Have you ever asked the question: Where are the best motorcycle rides near me in Massachusetts (MA)?
Whether you are simply looking for new motorcycle rides & roads in Massachusetts to try or if you are focused on trying to find only the best motorcycle rides in Massachusetts, learning of all your motorcycle road options can be more difficult than you may realize. Even those riders with many years of experience driving motorcycles in the The Bay State can find a great motorcycle ride that they had driven near or past a million times with out ever thinking to try it. Or, these same riders may just happen to talk to another motorcycle rider and learn about some nearby great motorcycle roads in an area that they’ve never thought to check out. So, MotorcycleRoads.com (McR) has put together this short little guide aimed at helping you better answer the question - “What are my best options for motorcycle rides near me in Massachusetts?”
*Rankings for Massachusetts motorcycle rides were accurate at the time this guide was published/updated in Feb of 2020 (for more information, see Note 1 at the bottom of this article). Additionally, McR uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate motorcycle ride popularity (for more information, see see Note 2 also at at the bottom of this article).
Closest US Motorcycle Riding Hotspot to MassachusettsFirst, if you are a Massachusetts motorcycle rider that is willing to travel a bit to wherever the best motorcycle rides are, then I need to tell you about some motorcycle riding HOTSPOTS across the United States. After 20+ years of collecting data on 1,000s of great US motorcycle roads & rides, motorcycle rider reviews and ratings of those motorcycle roads, along with thousands of photos and videos, it has become clear that some regions of the USA are simply motorcycle riding Hotspots. And, the particular motorcycle riding hotspot that is the nearest to the state of Massachusetts is located to not too far away in southeastern Ohio and are referred to as simply - The Buckeye Hills. I'll provide you some specific information about that hotspot below but you need to realize that there are other hotspots located in different regions of the US that you may want to consider traveling to at some point in your "motorcycle riding lifetime." Each of these hotspots act like “magnets for motorcycling” and are depicted in the map image below. 
Showcase: The Buckeye Hills Motorcycle Riding Hotspot
The nearest motorcycle riding hotspot to Massachusetts is the surprising southeastern corner of Ohio often reffered to as The Buckeye Hills. Eastern Ohio is just to the east of Massachusetts by about a 7-9 hour drive (depending on where in Massachusetts you are starting) and you will have to option of going north through upstate New York or south through Pennsylvania and this path will give you great access to some of the best motorcycle rides in the Northeast many of which are located in Pennsylvania. Of course if you live on the east side of Massachusetts in communities like Boston, Lowell, Worcester, New Bedford, etc., your ride will be longer and so if you are not up for a 10 or more hour ride to Southeast Ohio, I need to mention that Pennsylvania, as a bordering state of Massachusetts, has some really great motorcycle riding areas that could really be a great trip and considerably closer. However, if you are up for the trip and really want to take in some world class motorcycle riding that riders have been flocking too more and more over recent decades, you need to put Southeast Ohio on your radar for an eventual motorcycle pilgrimage. Admittedly, Ohio is probably not one of the first states that comes to mind when you hear the concept of a motorcycle riding hot spot, but the amount of visitor traffic, the raving reviews, and the enthusiasm around the Buckeye Hills unmistakably point this area out as a US motorcycle riding hotspot. This region draws in riders from all over the USA.
The wonderful curves of the Buckeye Hills are a result of the 'marvelous for motorcycling' topography/terrain of this region which is referred to as the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Plateau is area covered in rolling hills and valleys. The Appalachian Plateau covers portions of a number of US states but is part of a particularly that get particularly steeper and more pronounced as you go further south making this the most rugged region of Ohio and potentially that of the entire US Midwest. Southeast Ohio absolutely dominates in terms of the most popular motorcycle rides in the Midwest region with 4 of the Top 5 ranked routes. So if you are looking for a Midwestern motorcycle hotspot and love curves and twistees, check out these favoritesOnce in southeast Ohio you will want to focus on these stand out Ohio motorcycle rides:
Since the remaining three motorcycle riding hotspots are significantly further away than the Southeastern Ohio hotspot, I didn't go over those other hotspots. However, if you are interested in learning about those any of those other US motorcycling centers of gravity, simply visit our Motorcycle Rides Near Me in the USA guide where you can read the detailed and full report. |
Iconic US Motorcycle RidesNow if you are interested in not just hotspots but the USA's hottest individual motorcycle rides that are generally considered to be the very best motorcycle roads in the entire USA, then I need to tell you about the motorcycle rides that have reached iconic status. Unfortunately none of these motorcycle rides are located in Massachusetts, they are rides that all die hard motorcycling riding enthusiasts should add to his/her motorcycle riding bucket list. The short list of these premium motorcycle rides in the USA are as follows:
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The Best Motorcycle Riding areas in the state of MassachusettsSo far we have told you about Massachusetts's nearest motorcycle riding hotspot, Southeast Ohio, as well as iconic US motorcycle roads that are spread out around the USA, but all of these motorcycle rides are a considerable distance from Massachusetts. And, some motorcycle riders simply aren't up for the long distance travel to get to these exceptional motorcycle roads (or at least not at the moment). So, if instead you simply want to find the best motorcycle rides near you in Massachusetts, then read on as I describe 5 of the very best motorcycle rides in Massachusetts below. Each of these rides has been a top ranked motorcycle ride in Massachusetts for years as our ranking algorithm doesn't let a newly added ride simply jet right up to the top of the list of motorcycle roads but instead factors in the route's popularity over time by looking at many different factors that indicate a motorcycle road's popularity (e.g., page views for that motorcycle road, the number of motorcycle riders following that route, the number of times that route has been saved to riders' To Ride list, the number of times that motorcycle ride has been saved to a riders' Rode It list, the number of motorcycle ride photos or videos that have been uploaded to that page, etc, etc.). Keep in mind however, that even though we use a somewhat complex rating algorithm to keep 'undeserving routes' from erratically rising to the top, certainly the ratings can & do change over time and so the list you see below of the best motorcycle rides in Massachusetts was current at the time of the publication of this guide to the best motorcycle rides near me - Massachusetts (date of last update is found at the top of this guide in the "note" section). Currently there are 27 Massachusetts motorcycle roads registered on McR and unfortunately none of those 27 Massachusetts motorcycle rides are currently ranked in the Top 100 Motorcycle Rides in the USA. In general and independent of whether or not these locations are home to popular Massachusetts motorcycle rides, The Bay State has some wonderfully scenic and picturesque places you should visit if you have not already. A few highlights of the places in Massachusetts known for scenic beauty and/or as great places to tour/visit are as follows:
Aside from the Massachusetts scenery highlights above, below we've given you a short description of 5 of the best motorcycle rides in Massachusetts (complete/updated listing of all Massachusetts motorcycle rides). The Top-5 Motorcycle Rides in Massachusetts: |
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Quabbin Reservoir Loop route begins in a town called Athol. The beauty of this road is the multiple scenic spots it leads you to, so you get to stretch your legs while basking in nature’s glory. Going around the enormous Quabbin Reservoir, the loop showcases charming panoramic views of forests, farmlands and quaint little towns. The stretch of road along the South edge of the reservoir particularly allows you ride close to the lake.
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The Shelburne falls loop is ranked #2 on our list of best motorcycle rides in Massachusetts. The roads around Quabbin reservoir are reported to have good pavement conditions making for a smooth ride. The author and some reviewers emphasize the nice photo opportunities you’ll have along this ride through the forests and villages on a nice sunny day; not to mention the beautiful nearby Quabbin reservoir!
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The loop beginning at Concord, is a journey through some of the loveliest towns northwest of Boston. Forests, farms, orchards, generally light traffic and plenty of picturesque stop spots can make this motorcycle ride a memorable one. Revel in this route’s silent beauty as you drive through both apple farms and dairy farm. The route’s author pointed out the good pavement conditions with some added/nice twisty sections that are a lot of fun for riding.
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Route 119 is the last on our Top 5 roads of motorcycle rides of Massachusetts. This ride begins at Groton, heads northwest all the way up to New Hampshire and ends at Brattleboro, just over the border. The highlights of this 2-hour journey are some great stops like the Pisgah State Park, a 13,300-acre forest with many hiking trails. The road also takes you along a ton of shops and eateries with a hippy kind of vibe around them.\
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This stretch is known for its eye-pleasing scenery and 3 designated scenic routes. Good roads, great places to stop, the Green Mountain National Park, covered bridges, rivers and farmlands, finally ending at Lake George, NY, make this route a package that has it all. It’s the ideal path (not the shortest) to attend the Americade rally (a biker weekend in Lake George, NY).
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Interested in more motorcycle ride articles like this?
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The Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in the Midwest | ||
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The Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in the Northeast | ||
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The Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in the South | ||
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The Top 10 Motorcycle Rides in the West |
Note 1: All facts and figures below were gathered during early Jan 2019 and will change over time as new motorcycle roads are added to the collection.
Note 2: How were these popularity ratings calculated?
A motorcycle road’s popularity can be based on a wide variety of factors. Our analysis considered some obvious indicators of motorcycle road popularity such each roads’ “Rider Rating” scores (star ratings) and which motorcycle road description pages were visited the most. But, the analysis dug deeper and looked at some less obvious yet valuable indicators of a motorcycle road’s popularity such as how often a given motorcycle road was added to riders’ “To Ride” lists, how often a given motorcycle road was added to riders’ “Rode it” lists and enthusiasm indicators such how often photos and/or videos were uploaded for a given road and which roads are attracting the most buzz among motorcycle roads indicated by those roads that are receiving the most number of new/recent comments. For the sake of being consistent and as objective as possible we use a popularity algorithm that “crunches those number” and allows us to develop a ranking of the popularity of each of the motorcycle roads used as a basis for this guide.
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As always, I hope to provide you with insightful & valuable motorcycle riding community information to help you get the most out of all of your motorcycling experiences. I'm always looking for ways to make MotorcycleRoads.com better and more helpful so if you have any suggestions to improve the website, just contact me through the Feedback button you'll find near the top of every page. And as always, if you have a favorite motorcycle road of yours that is not yet registered on MotorcycleRoads.com, please get that favorite of yours "on the map" by registering it at MotorcycleRoads.com. Registering a motorcycle road (or event, or club, or place) is quick and easy and you'll be helping out our motorcycle riding community!!! Lastly, if you are interested in having a monthly summary of motorcycle riding community updates/new information sent straight to your email box, sign up for our monthly (or less) eNewsletter. Or, if you are into social media, follow me at Facebook and/or Twitter.
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