This route is a celebration of the amazing trail running we have in Northfield. In the spirit of the FKT it seemed an up and down our town mountain in the fastest way possible was a good way to go, however there are tons of trails on Paine Mountain that make for lots of good running on Paine. And to highlight the proximity from downtown and fold this run route into the heart of our community, the route starts and ends at the obelisk statue toward the east end of Depot Square in downtown Northfield. A pretty relentless climb right from the heart of town all the way to a summit and a screaming fast descent makes this 7+ mile and 1,600+ foot climb a fun challenge.
Starting at the statue you head south on Rt 12. Make a left heading east onto Prospect St. At the top of Prospect make a Right and head uphill to the Left onto Byam St. This turns to gravel at the top, and after passing a gate the white trail markers of Paine Mountain Summit Trail start. Shortly after turn left toward Cheney Field. In the northwest corner of Cheney field you catch single track and follow the white summit trail all the way to the summit. Turn around is the summit trail sign. Go back the way you came.
