Boston to Salem, Advanced Level Cyclo-Cross Tour

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Boston, MA, US

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Route Overview

All Day Adventures

Hiking, Cyclo-Cross, MTB, Fat Bike, Road Bike: in Eastern Mass, and New England www.AllDayAdventures.org

40 mi.

1,318 ft.

This ride is the reason why you bought a Cyclo-Cross Bike. Advanced Level Cyclo-Cross Ride: 70% Dirt-Paths, Fire-Roads, or Single-Tracks. 7 Parks, 4+ hour Travel Time. Fully Rigid, or Cycle-Cross with knob tires bike is best.

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Route Details

**Boston to Salem Cycle-Cross Ride:** 2023 UPDATE: Smoothed out some of the rough spots in the "Fells", and made this a much nicer ride. A bit flatter and more scienic. 
This is a specialty bike ride designed for a cycle-cross rider with endurance experience. This ride is over 35 miles with a lot of resistive dirt trails and paths. The average time to complete this ride can be 4-8 hours.  Rated as "Medium", campaired to the Much Harder MTB version of this same ride.

[**www.AllDayAdventures.org**](https://www.alldayadventures.org)

See the First 15 Miles of this route on this Video:       
<https://youtu.be/cHbTyZW5bqk>

Starting at @poi[North Station](1875102) in Boston, the route will take you through 7 parks and many towns in Metro Boston on your way to Salem Mass.  Once there, you may use the @poi[commuter rail](1875118) to return to Boston with your bike.

**Riding Equipment:** You will wreck your road bike! This is a ride for a cycle-cross bike. There will be a mix of rugged fire roads and real single-track suitable for 38 mm tires with knobs. (I use Schwalbe CX Comp) Tire selection is important. Road slicks would be a mistake. You will need 36-40 mm width and a high center line, with side knobs. A fully rigid MTB (with trail-slicks) is a good alternative bike. I have routed too many road miles for a suspension bike.

**About the Ride:** The first 15 miles is mostly flat, dirt bike paths with just a few street crossings.  This first segment will take you past many ponds before a visit to @poi[the Mystic Lakes](1875106).  Once past the lakes, you will enter into the @poi[Middlesex Fells Reservation](1875108).  This ride will take you through all 4 sections of this huge park.  Once crossing under Rt 93, you will ride to @poi[Spot Pond.](1875111)  If you want to take a break and a @photo[lunch](1512129), this is the spot.

The last 2 sections of the park are next. The @poi[Whip Hill](1875113) area has some nasty trails… if you get on the wrong one, you will know it.  After the downhill blast that gets you out of the park, there is a short road ride of ~3 miles to @poi[Breakheart Reservation](1875114).  Big park, most of the trails are too rugged for skinny tire bikes.  Nice beach stop at this park if you have a towel with you.
Now in Saugus, you will head over Rt 1, to gain entrance to the back side of @poi[Lynn Woods](1875115).  This is the nicest park on the North Shore for aesthetics, and athletics.  While most of the trails in this park will bend your frame, I have selected a mix of fire roads and real single-track that will get you through this park. 
Take an extra moment to see the @photo[viewpoint](1512126) at @poi[Walden Pond](1875116).

The side roads in Lynn will get you to the @poi[Spring Pond](1875117) area, and that will lead you to Downtown Salem.  Please check the train schedule as there are “Rush-hour” block outs for bikes during the week.  With over 50 venues in downtown @point[Salem](d,57608.82), plenty of places for a beer and a burger.

# Notes

* Ride April-December
* Should not vary from the route, you will get lost.
* This is like mountain biking, do not wear flip-flops...!
* 4-8 hours of riding, you must be a very experienced rider.
* REAL SINGLETRACK riding on skinny tires.  
* Bring 2 spare tubes (Snake-bites)
* Not a lot of places to stop for fuel. Bring 100oZ bladder and a sandwich.  On Exit from Lynn Woods, on Great Woods Road + Rt 129, is a good roast beef shop.

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Boston to Salem, Advanced Level Cyclo-Cross Tour

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