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Cole Conservation Area
4.1 ★★★★☆ 10 Google reviews · Running trail in Amherst, Massachusetts · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Cole Conservation Area's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
What runners say about Cole Conservation Area
I really enjoy doing this loop! It’s a fairly long loop if you do the whole thing - there’s a shorter trail for Nathaniel Cole trail but it’s not fully useable. You get to some wetlands at some point that are pretty much impossible to cross.
An interesting evening hike at Cole Conservation Area in Amherst, Massachusetts with the Appalachian Mountain Club Western Massachusetts 20s and 30s group. I don’t have pictures of when we were nearly knee deep trudging yards through a swamp.
Spring, red trail loop, skunk cabbage, open fields, lost and found animal collar and work uniform, catkins, Food Bank Farm, surprising snake, sensitive fern, is someone here, foot bank plank, bard owls across and close, plane, returning to the cars, vernal pools with grass islands, dry feet, embodied.
Trail conditions & character
Plan your run at Cole Conservation Area
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
Running trails near Amherst
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Mill River Recreation Area
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Puffers Pond
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Mill River Conservation Area
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Mount Warner
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Hiking area with mostly wide, easy trails that's good for kids.
Amethyst Brook Conservation Area
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Popular hiking & dog-walking destination along a brook, offering forest trees & wildlife sightings.