Winter Fat Biking in Borderland State Park
Borderland State Park, in Easton, Massachusetts, has awesome winter mountain biking. The best way to experience it is on a fat bike after a big snowfall. My favorite loop is about 9 miles and takes you through some of the best winter fat biking terrain Borderland has to offer. Here’s the beta (and a map so you don’t get lost).
The Warmup. Start your ride in Borderland’s main parking lot. From the back of the lot, pedal right (south) on the Pond Walk Trail towards the Oak Ames home. After a few hundred yards, the PWT loops left. Ride this—it remains pretty casual—for about a bit until you reach Bay Road Lane, which leaves the PWT on the right.
Some easy riding will take you towards a park gate at Borderland’s Bay Road entrance. As you approach the gate, be on the lookout for Bob’s Trail on the left. The terrain here gets a little harder as you loop back towards the PWT. Then, once you rejoin the PWT, it’s a breezy ride to a park gate at Borderland’s Mountain Road entrance. At the gate, head towards the “Upper Loop” of the Granite Hills Trail (consult the map as navigating here is tricky). The “real” riding begins here.
A Winter Speedway. The GHT is one of my favorite trails in the park. It mixes very technical uphills with some really fun flowy sections. And with fresh snow on the ground—covering all those otherwise pesky rocks—the GHT transforms into a super-fun speedway. It’s awesome!
At the first junction, the GHT bends left, while Ridge Trail continues straight. Stay straight, then turn immediately right onto Friends Trail, a very narrow single track that’s fantastic if the snow is just right. If not, you might find it a little tricky; start slowly.
One caution: Friends has two tricky wood-plank bridges. Speaking from experience, they look dry and fine to ride on, but they’re typically extremely slippery and traverse a little stream that you definitely don’t want to fall into. Don’t crush that winter stoke by breaking your collar bone or getting hypothermia. Instead walk your bike; you’ll be happy you did.
The Interlude. Friends Trail ends at a junction with the Morse Loop. At the junction, pedal off right (counterclockwise) for this awesome little loop that is best after a fresh snow fall. It’s not technical or hilly, just fun riding with beautiful scenery. There’s plenty of woods to admire and a really peaceful pond to stop at for a mid-ride refuel.
If you’re looking to add mileage to your ride, doing the Morse Loop twice is highly recommend. The area is secluded enough that you’ll probably be the only one making fresh tracks.
Get Sendy Again. As the Morse Loop starts to close the circle, you want to turn right instead, heading for the Quarry Loop Trail. The QLT is really cool, looping you around an old quarry on single track trails that are just a blast. (See what I did there, lol). There’s even a little added downhill so you can mix things up and get some snowy skid turns in before the junction with the Ridge Trail.
If you’re up for a challenge, head right on the Ridge Trail, the most technical portion of the ride. This single track section has it all—rollovers, rock gardens, you name it. It’ll keep you on your toes for sure. At the junction of Ridge and Northwest, head left on the Northwest Trail, a long fire road that ends with an exciting down hill near Split Rock.
Of course, if you’re not into seeing the whites of your eyes on your ride, take the Ridge Trail in the other direction, towards the GHT. Bang a right on the GHT to rejoin my regular loop near Split Rock.
The Cool Down. From Split Rock, follow the Northwest Trail until it intersects with the PWT. With Leach Pond on your left, relax, enjoy the view, and pedal the mile-plus back to your car.
So there you have it, Mickey Spade’s Borderland Beta. It’s a really good winter fat bike ride that’s not super technical. So get out there and enjoy the snowy trails.
See you out there!
Words and photos by Mickey Spades. If you found Mickey’s post useful, consider sending him a few bucks. (Venmo: @michael-spadea-4)
