Single track within 2 or so hours of Boston?

[nick5446]

Just moved back to Boston from California and Oregon. I've been getting spoiled with some of the best riding in the country in my backyard. Now it's been 13 weeks since I've ridden my dirt bike (yeah, I keep track since I was riding almost every weekend for about 6 years). Where can I take my bike for a rip? I've been watching videos from some of the NH trails and they look like they're 30' wide and in better shape than my driveway. Where's the hard stuff at? I don't mind driving if I have to. Also don't mind riding in the snow.

I would love to hear about places that are close and suck, a little farther away and are pretty good, and are really far away, but are awesome.

Not sure if the mods have any interest in this, but one of the old forums I used to use had maps of riding areas pinned to the top of the forum. Links to websites, photos, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[loudbeard]

You'll need to register you bike but google Hodges Village Dam in Oxford, MA. Legal trail system, tons of single track. It is patrolled though, sticker is a must.

[nick5446]

I don't mind registering. What's it like $50 for 2 years or something like that?

That place looks cool at first glance, especially for how close it is.

[Chippertheripper]

All the legal places in mass closed for the season 12/1, with the exception of hodges. There will be a few sanctioned offroad events this season, a bunch of which will require no reg.

[breakdirt916]

chipper got it...hodges/closed events/winchendon for now, 6 state forests the rest of the year

I moved to CA...tons of legal riding year round...

here is my summary copy/posted from another thread for most of the info on MA...

------------------------------------

back in the older days, you only really needed to register the bike if you were riding on state or federal OHV areas. "illegal but tolerated" areas, your own backyard, or MX tracks - don't bother. But within the last few years, the MA orv office found a new way to get revenue from anyone with an ORV vehicle: (I believe that...) As long as you own a dirtbike or ATV (even if it's a bike in a bunch of parts in your basement), and even if you ride it ONLY on your own property, you need to register it. It's retarded. But fortunately they don't have a way of enforcing it.

here are the steps:

1.) bring your bill of sale
-OR if you never got one, have a friend make one. If the bike was never registered as an OHV in MA, and you don't have a title, then there's no way for MA to verify who the last registered owner was. So if they don't know, make up a bill of sale for whoever you want.
-back in my day, there was no formal bill of sale...nowadays they have one on their website

2.) pay the sales tax online: https://wfb.dor.state.ma.us/WebFile/...axDefault.aspx

3.) print out the proof that you paid the sales tax (ST-6) from the DOR website above

4.) bring the ST-6, cash, or check (no credit cards!!) to the OHV office, fill out a form, and you'll walk out with the ORV stickers to affix to the left fork
-back in my day, you filled out the application in the office. Nowadays you can download the pdf

those stickers allow you to ride in any of the 6 state park trail riding areas:

Find a State Park Riding Trail

and the federal area:

Hodges Village Dam (Oxford, Mass.), New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The state lands close in november and open in may. The federal area is open year round.

the only way that your registration is checked, is when the rangers do periodic and random inspections of bikes in the parking lots

I don't know if it's actually valid, but back in my day those stickers "technically" made it legal to ride on frozen ponds and lakes too...not sure if it's still true

and I believe the registration requirement technically applies to MX tracks too...but as I understand it, nobody actually does it if they just ride mx

other than that, you can ride at the dirt track in winchendon The state lands close in november and open in may. The federal area is open year round.

the only way that your registration is checked, is when the rangers do periodic and random inspections of bikes in the parking lots

I don't know if it's actually valid, but back in my day those stickers "technically" made it legal to ride on frozen ponds and lakes too...not sure if it's still true

and I believe the registration requirement technically applies to MX tracks too...but as I understand it, nobody actually does it if they just ride mx

other than that, you can ride at the dirt track in winchendon or do closed course competitions with the organizations

[Aprilia Pilot]

Hopkinton-Everett Trails Area (Dunbarton/Weare) in NH is still open and has a couple of single track trails off their main trails. Looks to be still open.

[xxaarraa]

Pachaug in RI is open all year. Much more to do there than Hodges/Oxford (though Oxford is pretty cool too)

[R7]

Pachaug state forest is in Voluntown, Ct. I used to ride there almost every weekend, it's fun with a few technical sections. It's a 62 mile loop, but there are a lot of paved and dirt connector roads to the trails.

Pachaug also requires your bike to be street registered.

[nick5446]

Thanks guys! Pachaug sounds fun, but my bike isn't street legal, so that's probably out.

[Sheppo]

Hop/Ev in Dunbarton NH. gets my vote. about 1.5 hours North of Boston.
The New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation : Hopkinton-Everett Reservoir

[Imbeek]

Out here near me, (Tolland state forest on the link provided but also many, many other local trails), there is alot of terrain and not too many complaints that it is too easy. Lots of elevation change, bark buster necessitating width, slippery sharp rocks, ruts, and roots. There are "big woods" around here where it would not be cool to get lost and run out of gas in the winter, so navigation or going with someone who knows the area is important, too.

I haven't ridden it in quite a few years, but when I was racing motocross and would ride it with my woods racing buddies, I thought they had a screw loose to seek out, and love to ride in, terrain like that...in other words, it sounds like exactly what you are looking for.

Look into the Jay Day series too, and as I think Chip said, there are also a few clubs in Mass and Rhode Island who put on woods races...my point being not just to enter the races, but to help you find the terrain and maybe join a club. The one around here is the Knox trail riders. I was a member back in the 90s. They are still going strong and have some extremely good riders...the last two years, they put together races at Blandford ski area. that happened maybe 3 months ago.

[MHenry600]

I saw your post in the other thread that I had put the NH trail link in, but didn't have time to post earlier.

The guys above have most of it covered. What I'll add is that if you're looking for gnarly New England single track, it might not be a bad idea to look into doing some enduros or if you are up for it doing some hare scrambles. Check out NETRA for schedules and what they are all about. They run events throughout New England and run in some places you might not otherwise get to ride.

[breakdirt916]

in MA you can street plate it 3 ways:
1.) if you have the title from another state (and it doesn't say "for off-road use only" - take that to dmv w' RMV-1 from insurance company, and you walk out with a plate)
2.) sell it to someone in NH, get a title, bring that title w' NH street registration and follow step 1
3.) if it's <300cc's, register it in VT (they will register, but not title, anything <300cc's), take that "previous street registration" and a bill of sale, get RMV-1, go to DMV...have a good story, and may have to try a couple times

[typeone]

upper Hodges in Oxford. gnarly, gnarly shit. when you enter the trail system from the parking area, cross over the paved road and follow the trails upward.

the standard loops up top are tough but still fun, technical singletrack with some great rocky climbs/descents. venture into some of the less ridden trails to really up the challenge, many of them criss-cross the main loops where it gets real steep. extremely technical stuff.

the hardest area we've found, and failed miserably, is just below and east of the 'hero rock gap' that a lot of events will run through, which is a great challenge too. anything surrounding that main area is def hard enduro style terrain where the ledges drop off.

'expert' trails are labeled with red/white paint.

it's not the biggest area but there is a ton of variation from flow-down-low to fuck-this-shit.

[maxim_X]

I just rode hodges recently, at the Netra Jack Frost. It was impressive, lots of mix of gnarly on the "super hero" loop to flowy and smooth on the standard loop. Has Freetown been mentioned? It's about a hour or so south of Boston, legal riding except winter, its a huge property with a good mix if you're will to explore.

Come join us for the PSTR races this spring. There may also be a winter Jday thingy this year as well.

Welcome to nesr

[Chippertheripper]

Supposedly there will be a winter jday "series".
3 or more races...
Stay tuned, indeed.

Edit: this is fresh of the down low from our main man Bob Poetzch

Proposed 2015 NETRA Sanctioned Events

Enduros: (8 total - Best 6 count for Championship)
2/8/15 Snow Run Enduro CT Ramblers Stafford, CT
5/24/15 Little Rhody Enduro Rhody Ramblers RI
6/7/15 King Philip Enduro KPTR Wrentham, MA
8/2/15 Tom Noble Enduro Seacoast Berwick, ME
8/30/15 Red Barn Run Enduro Seacoast
10/4/15 Rocktober Fest Enduro Pathfinders October Mtn, MA
10/18/15Cheese Grater Enduro BTR Granville, MA
10/25/15Black and Blue Enduro Ramblers Stafford, CT


Hare Scrambles: (15 total - Best 12 count for Championship)
3/29/15 Leonard's Loop PSTR Freetown, MA
5/3/15 Tuxedo Ridge Tri State/NY NY
5/10/15 Nutmeg State Nutmeg
5/17/15 CATRA Black Fly CATRA NY
5/31/15 D Day RTR Remsen, NY
6/28/15 Satan's Kingdom BTR New Hartford, CT
7/12/15 Rambler's SummerMadness Ramblers
7/19/15 Indian Ridge Tri State
7/26/15 Rocky Mountain MVTR Alton, NH
8/9/15 Richardson's Farm Salmon River RI
8/23/15 Dam Good Pathfinders Thomaston, CT
9/6/15 Stateline Stateline Hoosick, NY
9/13/15 Hard Knox Knox Tr.Riders Blandford, MA
9/27/15 Roosting Rhody Rhody Rovers RI
10/11/15 Hoot Owls scramble. Ct

The finalized version of above SHOULD be out "soon".

[nick5446]

upper Hodges in Oxford. gnarly, gnarly shit. when you enter the trail system from the parking area, cross over the paved road and follow the trails upward.

the standard loops up top are tough but still fun, technical singletrack with some great rocky climbs/descents. venture into some of the less ridden trails to really up the challenge, many of them criss-cross the main loops where it gets real steep. extremely technical stuff.

the hardest area we've found, and failed miserably, is just below and east of the 'hero rock gap' that a lot of events will run through, which is a great challenge too. anything surrounding that main area is def hard enduro style terrain where the ledges drop off.

'expert' trails are labeled with red/white paint.

it's not the biggest area but there is a ton of variation from flow-down-low to fuck-this-shit.

This has me pumped!

[maxim_X]

Supposedly there will be a winter jday "series".
3 or more races...
Stay tuned, indeed.


3/29/15 Leonard's Loop PSTR Freetown, MA

Like the winter events!!

Leonards loop? Something different? No body likes the spring challenge?

[Chippertheripper]

I think it's just a name change for Kevin. As a memorial.

[SVRACER01]

2/8/15 Snow Run Enduro CT Ramblers Stafford, CT

anything special needed for this usually, like studded tires?

[SVRACER01]

Proposed 2015 NETRA Sanctioned Events

Enduros: (8 total - Best 6 count for Championship)


8/2/15 Tom Noble Enduro Seacoast Berwick, ME
8/30/15 Red Barn Run Enduro Seacoast


Hare Scrambles: (15 total - Best 12 count for Championship)

7/26/15 Rocky Mountain MVTR Alton, NH

these are close to me (assuming the other "seacoast" one is somewhere up here)

[Chippertheripper]

anything special needed for this usually, like studded tires?

Yes. Studs and your regular head/tail/brake lighting.
You CAN enter without studs, and depending on the weather, might be ideal.
Screws are NOT allowed, because of the pieces of property used.
I'm still waiting to see what jday does for his winter events.

If he does another wareham one, it'll most definitely be worth the drive.