Rode the trail on May 29, 2010. I started from Keene and headed south. The first 4 miles are not bad. After that, it became very rough. I have a hybrid bike, so it is designed for onroad and a fair amount of off roading. Even with a mountain bike, it would have been tough in many spots. This has a lot of sand throughout the trail, making it very difficult. There had been very little rain for weeks, yet many spots were muddy. At a few points, it was hard to tell if I was on the trail or not. One spot was through a field for over 1/2 mile. No trail markers, no dirt path. The only indication was the owner of the land had run a tractor over the grass leaving a mowed path through the taller grass. Another thing was the amount of tree fall debris through the trail. Many times, had to get off the bike and lift it through the woods to get around the fallen trees. I made it to Hinsdale, and within a mile after the restored train station, there was a tree fall with at least a dozen good size trees blocking the trail. There was no way to get around it, forcing me to turn around with less than a mile to the end.
I was surprised by the lack of scenery. Granted, there were a couple of pretty spots, but much of the ride is either following power lines or through people's backyards. Not very scenic. There were many different forms of wildlife, which was nice. Deer, beaver, turtles, hawks and more.
Overall, there are much nicer trails to try. I would suggest trying them first. This one was long, hard and boring. I bike trails consistantly and this one is probably the least enjoyable of them all.

I started from the Hinsdale side this afternoon and rode half the trail. Aside from a couple of trees that had fallen at the outset, the trail was in great shape. Completely dry with many leaves to crunch through. The surface (hard dirt with some rocks, a bit of sand) combined with the flat grade was ideal for a novice mountain biker like me. Riding behind the abandoned buildings was a little creepy if you are alone and female (there was literally no one else on the trail the entire afternoon), so you may want to keep that in mind if you are riding on a weekday. The scenery was spectacular, as the leaves have just started to change. The one thing that would have been helpful would have been mile markers, even every couple of miles for orientation. Other than that, the experience was perfect, and I'm excited to start from the other end and make my way south!

I'd like to mention that people trail ride their horses on this trail. Please be careful when you approach a horse and rider, a horse cannot see you if you approach from behind. Horses are not like dogs, they can spook and throw their rider which could result in serious injury or death. If you do come up behind a horse please say something in a calm gentle voice so you don't scare the horse and wait for the rider to respond. Most riders are courteous and will either move to one side and wave to you or tell you it's ok to go. If you approach a horse from the front they could also spook because you might be going to fast towards them. In that case it's best to stop and wait for the horse and rider to pass. When you go by a horse and rider please give them plenty of room, a horse can deliver quite a painful kick (they can also kick out to the side). I've ridden on these trails with my horse long before it was opened to the general public and never seen a soul. But after it was opened to the public I've met up with many people who are just clueless about horses. I've had joggers and mountain bikers either come up behind me scaring my horse. I had one jogger that was so close I could've touched her head, if I didn't keep all 4 hooves on the ground by keeping my horse moving forward she would've had one planted in her chest. I've even met up with rude mountain bikers who kept on riding by me when I've asked them to stop because my horse is ready to buck or bolt. I had one that said to me "I pay taxes I have the right to ride here" and she kept going while my horse was trying to rear up.

So please be careful so we all can enjoy the trails together.