This ride's general location is Wilmington. Scenery is wooded with occasional glimpses of Harriman Reservoir. The mellow, flat, wide railroad bed provides an excellent route for families and novices. A variety of riding conditions make this ride fun, interesting, and historically entertaining. You begin by riding on an old railroad bed, skirting the western shore of Harriman Reservoir until you reach the spillway. Remains of trellises evoke another era, when trains were popular for personal travel and for the transport of goods. Now and then, the wooded trail offers glimpses of the reservoir, which dams the Deerfield River. The town of Harriman became deserted over time and now lies at the bottom of the reservoir, after having been flooded when the dam was built. The railroad bed is wide and flat, with a short section of single-track. Beginners can take the railroad bed south to the spillway, a nice place for a lunch break, and then retrace their steps back to the start for a total of 14 miles. Experienced riders can pick up a side trail on the way back that features a challenging climb and a fun descent on single-track for a total of 15.5 miles.
Great beginner ride. Its has slight hills but nothing crazy. I came across that locked gate and another one. I carried my bike over the side of the gates. I believe its still the trail as there are blue markings but they are some people that live up in them hills and they don't like trespassers on their property. From the signs they put out. Eventually it does get a little creepy and I returned back. Reminds me of the movie, "The Hills Have Eyes". Bring Mace!
| ThankThis was way better than I expected... I went with the family expecting mostly smooth fire road and found nice single track, bridges, rock gardens that you can cruise through with a nice flow. Word is NEMBA is giving it a little love... Thank you. This would never be my go to trail however this is the perfect place to introduce beginners to the next level!! Mostly flat and not too long.. Trail head to park and back. You ride along the river the whole time. Very pleased.
| ThankI happened to be up in Wilmington staying at a friends for the weekend and because of the Tough Mudder Mt Snow was closed. I looked this trail over and figured it would be a great place to bring my youngest son who is just starting out.
It was a really nice ride until we came to a locked gate blocking the trail about 1.2 miles in. I could have gotten my bicycle (and my son's) around it but wasn't sure if we were trespassing at that point.
There needs to be much more info on this trail. I ran into locals who said it wasn't a problem to go around the gate, but then was after we went back to the truck and were getting ready to leave.
| ThankNot your typical rail trail. Long gradual climbs and descents. Many railroad ties from 100 years ago are still in the ground. Watch out for the spikes, too! Still, a beautiful ride on an infamous rail line.
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