Northfield Mountain, Northfield/Erving, MA
Northfield Mount Hermon Race Course (Private)
Mount Hermon Lower Fields (Private)
Northfield Golf Course
Pierson Road Fields
Barger’s Field, River Road, Gill, MA
Bennett Meadow, Northfield/Gill, MA
Great Meadow, Northfield, MA
Upper Moose Plain, Northfield, MA
Pauchaug Meadow, Northfield, MA
Crumpin-Fox Golf Course, Bernardston, MA
River Road, Northfield/Erving, MA
Northfield Ridge, MA
Stratton Mountain, Northfield, MA
Snowmobile Trails, Northfield/Erving/Winchester
Roman T Hill, Northfield, MA
Antenna Field, Mountain Road, Erving, MA
Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
Montague Plain, Montague, MA
Power Lines
Cabot Woods, Turners Falls, MA
Barton Cove Peninsula, Gill, MA
Highland Park, Greenfield, MA
Old Country, Deerfield, MA
Maynard Miller Town Forest, Vernon, VT
Governor Dummer State Park, Brattleboro, VT
Brattleboro Outing Club Course, Brattleboro, VT
Wantastiquet Mountain, Hinsdale, NH
Pisgah Forest (Kilburn Loop), Winchester and Hinsdale, NH
Cheshire County Rail Trails, NH
Sargent Camp, Peterborough, NH
Conway Station Road, Conway, MA
High Ledges, Shelburne, MA
Stump Sprouts, West Hawley, MA
Barre Falls, Barre, MA
Grafton Ponds, Grafton, VT
Mount Greylock Toll Road, MA
Catamount Trail, Southwestern Vermont
Prospect Mountain, Woodford, VT
Notchview Reservation, Windsor, MA.

Not yet skied:

Hermit’s Cave
French King Trails
Catamount Hill
Monadnock State Park


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Northfield Mountain, Northfield/Erving, MA
High elevation (1100 feet) holds the snow long after the valley has lost its cover. 26 miles of wide, well-groomed trails offer variety, but basically you are skiing one face of a hill: either up or down. There’s more than one way to access the trail network.

Northfield Mount Hermon Race Course, Gill, MA
The training ground of olympic and national team aspirants and athletes, this challenging 2.6-mile course takes the racer up long grades, down unforgiving chutes, and around hairpin turns. Mostly woods with some fields, the course is meticulously groomed. Do not go near the trail during the racing season and then only with the coach’s permission.

Mount Hermon Lower Fields
The fields between the Connecticut River and Gill’s Main Road are an easy and enjoyable ski, if you don’t mind the sewage lagoons.

Northfield Golf Course
Between Highland Avenue and Birnam Road, Northfield’s nine-hole course has a rolling terrain of dips and rises. It’s close to home for me.

Pierson Road Fields, Northfield, MA
Northfield Mount Hermon’s athletic fields and adjoining woods make for a pleasant tour. Between Route 10 and Winchester Road

Barger’s Field, River Road, Gill, MA
This large field faces the Northfield Mountain Tailrace. You may have a problem getting in; access roads are not plowed for at least a mile. Of course, you could ski in.

Bennett Meadow, Northfield, MA
Located just south of Route 10 on the west side of the Connecticut River bridge, you’ve got a couple of miles of flat skiing if you stick to the edges.

Great Meadow, Northfield, MA
There’s a snowmobile trail which runs nine miles from the meadow south to Route 2 in Erving.

Upper Moose Plain, Northfield, MA
A large field in West Northfield, between the B&M Railroad and Caldwell Road.

Pauchaug Meadow, Northfield, MA
Off Route 63, just north of its intersection with Route 10, Pauchaug stretches into New Hampshire.

Crumpin-Fox Golf Course, Bernardston, MA
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, this has to be one of the most scenic courses around. Skiing is not exactly encouraged; snowmobiles are hunted down. One Langlaufer - no names, please - skis the eighteen holes weekly.

River Road, Northfield/Erving, MA
A fairly flat, 1.6-mile, unplowed extension of Northfield’s Pine Meadow Road, River Road runs south from the Northfield Mountain tailrace to the old iron bridge just beyond the French King Bridge. This section is accessible from either Ferry Road in the north or Dorsey Road in the south, where parking space is plowed. For an interesting side trip, follow a trail 0.6 miles from the north end, through a metal gate, up to the plains and on to the French King Motel.

Northfield Ridge, MA
One of the few hilly areas on my list, the Ridge offers two choices. First is Sam Richardson’s network of marked x-c trails. Second option is Strowbridge Road, the wide, old coach road used by snowmobiles. The latter will take you across the border to Bent’s Pond in Winchester by way of Hogback Mountain. Recent logging has disturbed the Round-the-Mountain Trail which circled Notch Mountain. Reach all trails from Birnam Road or from School Street near Kiwanis Park.

Stratton Mountain, Northfield, MA
Two old turnpikes, now woods roads, run east from Northfield to Warwick. The more northerly trail is an extension of Northfield’s Warwick Street. The second extends from Alexander Hill Road to White Road, Warwick, crossing Stratton Mountain and the power line.

Snowmobile Trails, Northfield/Erving/Winchester
Trails run from Great Meadow south to Route 2. A network runs through Hinsdale and Winchester, New Hampshire. Ask around for directions and maps.

Antenna Field, Mountain Road, Erving, MA
This field is higher than the summit of Northfield Mountain and holds the snow long after the valley melts down. Unused by snow machines, you can pack at least a kilometer around the periphery. Mountain Road is accessible from Rte 2, Erving, or from Old Wendell Road and South Mountain Road, Northfield.

Roman T Hill, Northfield, MA
Trails run off Old Wendell Road and on to Beers Mountain. Mostly wooded; some vistas.

Metacomet – Monadnock Trail
Most of the M-M trail is skiable between White Road (Warwick) and Gulf Road (Northfield), as is the stretch from South Mountain Road (Northfield) to Hermit Mountain (Erving). The trail between Troy (NH) and Rhododendron State Park looked good in the summer. The section between North Leverett and Mormon Hollow follows old logging roads on moderate terrain.

Montague Plains, Montague, MA
This lies on the 340-360 foot contour south of the Turners Falls airport and Millers Falls Road. Wills Hill provides some relief to otherwise flat terrain. Follow many trails and power lines. Lots of access.

Montague Plains
View the trails on this map of the Montague Plains. Warning: large file (1.2 MB)!

Cabot Woods, Turners Falls, MA
This wooded area lies between The Patch and the Fish Lab, between the power canal and the Connecticut River. Unexciting but accessible.

Power Lines
These are wide and cleared but often precipitously steep in spots. For easy going, head for the lines criss-crossing the Montague Plains. Further north, I’ve skied from Bent’s Pond, just inside the New Hampshire border, to Notch Mountain and from Stratton Mountain down the Upper Bald Hills to Brush Mountain. The transmission line across Poplar Mountain from the Connecticut River to the Millers River is mostly do-able. Find power lines on a topo and choose reasonable contour intervals.

Barton Cove Peninsula, Gill, MA
This one-mile “finger” of land runs from Route 2 to the Connecticut River Narrows. You’ll have this all to yourself.

Highland Park, Greenfield, MA
Several miles of wide carriage roads and trails run through the woods around Sachem’s Head and Bear’s Den. A second network runs north-south on the east side of the ridge between Poet’s Seat Tower and the river. Follow Highland Avenue to the Pond.

Old Country, Deerfield, MA
Miles of unplowed roads and trails run west of Upper Road in West Deerfield, extending as far north as the power line across Arthur’s Seat.

Maynard Miller Town Forest, Vernon, VT
Its 1200' elevation holds snow late into the season: I skied here on Easter Sunday, April 15, 2001. Share wide logging roads with snowmobiles. Take Huckle Hill Road to Basin Road and continue 0.7 miles to a wide turnaround and parking. Go through the gate and up the long hill.

Fort Dummer State Park, Brattleboro, VT
I-91, Exit 1, Take a right to the high school and keep going on Old Guilford Road.

Brattleboro Outing Club Course, Brattleboro, VT
This venerable club grooms its trails on the golf course at the north end of Brattleboro.

Wantastiquet Mountain, Hinsdale, NH
Affords a great view of Brattleboro and to the west. Park at Walmart and follow the road to the top.

Pisgah Forest, Winchester/Hinsdale, NH
A 13,000-acre undeveloped area, Pisgah offers miles of skiing. At least four plowed parking areas provide access. Kilburn Loop (off Rte 63) is off limits to machines.

Cheshire County Rail Trails, NH
Located in southwestern New Hampshire, the trails use abandoned railroad rights-of-way. Two trails run from Route 63, 2.5 miles from the Massachusetts border. Ashuelot Trail parallels Route 63 for a while, runs around downtown Hinsdale, and follows the scenic Ashuelot River through Ashuelot, Winchester, and Swanzey, ending in Keene. Fort Hill Trail hugs the Connecticut River as far as the Brattleboro railroad bridge near Walmart. The routes are flat (no surprise) and access is ample.

Sargent Camp, Peterboro, NH
Boston University operates this camp as an outdoors center. Terrain is rolling and unexciting. Look for the giant radio telescope dish!

Conway Station Road, Conway, MA
Follows an abandoned trolley grade from Bardwells Ferry Road in Conway down to the Deerfield River.

High Ledges, Shelburne, MA
An Audubon sanctuary, with a few miles of trails and a climb to the tower. Off Patten Road.

Stump Sprouts, West Hawley, MA
Stump Sprouts offers lodging and 25 km of trails on 450 wooded acres.

Barre Falls, Barre, MA
This Corps of Engineers project has miles of trails with nice grades. Ramble through abandoned farmlands and explore an old prison. John Frado’s book has more details.

Grafton Ponds, Grafton, VT
Not too far away, Grafton Ponds makes snow for at least one mile of trails. Its manager groomed for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Utah. 802-843-2400

Mount Greylock Toll Road, MA
A long slog up a moderate grade is rewarded with a magnificent view of three states from the highest point in Massachusetts. I skied this on a Kodachrome day one March. Click "Trail Map for Winter Use."

Catamount Trail, Southwestern Vermont
Follows the grade of the former Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad, so it is fairly flat and straight. If you have the time, follow the trail for 300 miles to the Canadian border.

Prospect Mountain, Woodford, VT
Adjoining the Green Mountain National Forest, Prospect Mountain has miles of great terrain and high elevation which holds snow. College teams train and race here. It’s about 40 minutes from Brattleboro.

Notchview Reservation, Windsor, MA
At an elevation of 2000 feet, Notchview gets more snow earlier and keeps it longer than most places in the state. Most of the terrain is forested and rolling; but there are some black diamond trails. The non-profit Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains the area and grooms 14 km of trails. There is a trail use fee. Check out the topo map. 413-684-0148