FIRST SEGMENTS OPENING SOON!
SHAKER RIDGE TRAILS
FIRST SEGMENTS OPENING SOON!
B y T a y l o r S t a u b a c h
THIS FALL, THE GATES WILL OFFICIALLY OPEN to the public at Shaker Ridge Trails, unveiling 12 to 15 miles of world-class mountain bike terrain in Hancock and Lanesborough. While the trails remain closed to the public this spring and summer, the project is well underway with six miles of construction complete. The community won’ t have to wait until autumn to see the progress— throughout the warmer months, the project will host volunteer work days and invite public input to help shape the site’ s future.
With efforts centered around the primary trailheads on Brodie Mountain Road, the former 570-acre development parcel is now being transformed into a premier recreation destination by a collaborative network of professional trail builders, local advocates, and private donors. This initial fall opening is the first milestone toward a 30-mile Phase I completion by 2028, and the foundation for an ambitious, decade-long vision to create 100 miles of multi-use trails for mountain biking, hiking, trail running, and adaptive recreation.
We caught up with Deanna Smith, co-founder and director of Shaker Ridge Trails, who shared what the community can expect as the trails move closer to their official opening.
After a busy 2025 season, where does Shaker Ridge Trails stand? We’ re heading into spring 2026 with real momentum. We’ ll be hitting the ground running with continued trail construction, building directly on the progress we’ ve made over the past year. We’ re excited to be working again with our core trail contractors: Further Trail Solutions, Upbuild LLC, and the crew at Pinnacle Trail Design, all of whom have already set a high standard for quality, sustainability, and user experience. In 2026, we’ ll be expanding our capacity by bringing on additional professional trail crews to accelerate the pace of the work of building a diverse, connected network.
You’ ve completed six miles of trails so far, with the goal to double that number by the opening in the fall. Can you describe the trails currently in development? Who are they designed for? What’ s really exciting is how intentionally different each of the four trails built so far are. One cornerstone is a bi-directional adaptive mountain bike( aMTB) trail, funded by the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation, designed to be welcoming for all riders, including those with physical disabilities. We’ ve also built a downhill expert line that is much more raw and technical, leaning into the natural terrain for advanced riders. Another piece is OnX, a bi-directional connector trail that ties the whole system together. Designed for a wide range of users, it was funded by a grant from the geospatial mapping platform company of the same name. Finally, there’ s a machine-built blue trail that will ultimately form a full loop around the mountain, serving as the backbone of the early network.
Mountain biker gets an early preview of the downhill terrain.( Keenan Smith)