The cycling takes only moderate effort: The trail is virtually flat, and only some off-trail roads require pedaling on hills. And you could not find more convenient or appropriate lodging than the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn, located 8 feet from the bikeway, says Craig Della Penna, who with his wife, Kathy, runs the two-bedroom bed-and-breakfast.
Della Penna living so close to the trail is like a preacher living beside his church. Officially, he's the New England field representative for the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; unofficially, he's the area's leading rail trails expert and advocate. Della Penna can give you history in words and pictures, informational tidbits, and of course directions from the bikeway to the rail trail.
Getting there is the sketchiest part of the journey. After riding the leafy paved path that runs alongside the inn, you exit at the side of the Stop & Shop shopping plaza. Cross King Street (Route 5), then cross the railroad tracks onto Bradford Street for two blocks, then turn right onto Bay Avenue for five blocks, left onto Route 9 east, and left again near the Interstate 91 exit onto Damon Road and the Norwottuck Rail Trail's start.
The character of the trail changes several times from here to its end on Warren Wright Road in Belchertown. You will immediately find yourself on an old, wood-floored 1,400-foot bridge that runs above the Connecticut River and parallel to the Calvin Coolidge Bridge. The Coolidge is usually full of cars, and the trail bridge is itself crowded on weekends -- but with cyclists, in-line skaters, walkers, and runners.
Though Northampton is a small city (fewer than 30,000), the trail here has an occasional big-city feel, with frequent street crossings (though none heavily traveled) and lots of people, even as it makes its way into Hadley. If by now you need to buy a horn to warn people of your approach, the trail-side Valley Bicycles is the place to stop.
