Beyond the Minuteman: Landlocked Forest Unlocked

Paint Mine Area:  Good place for biking.  Not so good for flying kites.

A short time ago I lived in a world where an evening ride at the Landlocked Forest in Burlington, MA required me to first drive through rush hour traffic on Route 128.  Well I’m happy to say that the world as I knew it has ceased to exist. 

In its place is a better world.   One where you don’t need a car to go mountain biking; where you can ride for hours while avoiding busy roads with drivers who would rather make you a hood ornament than arrive at their destinations thirty seconds later;  and a world where you DON’T have to listen to Metallica on the way to Yoga class.

Welcome to the world just beyond the Minuteman.

Oops.  Forgot my shoes.
Gotta turn around.

The Landlocked Forest in Burlington is a relatively compact set of fast flowing singletrack trails that run along Route 3 in Burlington.  The trails are well-marked and some recent trail work has improved access through some swampy sections in the middle.  While it's no technical beast, it is a great place to ride if you're looking to stretch your legs and feel the flow.

Although the park is relatively close to my house, getting there has always involved jumping on Route 128, a busy eight lane highway.  This is especially unappealing during rush hour, or "The Parade of Angry Drivers" as we know it in Metro West Boston.

Only recently I discovered a traffic-free way to access Belmont Rock Park, which is just around the corner from my house, by using side streets.  I was amazed to discover that it took me only a couple minutes longer than driving to access the trails there.  If you add in the time it takes to load and unload my bike from my truck, I actually SAVE time.  This was a revelation.  If I could make it to Belmont, where else could I ride to without having to bike or drive on busy streets? 

Naturally, I set my sights on the Landlocked Forest.

The Minuteman Trail, which runs less than a mile by my house, also comes within two miles of the Landlocked Forest.  Obviously, any route between the two would rely heavily on the Minuteman.  I was already using the Minuteman to access smaller conservation areas near Bedford and Concord.  The challenge was how to get from the Minuteman to Landlocked without getting killed on Route 4, a four lane (but narrow) traffic filled byway.  As it turns out, this is easier, and more interesting than I thought.

Hartwell Ave., which intersects the Minuteman just after it crosses over 128, is a somewhat busy but generously wide street that covers most of the distance to the Landlocked Forest.  Its intersection with Route 4 has a light which can be used to cross to the far side.  

Wetlands behind Boston Sports Club.

You'll have to use the sidewalk for about 50 yards until you reach the Boston Sports Club parking lot after you cross Route 4. I find using the sidewalk here preferable to becoming a stain on someone's grill trying to make a left turn on Route 4.  Once you maneuver to the back right corner of the parking lot, a double track trail will make itself apparent.  This trail, overgrown in places, follows the powerline, and will get you to the next road crossing.  

On the far side of this road starts the Paint Mine Conservation Area.  While the name "Paint Mine" doesn't inspire images of serene natural beauty, the trails are a large improvement over the area behind the Boston Sports Club.  Rather than follow the powerline, they go into the trees on the right side, then cross over to the left, only to emerge again just below the climb to the next road crossing.

Trail through the Paint Mine area.

After this short climb, the Landlocked Forest, and fast flowy singletrack sit on the far side of this second road.  

A few words of caution:  If it has rained a lot recently the area behind Boston Sports Club may become downright miserable.  The best time of year to make this trip is late summer and fall, as the ground is likely to be drier, and you're less likely to need a ferry.

Trail in the Paint Mine Area.

Also note that the brush under the powerlines is FULL of ticks.  Even during my late season recon (July) I picked four ticks off my legs after crossing through this area.  


In sum, the link between the Minuteman and Landlocked is mostly wild dirt track with a short section on a busy (but very wide) street. Even with the ticks, and rough trail behind BSC, it beats an anger management session on 128.