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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Inadequate
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
Radar Time
x
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
- Snowmobile
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
SaveNorthfield Brook Lake (NBL) consists of 208 acres of public land in the town of Thomaston, Connecticut. 6 miles of multi-use trails suitable for mountain biking and hiking currently exist. Local members from the Northwest Connecticut Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association build and maintain the trail system with support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Primary Trail Type: Cross-Country
eBikes Allowed:
No
AKA: NBL
Land Status: Military Managed
Land Manager: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Access Info:
Access to the trail network can be found from various points within the NBL recreation area. There is a secondary parking area on Edwin Lane (small lot to the right of the athletic fields) in the Highwood Farm neighborhood, with an access trail starting from Julia Lane.
Disclaimer:
NBL trails are blazed, but there are currently no trail maps displayed within the area. Ride at your own risk. The trail system is multi-use. Please respect trail runners and hikers.
Links
Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
18 trails
- Hike
19 trails
- Trail Running
19 trails
Region Details
- 6
- 7
- 5
Region Status
Open as of Sep 3, 2020Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 19
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 18
- Trails Hike
- 19
- Trails Trail Running
- 19
- Total Distance
- 7 miles
- Total Descent Distance
- 3 miles
- Total Descent
- 1,200 ft
- Total Vertical
- 250 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 777 ft
- Reports
- 25
- Photos
- 32
- Ridden Counter
- 1,606
Popular Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) Trails
Photos of Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) Mountain Bike
trail: Sasquatch (green blaze)
86 |
Apr 4, 2021 @ 5:19am
Apr 4, 2021
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
55 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:35pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
47 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:35pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
46 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:35pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
31 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:34pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
36 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:34pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
36 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:34pm
Nov 24, 2020
trail: Pitch (red blaze)
39 |
Nov 24, 2020 @ 12:34pm
Nov 24, 2020Videos of Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) Mountain Bike

trail: Goat Path (green blaze)
1:46 |
11 |
Feb 22, 2023 , Thomaston
Recent Trail Reports
status | trail | date | condition | info | user |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lower Yellow Trail (yellow blaze) | Aug 24, 2022 @ 9:01am Aug 24, 2022 | Variable | GYanosky | ||
D. Whiz (blue blaze) | Aug 24, 2022 @ 9:01am Aug 24, 2022 | Ideal | GYanosky | ||
Elevator (blue blaze) | Aug 24, 2022 @ 9:01am Aug 24, 2022 | Ideal | GYanosky | ||
Highwood Access (green blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf | ||
Goat Path (green blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf | ||
Sasquatch (green blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Covered | jnaidorf | ||
Grumpy Old Lady (blue blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf | ||
Upper Yellow Trail (yellow blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf | ||
Attaboy (orange blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf | ||
Ants (orange blaze) | Jan 22, 2022 @ 9:19am Jan 22, 2022 | Snow Packed | jnaidorf |
Activity Feed
username | action | type | title | date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | nblgreg | add | video | Exploring Goat Path, a Beginner Mountain Biking Trail: A 3rd Person Tour | Feb 22, 2023 @ 6:09am Feb 22, 2023 |
![]() | nblgreg | add | video | Join the Adventure: NEMBA Group MTB Ride at Northfield Brook Lake, Thomaston, CT | Feb 15, 2023 @ 5:03am Feb 15, 2023 |
![]() | dr-rob | wishlist | region | Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) | Jan 15, 2023 @ 11:28am Jan 15, 2023 |
![]() | PlumbBobM | update | trail | Lower Yellow Trail (yellow blaze) | Dec 4, 2022 @ 7:34pm Dec 4, 2022 |
![]() | NEMBAbill | update | region | Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) | Nov 14, 2022 @ 9:39am Nov 14, 2022 |
Recent Comments
username | type | title | comment | date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | trail | Muddy in the pines, but otherwise very rideable | Apr 3, 2021 @ 2:52pm Apr 3, 2021 |
Nearby Areas
name | distance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harwinton Recreation and Conservation Area | 6 | 10 | 1 | 4.8 km | |
White Memorial Foundation | 4 | 6.6 km | |||
Camp Columbia State Park & Forest | 6.9 km | ||||
Rockwell Park | 8 | 7 km | |||
Sessions Woods WMA | 2 | 7.3 km |
Activity Type Stats
activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | ridelogs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain Bike | 18 | 7 miles | 1,201 ft | 3 miles | 249 ft | #5,315 | #2,325 | 32 | 25 | 1,131 | ||
Hike | 19 | 7 miles | 1,201 ft | 3 miles | 249 ft | #4,441 | #2,170 | 25 | 22 | |||
Trail Running | 19 | 7 miles | 1,201 ft | 3 miles | 249 ft | #4,451 | #2,174 | 25 | 8 |
- By nblgreg NorthfieldBL & contributors
- Admins: NorthfieldBL
- #39799 - 4,760 views
- northfield brook lake (nbl) activity log | embed map of Northfield Brook Lake (NBL) mountain bike trails | northfield brook lake (nbl) mountain biking points of interest
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