West Bridgewater State Forest/West Meadows Pond (West Bridgewater, MA)

So this spot has been my local haunt for the past couple of years. Typically, the area is quite muddy and quite swampy. However, the recent drought has made the trails rather dry and very enjoyable on the mountain bike. So today I took my trusty steed on a jaunt through the area. West Bridgewater State Forest and West Meadows Pond abut each other and form a relatively large trail network. While many of the trails are overgrown and quite thorny, most riders can probably find something interesting in the very flat forest. Did I mention it's part of the Bridgewater Triangle? BYOHW: bring your own holy water.

I usually include the West Bridgewater Rail Trail (only a mile, don't get excited) on my way towards the forest. Here are a couple photos of the nicely graded surface there:

Now here's a photo of the entrance to West Bridgewater State Forest off Stoney Road in West Bridgewater. The following photos were taken along the path entrance:

The last picture is of a stone damn/bridge. It looks as though it's typically underwater during a normal rain season. This year is obviously quite the exception.

The next couple of photos are from West Meadows Pond which is best accessed from Spring Street in West Bridgewater. Don't let the fluffy grass in the middle of the trail fool you--there's lots of gnar underneath. It's very rideable, especially now that the ground is so dry. I imagine that when it's wet it's probably impossible to get through.

The really technical aspects of these trails are the large craters with thick roots at the edges. These seemed to be formed by ATV use and erosion.

 

Really likin' these shots from the hub this summer if you couldn't tell. Below is what the pond looks like from the Spring Street parking area in West Bridgewater. Usually there's a lot more water!