rumrunn6

Wallaum Lake Rd brings you to parking, hit the SNETT west to CT & Air Line Trail, then trail turned to harsh course gravel, turned around & motored back east a bit. lots more to ride requires a trip back. had to break to watch a football game. the park has beachside grills so if you time a ride ending with a picnic that would be a fun day. lots of signage but helpful to have a map & compass

NewATBikeComute

nics pics, especially the last--I love how the color is more vibrant in the reflection from the red (maple?) tree.

rumrunn6

[QUOTE=rumrunn6;19126715]

was just looking at the Air Line Trail in CT which is where this photo led. I turned around cuz the gravel was too rough &/or cuz I didn't know how long the coarse gravel would last. I remember seeing a happy dude coming North on this gravel on a 29er. I should have stopped him & talked to him. I eventually discovered a parking area at 121 Riverside Drive Thompson CT which leads North to this spot & that was fun making the connection

1989Pre 

Those stones look like they were placed there. Is this to prevent erosion, or to prevent cyclists and hikers from using it? It looks like a trail that is open to motor vehicles, so maybe they didn't even take other users into account.

rumrunn6

dunno how they decide what to use for a substrate. I usually see crushed stone, stone dust or hard packed dirt on unpaved rail trails. this is closed to vehicles but I suppose they can unlock the gates for emergency vehicles

2metalhips

Some of those stones are leftover ballast from the railroad. The rail ties were set in it, nasty stuff to ride or run on, not so bad with big mtb tires.

rumrunn6

know wutz good about a state forest? shelter from the storm. the composting toilet was open & after my ride the roofed picnic area was a good place to decompress before loading back into the car

rumrunn6

great starting point for bike rides of all kinds. met a cpl guys returning to their cars at about 11am who had been thru several trails incl single tracks. must have gotten an early start. one on a 26er & the other on a fatbike. was good to get some trail info before I started. the hunters may be gone but there are still plenty of ppl shooting guns in the woods down by the SNETT. didn't see them but I heard them. quite disconcerting to say the least

OutdoorsBen

I'm in Hampden and have wanted to ride Douglas for awhile. I'll have to get out there and give it a shot, looks great. How far did you ride?

rumrunn6

thank you for asking. so far I've done approx 6-20 miles a day

but, oh man what a playground! I believe Douglas State forest has mountain bike trails of it's own but I concentrated on the unpaved rail trail. I have 2 hybrids (no mountain bike). I parked at the state park & explored the trail in both directions



so I wound up starting 3 threads that are actually linked. if I had to re-post over again I might have done it differently. so anyway, check out these 2 related threads for all I know about the unpaved rail trail that I explored from the state park. it's a great launching point & I highly recommend doing what I did in both directions. this past fall & winter were so interesting, I fully intend to go back again soon & often through the spring & summer

https://www.bikeforums.net/northeast/...ine-trail.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/northeast/...-trail-ct.html

2metalhips

I started a new thread relating to the SNETT/DSF.

rumrunn6

anyone riding the SNET today? I had potential plans for a pre-sunrise ride in light snow, in the dark, but alas I got a headache before bed, didn't get much sleep & wearing an icepack hat right now. if you can, go have some fun!

that corner of MA, RI & CT is the spot this morning!