Coop Road

Coop Road is a short mountain biking route on the Manchester Reservoir Property in Connecticut, about half a mile from the town of Manchester. The ride is an out-and-back of about a mile, with a high point of 586 feet and a total climb of about 150 feet, so it's a gentle way to get on a bike and head up a little before turning around. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch coming at about 0.22 miles from the start, where the grade reaches about 6 percent. The route starts at roughly 561 feet and ends at about the same elevation, so it works well as a quick loop or a warm-up before heading to other spots in the area. For comfortable weather, late spring and early fall are the best bets. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Hartford run to highs around 71°F in May and 76°F in September, and the station sits well below the route, so temperatures on the higher ground run cooler. Case Mountain, a climbing area, is about half a mile away, and Shenipsit and the Yellow-Gray Trail are both about 0.9 miles off. For an overnight stay, John and Frederica Johnson Memorial Camp is about 4.5 miles away.