MtbREVIEW.com supports IMBA and responsible riding. Please submit only legal
trails to our list. If you discover a trail posted on this site that is not
open for public mountain biking, please email our IMBA friends at
info@imba.com with detailed info.
They'll help us remove the unauthorized trail from the site.
Click here for info about keeping our trails open.
If this is the correct location, click "Save Point" below or type the nearest location (country, city, Zip, or land mark) and the map will pan over to the location if the location is found.
Save Point
Go to Nearest Location:
Lat:
Lng:
Ball Mountain Loop
2 reviews
4 of 5
There aren’t many decent places to ride in southern VT (that I have found at least). This place is a fun ride, roughly an 8 mile loop with a good amount of steady climbing once you get on the trail.
After you park, head north along the river on the rail bed. The rail bed has lots of foot traffic and is roughly 2 miles long. At the end you’ll get to a small bridge that kind of signals the start. Cross the bridge and head up through a short steep section that is slightly technical. At the end of this section you’ll find yourself at the foot of the dam. Head up the switchbacks to the top. Cross the dam and follow through onto the paved road. You will travel on the road for roughly ½ mile. Begin to look for a trail head on your left. There is a locked gate with barbed wire on each side. You’ll have to crawl under or over the gate to get in. Continue up the fire-road for 100 yards and you’ll need to make a sharp switchback to your right. From there on out it is pretty easy to follow the trail. Look out for downed trees and the occasional bear. There are some sketchy downhill sections in the last half of the ride, so keep you eyes peeled. The ride ends off the left of someone’s backyard (say hi if they are outside). Follow the trail to the driveway and proceed all the way to the end when you’ll find yourself ending at the park entrance. Now go for another loop.
On route 30 you’ll find a yellow and green (appropriately so) sign that reads Jamaica State Park. Drive into the park over the 1 lane bridge and stop at the ranger station. There is a $2.50 per person fee to park. There are ways to get around that, but it’s worth the donation to the state in my opinion. Follow through and park in the lot they direct you to.
Summary: First of all, let me say how thrilled I was to find a write up about this trail. That “someone’s backyard” is my uncle Ken Query’s house. The mountainous part of this trail (state park / rail bed / dam / road excluded) is about 50% on his property. He designed the trail for all to ride. I ride it every time I make a summer visit to the property and have found it to be some of the finest single track in Southern Vermont. I’ve coined it the “Query Iron Man Loop” and posted it on www.dirtworld.com. The description of the trail above, which includes the rail bed trail along the West River and Ball Mountain Dam, is quite clear. However, the upper portion of the trail can be accessed for a shorter loop if desired and you can avoid the Jamaica State Park fee. (see "Recommended Route")
Recommended Route: On the way to Jamaica State Park, there is an elementary school on the left. If you start by biking up the dirt road to the left of the school, ride all the way up to the end of the road. The end will be on someone’s property with an abandoned house and there are “no trespassing” signs, but it’s rare that you will run into the property manager. In the rare event that you do, just claim you wanted to see where the road would take you. Climb over the gate on the right and soon you’ll come to a huge clearing that was supposed to be an airstrip at one point in time. Bike all the way to the other far end of the airfield and the trail will continue into the woods on the left. It will meet up with the sharp right as described above, but with this alternate approach, you will bare left instead to continue on the first woodsy climb. Here, the fun technical stuff starts and you can catch quite a groove as the trail snakes through the woods with mostly short climbs for the first half and rewarding downhills the second half, complete with a few bridges and a few switchbacks (one of which I still have yet to not biff on)
Summary: The description above is spot on. The trail AKA "Farmer John" and "The Farmer John's Cousin" all leave from the Ball Mountain Dam area. Ususally most riders will park and pay the day use fee at Jamaica State Park and ride in up the railbed, up the dam, and into the forest. You can get into the trails from the dam entrance too.
Would you like to Comment? Join MTBR.com for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
4 of 5
4 of 5
4 of 5
3 of 5
View Comments (3)
