Borderland State Park Review

I had an opportunity to ride Borderland in North Easton, MA, on Thanksgiving.  It was my third or fourth trip to Borderland, but the first in a couple of years.  I got to the park at about 2:15 in the afternoon knowing that the park closed at 4:30 and not being out in time results in a $25 fine. It'd have to be a quick ride.  I went to the kiosk to grab a map, but there weren't any left.  That was a little worrisome given my time constraints, but I figured worst case, I'd retrace my tracks back out.

I headed in from the visitor's center on the West Side Trail.  At my first intersection I was reminded that the lack of trail maps wouldn't have any negative impact.  All the intersections have a trail map in plexiglass with a "you are here" arrow.  Things were looking up.  The trails were not blown, but they were clear of any blowdowns.  Some recent rain had made for a few wet spots, but the trail was firm under the water.  Just slowed down to keep from throwing up too much water and all was fine.

Slipping the French Trail some tongue!

By the end of my ride, I'd hit just about everything on the map.  There are a few really cool trails that are worth commenting on.  There is one trail called the Ridge Trail that follows over a series of ledge outcroppings.  It was a blast, probably more so since the rocks were dry and super grippy.  I can see them being treacherous when under moister conditions.

Descent down a section of the Ridge Trail

There was another cool area, although I don't recall which trail it was on, in which there were a couple of back to back very long sections over some wetlands which had 12" plank bridges over them. They were both pretty long and a good challenge as they zigged and zagged around the trees.

Skinny boards

Also worth commenting on was a trail called NEMBA trail.  As you can imagine it was designed to be ridden and was a boatload of fun to ride.  I wished I had remembered it a little better as not knowing some of the turns led me to dab more than I would have liked.

All in all, a great ride after stuffing myself full of turkey earlier.  I made it out for about 4:00 and even had time to get five holes in on the disc golf course (need to go back and play that whole course).

The skinny:

• Great trails with some really cool features
• Very well marked with maps at all the turns
• Get out before 4:30 this time of year or be prepared to pay a $25 fine
• $2.00 park entry fee year round - cash or credit cards accepted at kiosk
• Didn't see a soul in orange - maybe no hunting?
• After riding what appears almost everything according to the map, only 7.7 miles put on.
• Maybe could have gotten 10 miles of marked trail - maybe more unmarked?
• Borderland generally sees less snow than central Massachusetts

All in all, I'd recommend getting down and checking the trails out.  Give yourself some time and explore it all.  It's worth the trip.