Biking in Gordon Woods: a family-friendly ride right off 128

Looking for easy off-road biking for all riding abilities that’s equally easy to access? Look no further than Gordon Woods in Wenham. Gordon Woods is owned by Gordon College, which does a nice job maintaining biking and hiking trails that weave through forest, past wetlands and pristine ponds. There are options for extending your ride here, but we kept our loop to 2.4 miles so kids can enjoy the ride, too.

Fun aspects of the ride are the many places to stop along the way to enjoy wildlife, waterfowl and even a small beach.

To start our ride, we’re recommending parking to the rear of the Gordon College main campus where you’ll find a dozen parking slots just at the trail entrance. To access the trailhead, look for exit 48, Grapevine Road, Wenham on 128 and head north on Grapevine Road. A few hundred yards from the exit, take your first right off of Grapevine Road on to Princemere Drive which looks a lot like a parking lot. Continue to the back of the lot and down the drive until you see the Gordon Woods trail signs. You will find parking there.

PRO TIP: To extend your ride, access this trail map of the entire area, including Manchester Watershed and Chebacco Woods. Most of the extended network requires a mountain bike as the trails are rougher.