Belmont Conservation

so I live like down the street from this place and if you head down to trapelo rd down a fire road and take a couple turns there are some preety sick trails with so advanced material.

There are many different trails off of the main fire road. Then there is a little area with some dirt slopesyle jumps it's in pretty good conodition and I didn't encounter any people well in there.

I'm a beginner, and I really love this place. Beautiful landscape, which can really be broken in to 3 separate parts. Prairie area, woods, and water tower. All 3 are fun in their own right. Lots of single track offshoots from a main fireroad. Old water tower in very cool. Always see deer when I go riding here. Great ride for a beginner!

Trails are currently in great shape. My first time getting a full exploration of the place and was very impressed. Some great smooth singletrack and decent descents that require some technical skills. Loved the downhill flowing from the water tower.

Someone's been building up some pretty stiff MTB jumps across from Metfern Cemetery - definitely made for air!

Trails have been maintained and cleared well... much more than what I remembered, which is awesome!! The McLean side has been organized, but came across bike banned trails on that side.
Found my way along the Western Greenway down to Trapelo Rd. which was a nice little ride.... looks like there is more to explore there! There was singletrack crossing the Western Greenway, so the possibility for some good miles seems to be available.

Rock Meadow handled the winter very well - everything is clear and dry, albeit a few small muddy spots on some lower turns. Ride on!

More new boardwalk construction from NEMBA leading towards Lot 1 is done, as well as new singletrack on the Rock Meadow side. There are talks about going in and blazing some of the trails for a more defined loop.

Rock Meadow is staying pretty icy and snowy right now; get there before the sun and you can get in some fun winter riding, albeit there are a few stretches of long ice to battle with.

NEMBA trail work has expanded this network quite a bit. If you ride through the fire roads and single track to the road connecting Pleasant Street and Trapelo, go behind the old Admin building and through the fence. Bear right by the markers in the neighborhood and into the woods -- from there, you can use the trails to get towards Lot 1 in Waltham now.

* Review edited 5/28/2010

The Rock Meadow side of the area has gotten a lot more MTB attention, and it's a good thing. The single track has become more developed. Take a left right after the bridge into the woods and a right at the next bridge. When it comes out on the double track, go straight across on the single. It's still a network, but it can lead to some nice fun, fast trails.

First trail riding since... high school!! Loved it. I did park over at Shaw's and climed the hill - which was over run partialy by a stream. Great to be on the trails again. Got to explore some, will certainly be back to explore more. Some up and downs in the McLean section, nice riding over at Rock Meadow. Also explored Conservation Area across Concrod Ave (quick left after water tower into open field, bear right to street) I did notice one trail with no biking, and exiting the area from another side they did post no bikes - so may not be a good idea to explore. Came back to the field and followed singletrack downhill to cross Mill street to Meadow Rock. Nice opportunity for singletrack throughout. * Review edited 3/14/2009

* Review edited 4/15/2009

There's a sign on Mill Street now that reads "ROCK MEADOW - Belmont Conservation." If you park there and then cross the street, there's a small singletrack next to the telephone pole leading uphill. This is a great way to feed into the Waverly Forest section, which is the area behind McLean Hospital.

Trails are in good shape and have been getting some more riding; I keep finding more little singletrack off shoots. The ride is really what you make of it -- there are enough random little trails to keep you entertained, but you never stray too for from the main doubletrack path. I still enjoy this ride in a pinch!

Only got to ride about a mile of the trail because I took a wicked long route getting there, but it had some fun singletrack and a little bridge I almost fell off of, which is always a good time. Going to explore more next time (this weekend?)

This land has changed dramatically; you can no longer use the entrance behind Shaw's to get to the singletrack, as most of it has been closed off from developement. You now need to drive up onto Mill Street (about 1/2 mile past Shaw's) and pull down into the tiny parking lot for the Belmont Wildlife area. Bike QUIETLY and CALMLY through that area, going left, towards the back left corner. When you come across a stream with a wooden bridge, cross the bridge and THEN enjoy the trails as you normally would.

If you keep heading further into the woods from the Wildlife Reserve, you'll find some STEEP climbs and some logging roads covered in stone dirt. There's some fun singletracks in this area. Also, keep your eyes skywards -- TONS OF HAWKS!

Lots of good singletrack to be found, and you can't get lost - explore to your heart's content! The way back is great downhill; looks like they're slowly developing some of the land between the sanctuary and the water tower, so get your riding in!