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Norwottuck Rail Trail
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
9 reviews for Norwottuck Rail Trail
9 reviews in English
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Review from Keith S.
Waltham, MA
7/26/2010
Overall, this was a great trail not a single flat tire was had by myself or my wife, though at the end of the ride there was a shard of glass in my wifes tire.
The view as you cross the old bridge over Connecticut river is pretty darn nice. I would definitely ride this trail again. The only problem... It's over 2 hours away. -
Review from Jennifer B.
Durham, NC
6/26/2011
A beautiful trail. I was a frequent runner on this trail last summer and loved. The only problem is that there is only one water fountain for a long way. Even when I brought my own water I would run out and almost die of thirst. If a few more water stations go up this trail will def be five star worthy. It is beautiful and mostly shaded perfect paved trail!
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Review from gaius g.
Sacramento, CA
8/13/2011
The trail is beautiful, but the part from Amherst to Northampton is filled with glass and getting flat tires gets old.
I don't know what genius decided to use glass for this purpose, but it is one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard. -
Review from Scott M.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2008
This rail trail has so much potential. It could link Northampton to Amherst, and go all the way out to Belchertown, even. And, technically, it does. But be careful on the section just east of the Route 9 crossing, where broken glass is mixed in with the asphalt. No, I'm not kidding. The pavement mixture used to build the bike trail contains thousands and thousands of pieces of glass, many of which punctured my tires this morning. God forbid I ever take a spill on this stretch of the trail -- my arms and legs would be beyond bloody. Note to the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation: Do Not Construct Bikeways Out of Glass! Glass and Bikes Don't Mix!
It's really a tragic situation, that the middle of this gorgeous and potentially useful bikeway is completely unusable. After you ride it, I recommend walking your deflated tires toward the Trailside bike shop, at the intersection with Middle Street. They're well-stocked with patch kits, new tubes and pumps. When I asked the shop owner what was up with the glass-ridden pavement, he just rolled his eyes and suggested complaining to DCR.
UPDATE: I contacted DCR and would like to excerpt from the reply I received here: "When the trail was paved, it was decided that glass shards were to be included in the paving mix as an attempt to make a more environmentally viable alternative to conventional paving. The problem was that the contractor did not follow the prescribed method of heating the glass shards to 1800 degrees, which would have melted all the sharp edges, thus rendering the glass an acceptable material for this use. As a result, the Greenway crew has had to use a push blower weekly to remove the loose glass from the trail surface. As you can imagine these glass shards have caused hundreds if not thousands of flat tires over the history of this trail."
Long story short: It was a mistake, and they're taking care of it. Sections of the trail have already been re-paved, and the rest should be done soon. -
Review from Phillip Y.
Des Moines, IA
3/21/2011
Probably the most scenic trail throughout Mass. I just loved all the bridge crossings and seeing the river nearby. It reminded me of a similar one in Nashua, NH. This place has convenient parking at several locations. We parked right in Amherst and did part of the trail. Pretty flat terrain so no trouble biking through here.
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Review from Madeleine H.
Northampton, MA
7/28/2010
Thank goodness for the Norwottuck! It lets me abandon my gas-guzzler and instead take my bike for a joyride to Hadley, Amherst or points beyond. It's not a particularly difficult trail, which makes it great for me, and the view is amazing, especially over the bridge. I've never had an issue with glass shards in my tires, though I find the trail can be blinding when the sunlight hits it the wrong way.
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Review from Maria V.
9/28/2007
My rating of this trail might be hugely biased because it was the very first one I'd ever tried, but I have so much love for the Norwottuck. It's showing its age but it rivals the Nashua River rail trail in terms of beauty. This trail is rarely interrupted by roads (you don't have to cross route 9! the trail goes under it! imagine that!) and goes by a lot of beautiful farmland. There are plenty of rest stops and pit stop areas along the way, and if you start from Amherst (there's an extension on the UMass Amherst campus that links up to it) and bike towards Northampton, you're rewarded by a beautiful ride over the glorious Connecticut river. This rail trail is loved by locals for good reason, do yourself a favor and ride it at least once!
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Review from k b.
Northampton, MA
10/21/2010
thanks to the powers that be for extending the bike trail in all directions!i really love it and can go from eathampton to belchertown and not ride on the road!beautiful in autumn under a canopy of foliage.very enjoyable
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Review from Joshua M.
Seattle, WA
7/5/2008
I love this bikeway... I mean, I WANT to love this bikeway. It goes exactly where I want to go in Hadley in Amherst, saving me from getting moved down on route 9 and instead routed past truly gorgeous farmland. But THE GLASS. I've gotten at least 10-15 flats on this thing and had to run Mr. Tuffy tire liners when I commuted on it every day. I've been informed by Mass Bike that the money for full repaving is there but the permit process is slow. Estimated time on full repaving is 1-2 years. :-/
