Sunday, Rider.Steve and I, nabbed a guys day out while our better four fifths were doing other things. We went to Great Brook Farm, a state park in Carlisle, MA.It is not a 'core sort of place but it has wonderfully mellow riding with a few surprise challenges. Some trails were laid out by NEMBA.
Great Brook Farm has a mixed use trails system frequented by hikers, equestrians and bikes. Horses can use most of the trails with clear markings where they aren't allowed. Hikers can use the entire network but there are some trails they avoid and are used almost entirely for MTB. It was my first MTB day there but I have skied the Nordic trails there for four decades. The X-C trails are also more easy and mellow than challenge, but very entertaining!
BTW: There is a $2 parking fee (pay at the kiosk and display receipt on dash) and they are short of printed maps, so, if you go, download or print
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/parks/ ... summer.pdf
BTW2: There is an on premises ice cream stand.
BTW3: There are off system road links to more trails in Chelmsford, and, it appears, in Billerica. We got some beta about it from other riders. On driving away, I took a different route to check out those general directions. It looked like hardly any chore to link the different forest lands. Next time I go, I shall see about the riding connections in those other towns.
