompatuck.org/ accordingly.
Final Takeaways
Massachusetts offers a wide range of mountain bike trails to those who want to explore this state while driving their bikes.
We have selected the top 10 places based on the experience of our experts who have visited those places personally and then listed them according to the pros and cons they offer.
What next trail are you going to visit in Massachusetts? Let us know in the comment box below:
