Mt Wachusetts cycling

guru · #1 08-05-2020, 01:00 PM

Does anyone know if the road from the ranger station to the top of the mountain is open to cyclist ?

benb · #2 08-05-2020, 01:05 PM

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/ma...ovid-19-update

I haven't been there this year but maybe you can tell from that page.

Every state park in MA that I've cycled into this year has been:

- Gates are open unless it's just a gate that only stops motor vehicles
- No payment for parking
- Employees are likely to not be there
- Bathrooms and facilities are closed

It's basically winter/closed conditions.

Hopefully someone can give you a very specific answer but my guess is you can ride up totally fine. I don't recall but I don't think there are any gates at Wachusett you can't just ride around on your bike. Most of these parks they never care if you're hiking or biking in there, they're only closing it to cars if the gates are closed.

I've rode up summit roads when the gates were closed more times than I could count, maybe the majority of times I've gone, just not at Wachusett. The parks not closed it usually just means they're not in the season where they'll make enough money on fees to cover the employee who is there collecting the fees.

Wachusett is a really hot and sunny climb right now...

Mark McM · #3 08-05-2020, 01:31 PM

I rode to the summit in June, the road was very much open then, and I'd be surprised if it is closed now. If the gates are closed, it pretty much means that the mountain is closed to cars, not to hikers and cyclists (in other years, I've ridden up when the gate was closed, and there were still plenty of hikers on the road and at the summit).

In general, Massachusetts state parks are open now, but sometimes they close parking lots to limit the number of people.

cp43 · #4 08-05-2020, 02:05 PM

I believe is is open currently, like Mark, I rode to the summit in June.

Cars need to pay a fee to use the summit road, bicycles don't need to pay that fee. So, if there's a line of cars paying at the pay station, you can just ride around.

Chris

jcs7282 · #5 08-05-2020, 02:52 PM

I can confirm it was open in June and know a couple cycling friends that pedaled up just last Saturday. You should be fine.

The observatory platform was closed when I went in June (presumably due to COVID) but there are plenty of other "steps" along the perimeter of the summit where you can get a fantastic view and photo opp.

benb · #6 08-05-2020, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cp43

Cars need to pay a fee to use the summit road, bicycles don't need to pay that fee. So, if there's a line of cars paying at the pay station, you can just ride around.

Is the pay station actually open this year? That seems really weird, most MA state parks and some of the Federal Refuges I go to have stopped their payment processes this year because it's considered more dangerous than the money is worth.

buddybikes · #7 08-05-2020, 04:31 PM

We had an annual ride right after they closed gates in Nov so mountain was all to ourselves (and few hikers).

cabriggs · #8 08-05-2020, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benb

Is the pay station actually open this year? That seems really weird, most MA state parks and some of the Federal Refuges I go to have stopped their payment processes this year because it's considered more dangerous than the money is worth.

I went with cp43 in June and it was open then, but we rode around it. =)

Tz779 · #9 08-06-2020, 02:23 PM

oh, i still remember a USCF TT up Mt Wachusett. There were three or four people standing on each corner/switchback near the summit saying “the finish is just ahead!” of course, it was not! i was in grad school and had just taken my orals so it was 1985!

C40_guy · #10 08-06-2020, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tz779

oh, i still remember a USCF TT up Mt Wachusett. There were three or four people standing on each corner/switchback near the summit saying “the finish is just ahead!” of course, it was not! i was in grad school and had just taken my orals so it was 1985!

I did the CRW Climb to the Clouds back in 2000 or so, on a hot day. The climb is at about 60 miles or so. Got to the parking lot and said "wow, that was tough."

Then I learned that I was only halfway there...

Bonked hard at 90 miles, with 10 to go. Like someone let all the air out of my tires, jammed my brakes on, and threw out an anchor...

Did I mention it was a hot day? 90+...

benb · #11 08-06-2020, 03:12 PM

I think every time I've been up Mt. Wachusett it was a 100+ mile ride.

It is not a hard mountain, but it is a lot harder when you do a long hot ride to get there.

I want to say I did it in 2007 or 2008 and then I did it again in 2016. 2007 or 2008 was the Climb to the Clouds route, but I did it with a few other people and we got lost which made it even worse. And then CRW ran out of food and water and we wasted even more miles acquiring our own supplies. It was a hot day and ended up really rough by the end. (Mostly after Wachusett)

The 2nd time I did it we did a harder route than climb to the clouds with more climbing.. I remember not being able to go up Mt. Wachusett as hard as I had hoped.

I never bonked but I remember having trouble with electrolytes both times.

cp43 · #12 08-06-2020, 03:31 PM

Speaking of bonking, etc. The few times I've been to Wachusett this year, I don't think the water fountain has been out/on. I haven't tried to go in to the Ranger Station, and I'm not sure if you're allowed in. I haven't been in a while, so it may have changed, but I wouldn't count on being able to fill up on water at the Ranger Station, or in the park at all.

Chris

merlinmurph · #13 08-06-2020, 04:44 PM

I've been up a few times this year, but not the conventional way. With my gravel bike, I went in on Echo Lake Rd to Administration Rd which connects with the main road about 2/3 of the way up. On the way down, take North Rd to W Princeton Rd. There's a couple of dirt roads back there that are great to ride on.

Anyways, I think the only thing that can stop you from going up is snow in the spring.

Tz779 · #14 08-06-2020, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I did the CRW Climb to the Clouds back in 2000 or so, on a hot day. The climb is at about 60 miles or so. Got to the parking lot and said "wow, that was tough."

Then I learned that I was only halfway there......

Lolzz!

cabriggs · #15 08-06-2020, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cp43

Speaking of bonking, etc. The few times I've been to Wachusett this year, I don't think the water fountain has been out/on. I haven't tried to go in to the Ranger Station, and I'm not sure if you're allowed in. I haven't been in a while, so it may have changed, but I wouldn't count on being able to fill up on water at the Ranger Station, or in the park at all.

Chris

That's right, no water fountain, but the vending machine at the ranger station was working when I needed it, and wasn't completely sold out.