More and more mountain bike trails are springing up around New England every season. In most cases, these trail systems start with a few miles and grow slowly over the years; Rarely does a full-blown trail system spring up overnight. One place breaking the mold and blowing up the mileage is Green Woodlands in Dorchester, New Hampshire, which has opened up 70 miles of mountain bike trails—35 miles of which are machine built—in just a few years.

Green Woodlands’ mountain bike trails come thanks to the Green Woodlands Foundation, a private (multi-generational family) operating foundation that has 23,000 acres of land in the New Hampshire towns of Lyme, Dorchester, Orford, and Wentworth. The foundation’s focus is wildlife management, environmental research and education, historical preservation, and activities that get people outside, such as cross-country skiing and mountain biking.

The area has one of the easiest trail systems to navigate in the Northeast. In addition to having printed maps and brochures in most parking lots and maps at prominent trail junctions, there’s also a digital map on the Trailforks app and a free, downloadable geo-referenced PDF that is compatible with apps like Avenza. Be sure to arrive prepared—Green Woodlands’s goal was to create a backcountry “wilderness” mountain bike experience, which is what you get (to say cell-phone service is spotty is an understatement). There’s also no end-of-day trail sweep, so ride with a buddy.

The only charge for riding Green Woodlands is a smile, which isn’t hard to produce after a day riding their trails. It’s worth noting that the new nature of the trails and the fact that they’re machine built makes them particularly sensitive—avoid riding them in the rain and when they’re muddy to ensure they remain rideable and open. If the weather is questionable, check their Facebook page for conditions and updates. The mountain bike season at Green Woodlands runs from June 1st to November 5th.

Credit: Tim Peck
Credit: Tim Peck

Smooth and Clean 

What differentiates the Green Woodlands trails from the rake-and-ride trails that dominate other New England destinations is that they are primarily machine built. This means that the trails are smoother with fewer rocks, roots, and natural obstacles in them. It also makes these trails accessible to a wider range of riders—beginners will love the relative lack of obstacles and that the most challenging sections almost always have b-line or are easily rolled. Alternatively, more seasoned riders will find plenty of berms on trails such as Cellar Hole, tables on trails like Moose Tracks, and side hits including those on Brook Trail to play on.

While the trails themselves are very beginner-friendly, most will want to make sure they’re feeling pretty fit when visiting Green Woodlands, as there’s a significant lack of flat and rolling terrain; long climbs are rewarded with long descents and vice versa. However, thanks to an abundance of parking lots on North Dorchester Road, shuttling is a straightforward (and popular) activity, provided you have two cars.

Upper Norris. | Credit: TIm Peck
Upper Norris. | Credit: TIm Peck

The Must-Rides 

All the trails at Green Woodlands are worth exploring, but the Norris Trail should be on every Northeast mountain biker’s must-ride list. Accessed by a long, gradual climb up the Quimby Bike Trail—or a more direct grind up the double track of the Six Mile Trail—the Norris Trail is worth the effort. Delivering three-ish miles of pure downhill bliss, the Norris Trails descends approximately 1,000 feet, making it one of the longest continuous descents you’ll find in New England.

It’s not merely the length of the Norris Trail that makes it a must ride, it’s the quality. The trail begins with a sneaky (and uncharacteristic for Green Woodlands) steep, rocky chute before giving way to smooth, swoopy machine-built berms, boostable tables, and the odd side hit that will quickly have you forgetting about the searing in your lungs and wondering if it’s normal to smile so big.

Brook-trail

Beyond the Favorites 

Ledges was the first mountain bike-specific trail built at Green Woodlands—before biking, the area was known for its extensive network of XC ski trails. Different in character from many of the network’s other trails, Ledges starts with a climb up smooth singletrack which leads to some uncharacteristically techy granite ledges (hence the name) and eventually leading to a swoopy, machine-made descent.

Riders looking for a tamer trail will want to seek out the Brook Trail. Ebbing and flowing between short climbs and gradual descents, the wide, smooth singletrack culminates in a series of grin-inducing berms. Notable for the numerous giant stone cairns guarding the sides of the trail, the Brook Trail is great for beginners looking to gain confidence as well as seasoned riders wanting a fun, fast, trail that requires some pedaling.

Credit: Tim Peck
Credit: Tim Peck

The Fine Print

At the moment, Green Woodlands is only open to residents of New Hampshire and Vermont, but the trails were built to draw visitors to this off-the-beaten-path part of the state. While you wait for Green Woodlands to expand their opening, spend some time riding hills to ensure maximum mileage when you visit and follow their Facebook account for updates.

Have you visited Green Woodlands? If so, let us know if you have any tips for first-time riders in the comments below. And, if you just visited Green Woodlands for the first time, let us know what you think!