What are your best biking places in your city?

[GirishH]

(07-03-2021, 09:58 PM)Criminal Wrote:  

(07-03-2021, 01:12 AM)bluesbreaker Wrote:  The best biking place in my town of West Orange, Nj would be the Eagle Rock Reservation, also in West Orange. It has endless trails and terrific views!

I drive pretty close by you on my way north; 78 east to 287 north to 87 north. W Orange cannot be much more than 20 miles away from I-287. I will do a break stop there next trip if the trails are passable on a road bike (my mtb is housed up north).

One my favorite road biking places when I can ride it is up Mt. Wachusett in Princeton/Westminster MA., and around the surrounding country roads. Elevation at just over 2000ft with about a 4 mile uphill climb if you start at the bottom (I do not). Very light traffic on the mountain (state park) and on the hilly local roads surrounding it. Just got back from there in early June. Wonderful wildflowers through the year and excellent foliage color change in the Fall. I also ride (road and gravel/mtb) around where there are bogs (some around the Mass Central Rail Trail/MCRT) to check out the interesting flora (carnivorous plants,etc.; caution ecologically sensitive areas). Bogs are cool (literally and figuratively); take off the shoes and soothe the feet on a floating mat of moss.

Photos: View from cliff above road (hard to climb with cleats!) about 3/4 up the mountain; wind mills on Stagecoach Hill to the left (bike is in there somewhere) and Bickford Pond on the right; I live above the lake. Pitcher plant leaf in bog. Wild iris flowers surrounding the bog. Pitcher plant flower tops and bottoms in bog. MCRT gorge sections near Rutland MA. Rare blue lady slipper flowers. "Gold" fish in the tarn at the mountain summit.

Hello Howard, these pictures are so pretty, especially the unpaved trail. That is not Mass Central Rail Trail/MCRT or is it? I have been the entire length of that a few times but don't remember it being unpaved. Is it one of the side trails? If so, please let me know the location of the same. I live in the Boston area but love unpaved trails. Just the flowers are worth visiting that trail. The last time I tried to access the MCRT, the entrance in Waltham wasn't accessible. A couple of mountain bikers I met helped me carry my bike down a train track and up the other side..:-) Brotherhood of cyclists..

Those two pictures of unpaved trails reminded me of the Air Line State Park Trail system in CT. It's fully unpaved goes through sections where the trail actually passes through cut mountains with water flowing near by..:-)

[url=https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Air-Line-State-Park-Trail]

[GirishH]

(07-03-2021, 09:58 PM)Criminal Wrote:  

(07-03-2021, 01:12 AM)bluesbreaker Wrote:  The best biking place in my town of West Orange, Nj would be the Eagle Rock Reservation, also in West Orange. It has endless trails and terrific views!

I drive pretty close by you on my way north; 78 east to 287 north to 87 north. W Orange cannot be much more than 20 miles away from I-287. I will do a break stop there next trip if the trails are passable on a road bike (my mtb is housed up north).

One my favorite road biking places when I can ride it is up Mt. Wachusett in Princeton/Westminster MA., and around the surrounding country roads. Elevation at just over 2000ft with about a 4 mile uphill climb if you start at the bottom (I do not). Very light traffic on the mountain (state park) and on the hilly local roads surrounding it. Just got back from there in early June. Wonderful wildflowers through the year and excellent foliage color change in the Fall. I also ride (road and gravel/mtb) around where there are bogs (some around the Mass Central Rail Trail/MCRT) to check out the interesting flora (carnivorous plants,etc.; caution ecologically sensitive areas). Bogs are cool (literally and figuratively); take off the shoes and soothe the feet on a floating mat of moss.

Photos: View from cliff above road (hard to climb with cleats!) about 3/4 up the mountain; wind mills on Stagecoach Hill to the left (bike is in there somewhere) and Bickford Pond on the right; I live above the lake. Pitcher plant leaf in bog. Wild iris flowers surrounding the bog. Pitcher plant flower tops and bottoms in bog. MCRT gorge sections near Rutland MA. Rare blue lady slipper flowers. "Gold" fish in the tarn at the mountain summit.

I have ridden MCRT (Waltham to Wayland) a few times but haven't explored the bogs or the gorge sections. I will have to go back and do them. Those look so pretty. Where did you encounter the pitcher and the blue lady's sipper? Thanks for posting the pictures and inspiring me..:-)