Six Rivers has wrapped up another successful season of dirt with great group rides, the opening of five miles of new trail, the resurrection of a signature trail cut off by logging, tons of trail construction and maintenance performed by our members and stewards, and a series of youth clinics that had 60+ kids out riding the trails each week through the fall. As someone who has ridden this area for the last twenty years, I’d say that the quality and quantity of riding in our neck of the woods has never been better. This sort of healthy growth doesn’t just happen magically; it’s what you get when you combine a group of dedicated riders with support from NEMBA, landowners, community organizations, businesses and municipalities.
In October we held the official opening of the Topsham Ponds trail system, five miles of beginner terrain that weaves through pine barren on the east side of town. This collaboration with the town of Topsham and a small army of local volunteers has resulted in a quality mountain biking experience that is accessible to all skill levels, with options for adding some advanced features as the trails wear in. Three of our board members took the lead on designing and building a skills area between two trail sections that has proved popular, especially with kids.
Earlier this fall The Kennebec Esturary Land Trust (KELT), one of our key partners in Bath, completed a successful campaign to purchase a 100+ acre parcel of land in South Bath which permanently protects one of Bath’s most popular trails, Evahroney. We are so grateful to KELT for their vision and all the hard work that made the conservation of this beautiful area happen! There is talk about potentially developing more trails in this area, and Six Rivers is poised to help out with design and hard labor. We will keep you posted as things progress.
On the other side of town, board member Bill Milam cleared 6 fallen trees on the signature tech-trail Hokey Pokey. Hokey Pokey is part of a trail system in West Bath, once 7 miles long, that was devastated by a private logging project. The land was so transformed that it was unrecognizable, and we weren’t sure if any trails had survived. After getting over the initial shock, a few riders began to scout the area on foot and Hokey Pokey, 1.5 miles of wonderfully brutal riding, remained intact! If you’re looking for a place to test your balance and climbing skills and build mental fortitude, Hokey Pokey is the place for you.
And while I’m dropping trail names, you should check out our website’s newly updated trails section. We have linked all of the trails in the Six Rivers area to descriptions and stats on the trailforks website and app. You can see them all at sixriversnemba.org/trails. This is a useful tool for planning your ride if you’re not familiar with the area. Coming soon, look for a menu of some of the combinations we locals and oldtimers tend to ride over and over.
As of this writing the snow has begun to fall and our snowdog is already seeing some use. We plan to focus our fatbike grooming efforts on the Topsham Ponds Trails and Neptune Woods. If conditions allow, we also plan to give the ‘dog a try on some of Bath’s trails. We will be running a couple of regular rides through the winter. Saturdays from 10:00AM to Noon we are partnering with The Merrymeeting Wheelers Club to offer a Fat Bikes and Beer ride, with a post-ride stop at Flight Deck Brewing on the Brunswick Landing. Sundays we are hosting fat bike rides in various locations from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. Check our events page at sixriversnemba.org for up to date information and details.
If you haven’t ridden up this way before, we hope you will! If you have, we look forward to having you up here again. Either way, see you out on the trails!
Greg Korbet cruising G2 on the Tour de South Bath. Photo: Lawrence Kovacs
Kris Haralson coaching kids on one of the 6R-built Topsham Ponds skills elements. Photo: Ernie Phillips
Topsham Ponds “Rake and Ride” session. Photo: Kris Haralson
South Bath singletrack. Photo: Alex Long