Cabot Pepper Jack at the Aqueduct Trails: the reward is worth the effort

By Luca Morris, Woodstock Mountain Bike Team Captain

Cabot is just one of the many fantastic trails in the Aqueduct trail system. The Aqueduct, with its main trailhead located on Cox District Road, is conveniently located close to downtown Woodstock — and its middle/high school. The main trailhead is accompanied by a parking lot with room to fit all your riding buddies.

Once you’re at the parking lot, head on up the Class 4, Grassy Lane, and maybe stop for a dip in the pump track! From here to the base of Cabot trail, you get to choose your own adventure, with several options of routes. You can ride the Class 4 road all the way up to the trail for a simple warmup, or take the singletrack: Rum Street all the way to Buffer Zone, to Fiddler, to Coaster, and then you’re there!

Cabot trail starts off pretty chill with some pumps and a rock-garden bridge, but pretty soon, the climbing begins. Expect some switchbacks with some off-camber sections and steep, rooty pitches. Bring your motor! Eventually it will become an endless succession of zigzagging turns up. The trick is to tell yourself that the top is right after that corner! No? Well, then it must be after the next! No? Then it must be after that…

In no time, you’ll find yourself (finally!) up at the top. There, as you catch your breath, you’ll see the sign warning more timid riders against braving the cheese trail’s gnarly downhill, which starts out with swooping berms, tricky roots, and gravity-defying jumps. Your previous efforts will be rewarded with step-downs, doubles, jumps and gaps, on built-dirt and wild woods. This is a trail with no shortage of opportunities to both get air and wrangle roots. In other words, it’s epic!

Beyond having a delicious name, this trail is easily one of the most exciting in the Aqueduct trail system. It’s got a great uphill, perfect for your workout or granny gear—either way, your hard work ascending pays off in the end. Intermediate to expert riders visiting the Woodstock area should put the cheese trail on their list of must-rides.