About us
This group is for people who would like to bike on the various rail trails in northern MA and southern NH, both paved and unpaved. When mountain biking on unpaved trails, we will definitely NOT be rock hopping or stump jumping; none of that crazy stuff. We'll stick to mostly flat rail trails and parks, maintaining a moderate pace and with several water breaks along the way. We'll be offering both weekend and mid-week rides, possibly some evening rides, too.
Most of the trails we'll do are in the range of 20 - 25 miles round trip, which translates into a riding time of approximately 2 - 3 hours, depending on the length of the ride and the breaks we take along the way. Our rides are intended as social activities, rather than physical challenges or a biking competition. Participants are encouraged to bike at their own pace, whatever that may be. We'll stop and regroup from time to time, to make sure that we don't lose anybody on the trail. This group is all about fun and friendship!
Upcoming events
2
A Bike Trail Smorgasbord +1!
The Ghost Trail, 9 Rabbit Road, Salisbury, ma, USMonday might be our last mild-weather day for a while with temperatures struggling to hit 60 degrees later on in the week. Come join the Grand Poobah on one of our favorite group events as we combine multiple short rail trails in Amesbury, Salisbury, and Newburyport into a single ride through a varied landscape and over some historic trails. This is our smorgasbord ride -- a little bit of everything on this one! See the historic photo album in the site's photo section! And this time around, we'll also explore a special bonus trail -- one that I ride only on rare occasions. Our total riding distance for the day will be 27 miles round trip.
- Garrison Trail
- Bonus: Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path
- Amesbury Riverwalk
- Ghost Trail
- Old Eastern Marsh Trail
- Clipper City Rail Trail
From the solar farm, our ride starts out on Rabbit Road and then crosses Elm Street (Route 110) to the Garrison Trail, which takes us via the Whittier Bridge over the Merrimack River. After that, we'll hit our bonus trail - the Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path, which utilizes a reclaimed, abandoned northbound section of Interstate 95. We'll return via the Garrison Trail and transition over to the Amesbury Riverwalk, taking a short break in the historic lower mill yard before returning to the parking area and the start of the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail.
At the end of the Ghost Trail, we'll turn north onto the Old Eastern Marsh Trail and ride up to Seabrook, NH. Upon returning to Salisbury, our ride continues to the other section of the Marsh Trail, which takes us out to the old railroad bridge over the Merrimack River. We'll stop here to regroup and enjoy the scenery for a few minutes.
The trip resumes when we travel over the Gillis Bridge via the dedicated bike lanes to the Clipper City Rail Trail on the Newburyport side of the river (We'll use the bike underpass on our return).
LUNCH: Market Landing Park on Newburyport's historic waterfront is amazing. We'll eat lunch either on the boardwalk or at one of the benches in the new park. If you need a sandwich, Port Sandwich is nearby and offers some great food.
Port Sandwich
40R Merrimac St #102E
Newburyport, MA
(978) 358-8628After lunch, we'll bike along the Clipper City Rail Trail and meander through various marinas, past the Coast Guard station, and behind the Custom House Maritime Museum to Joppa Park. Eventually, we'll stop and regroup at the Parker/State Street intersection, which is the end point for this part of the trail. We'll travel past the Route 1 rotary to the start of the second section of the trail, across from the train station, and ride north to the Merrimack River and back to the Gillis Bridge. After that, we'll just double back the way we came.
The guest option is ON for this ride. Feel free to bring a friend!
Watch a virtual ride of these trails, courtesy of Steve, the virtual biking guy from YouTube and a member of our group.
The nitty gritty for this ride:
- Total distance: Approximately 27 miles.
- Surfaces: The Ghost Trail is packed stone dust/dirt; all other trails are paved. You CAN bike the Ghost Trail with a road bike if you take it SLOW.
- Location: Rabbit Road, Salisbury MA. Park in the dirt lot next to the solar farm.
- Lunch: Bring a lunch or snack.
- Rest rooms: McDonald's in Amesbury; the Tuscan Restaurant or the harbor master headquarters in Newburyport.
- Safety: Bike helmets are mandatory on our rides.
- Post-ride ice cream: Hodgie's Too is down the road from the parking lot. Best ice cream you'll find in the area. Italian ice, too!
Hodgie's Too
136 Rabbit Road
Salisbury, MAWatch a virtual ride of these trails, courtesy of Steve Albert, the virtual biking guy from YouTube's New England Virtual Cycling channel.
AS A CONDITION OF ATTENDING THIS MEETUP, YOU AGREE TO: Hold harmless, and indemnify the organizers and their relations and heirs, and all members and participants of the Meetup group from any and all claims for injury, illness, death, and/or property damage including those caused by negligence, ignorance, inexperience and other reasons. You also agree to assume all mental, physical, financial, and/or other risk associated with this meetup. Kayaking, camping, hiking, bicycling, and other similar activities pose inherent risks and dangers. Participation in these activities is voluntary and dependent upon your own personal judgment. As organizers, we make no claims regarding any expertise for this outing. This is not a guided tour.
Consuming alcohol before or during any of our events is prohibited.
14 attendees
Ride Saco to South Portland
Hannaford, 532 main Street ,, Saco, ME, USCome ride with us on the recently opened 1.6-mile section of trail, in Scarborough, as we meander up to Bug Light completely OFF ROAD, on safe and scenic trails. The new stretch of trail is absolutely beautiful and now provides a safe, seamless journey from Saco to South Portland. As we've done in the past, we'll start our ride at Hanford's, in Saco, ME. As a courtesy, try to park in the back left side of the parking lot or as far away from the front of the store as possible. Be ready to ride at 9:30!
The ride nitty gritty:
***Estimated Distance: **approximately 34 miles round trip
** *Ride Duration: **approximately 5-6 hours, including our break times
*** Lunch: **Bring a lunch or snack to eat at Bug Light Park. We'll take a long break here to relax and enjoy the scenery before starting the return leg of our ride.
** *Trail Surface: **pavement, gravel/dirt
*** Bike type: **hybrid or mountain bike suggested. Road bikes could be a challenge in some spots.
*View the new section of trail.- Check out the Eastern Rail Trail Interactive Map.
Learn about the* Eastern Rail Trail Alliance**.
RAIN CANCELS THIS EVENT
**IMPORTANT: **Be sure your bike is in good working order! Tires should be in good shape and pumped up, gears should shift smoothly, and your brakes should be properly adjusted. If possible, pack a spare tube in case of a flat. A hand pump or CO2 inflator is also desirable, though not absolutely necessary, as some of your fellow riders will likely have these items.
Bike helmets are mandatory on our rides!
**AS A CONDITION OF ATTENDING THIS MEETUP, YOU AGREE TO: **Hold harmless, and indemnify the organizers and their relations and heirs, and all members and participants of the Meetup group from any and all claims for injury, illness, death, and/or property damage including those caused by negligence, ignorance, inexperience and other reasons. You also agree to assume all mental, physical, financial, and/or other risk associated with this meetup. Kayaking, camping, hiking, bicycling, and other such physical activities pose inherent risks and dangers. Participation in these activities is voluntary and dependent upon your own personal judgment.
Consuming alcohol before or during any of our rides is prohibited.
20 attendees- Check out the Eastern Rail Trail Interactive Map.
Past events
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