Maps
Cherry Hill Golf Course
Our home base and Amherst’s municipal golf course and nordic ski area. Grooming of 3-5km for skate and classic as snow cover permits. Park at the Cherry Hill Clubhouse on Rt. 63. Good sledding hills and access to ungroomed single track skiing in the woods along the northbound Robert Frost Trail. Donations to Amherst Leisure Services support grooming operations.
Around Amherst (Ungroomed)
Cadwell Memorial Forest: A research forest largely owned and maintained by UMass and located in Pelham. Elevations around and above 1000 feet mean there is often skiable snow here when the ground in Amherst is bare. From the parking area on Packardville Rd the first mile or so is flat and heavily used by walkers. Beyond that the terrain becomes hilly to rolling, but never terribly steep. Most of the trails are jeep roads and are sometimes used by snowmobiles. Good sections of single track exist near the summit of Mt. Lincoln, where a fire tower provides views for those without acrophobia. The M&M trail also crosses the forest and is skiable in sections.
Brushy Mt. / Paul C. Jones Working Forest: A large expanse of land in Leverett and Shutesbury. Higher elevations mean there is often snow here when there is none in Amherst. A mix of single track and jeep trails over rolling terrain make for good and sometimes excellent skiing. The jeep trails are often snowmobiled and sometimes groomed by the Porcupine Ridge Snowmobile Club. This is a large area in which it is possible to become quite disoriented and lost, but the skiing can be excellent. Access points include Number 6 Rd. and a parking area along Montague Rd. near Carver Rd. in Shutesbury.
Amherst College Wildlife Sanctuary: A woods skiing experience in the heart of Amherst. The trails south of College St / Rt. 9 total a couple of kms, but make for delightful skiing, especially during or after a storm before the walkers have gotten to them. Access the trails from College St. or the parking lot near the college heating plant. Gentle and easy skiing with just enough terrain to keep it interesting.
Amethyst Brook and beyond: One of Amherst’s nicest conservation areas with flat skiable terrain along Amethyst brook. The amount of terrain is somewhat limited and is heavily used by walker and dogs, so go during or right after storms for the nicest experience. When the snow is deep, make the steep, challenging climb up the Robert Frost trail halfway to the Mt. Orient summit to access higher altitude and less-traveled terrain that can take you all the way to Pratt Corner Rd in Shutesbury. When you climb beyond the town conservation land at low elevation this becomes a remote, wilderness, experience. You might see porcupines, bears, and moose.
Pocumtuck Ridge: The Pocumtuck Ridge Trail in Deerfield is too steep to be skiable along its southern extent on South and North Sugarloaf. Between Ridge Rd. and Pine Nook Rd., however, is a long, gentle section that is very skiable and sometimes has good cover when the lowlands are bare. Limited parking is available at the end of Ridge Rd. A landmark of this section is the top of the lifts and trails of the Eaglebrook school. The Eaglebrook trails are private property and are not to be skied without permission.
Norwottuck Rail Trail: Straight and flat. The asphalt base and heavy foot traffic means that the snow surface can quickly become packed and icy. Many access points throughout Amherst and Hadley.
Holyoke Range: The Holyoke Range (Holyoke Range and Skinner State Parks) is home to an abundance of trails. Much of the terrain is too steep for xc skiing, but there are some gentler and skiable sections, among which are Earle’s Trails on the north side of the range west of Rt. 116 and the old trolley bed heading north from the Notch Visitor’s Center.
Amherst Golf Club: Nine-hole golf course, with one major hill that also makes for excellent sliding (on a very long runout). Plowed parking, but no other winter facilities. Access for more adventurous skiers to Larch Hill Conservation Area, Bramble Hill Farm, and even Amherst College Wildlife Sanctuary (across from Route 116). Snow often lingers for very long on the treeline on the southern edge of the course. Please use care to stay off the greens (mainly marked with rope).
Shutesbury Forest / New Boston Rd: Pretty flat and wide, somewhat remote, higher elevation sometimes means snow when there is none on the ground in Amherst. Head north from the intersection of Cooleyville Rd and New Boston Rd, and note where the last house on the right is located. Just north of this house is the gate and there is some small amount of parking on the side of the road near the gate. On the north end there is also a bit of parking too. That gate is just before (i.e. just south of) the intersection of New Boston Rd with Rockwell Hill Rd.
Around Amherst (XC Ski Centers)
Northfield Mountain: The closest full-service xc ski center to Amherst, located just south of the village of Northfield along Rt. 63 about a 30 minute drive from Amherst Center. 40km of trails groomed for classic and skate with a lodge and rentals. With the base at low elevation, the snow is not terribly reliable, but when open the skiing can be excellent with a good dose of beginner terrain along with long hard climbs and exciting descents.
Notchview Reservation: A Trustees of Reservations property located in Windsor, one hour west of Amherst Center along Rt. 9. Elevations above 2,000 ft mean that it very often snows at Notchview when it rains in Amherst. If it is January or February and your lawn is bare you can probably still ski at Notchview. Lodge with rentals and snacks and grooming for classic and skate with some wonderful single track classic-only trails in the woods (about 30km total). Notchview is the home of the Berkshire Trails Nordic Ski Club and occasionally hosts races and other events. It is also the home of the area’s Bill Koch Youth Ski League.
Stump Sprouts: An old-fashioned, classic-only, ski center in Hawley, about an hour from Amherst Center with 25km of trails. Lloyd and Suzanne have somewhat curtailed their support of day visitor skiing in recent years, but if they are open and you are a classic skier and delight in being in the woods it is a wonderful place to ski. High elevation means reliable snow, and there are rentals, soup, snacks and conversation available in the warm lodge.