Western Mass. Bike Paths and Trails

Ashuwillticook River Trail [DCR GIF map]

Running 10.5 miles from Lanesborough to Adams along the Hoosic river, parallelling, but far from Route 8, this path is the anchor for a north-south route from Vermont to Connecticut. The first 5 miles north of Pittsfield opened August 27, 2001, and construction of the rest was finished in 2004. Moves are afoot to extend the path in both directions, to downtown Pittsfield on the south--it just hits the northern border of that city now--and North Adams to the north. The current northern end, at the Berkshire County Visitors in Adams, is easiest to find. There is more information on the Berkshire Bike Path Council web site.

Keystone Arch Bridge Trail

The 2 mile long KAB trail's signature features are massive granite arch railroad bridges built in 1839 with no mortar. Bikes are OK, though a popular way to travel is to hike in, and float on tubes back to the start. The trail is maintained by a volunteer group, Friends of the Keystone Arches, PO Box 276, Huntington, MA 01050. A trail map is available for a small donation.

Manhan Rail Trail

This 4.2 mile multi-use recreational path stretches from South Street in Easthampton, MA to Mt. Tom Junction at the Route 5 CT River boat launch, with a connecting on-road bike lane to downtown Northampton. The trail will eventually connect with the Norwottuck Trail to Amherst and the Northampton Bike Path to Williamsburg.

Northampton Bike Path [MHD PDF map]

This 1.75 mile paved path is on a section of the same abandoned right-of-way as the Norwottuck Trail, but there is an intervening piece of active rail between them. The right-of-way continues westward, where there is an effort being made to extend it through Williamsburg, Mass.

Norwottuck Trail [DCR GIF map] [MHD PDF map]

This nine-mile-long bikepath connects Amherst and Northampton, through Hadley, paralleling MA Rt. 9 and avoiding that heavily traveled road. With its own bridge over the Connecticut River, it is the western end of the abandoned Central Mass. Railway line, the eastern end of which is being considered for a Waltham to Hudson trail. A group in Belchertown is working on extending this path eastward, and there is a possible connection to a Connecticut Valley bikeway to New Haven, CT, on the Northampton end. A connection to the UMass. campus has been built. Pete's Drive-In in Hadley has a web page touting its trail access. There is an on-line history of the local Native Americans after whom the trail was named. Check out this survey of abutters in Hadley.

UMass Connector

This is a 2-mile connection between the Norwottuck Trail and the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts.