Before summer clocks out, hikers and bicyclists should know about a valuable resource newly available from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

The Springfield outfit this spring released a new map for hikers and cyclists that’s available at a slew of local outlets.
The commission’s regional trails map pinpoints our area’s top hiking and biking trails, both in Hampshire and Hampden counties.

The map includes narrative passages that describe the features of each trail system. As the commission notes, the map is meant to be inspirational as well as informational.

“This map is designed to encourage residents and visitors alike to get outdoors and experience the incredible opportunities for recreation, exercise, and enjoying nature on the area’s beautiful hiking and bicycling trails,” it says in a statement. “The Pioneer Valley region has an extraordinary bounty of natural beauty — and trail systems designed to help the public enjoy it.”

Among the routes detailed are the New England National Scenic Trail, the Connecticut Riverwalk and Bikeway, the Norwottuck Rail Trail and routes along the Westfield National Scenic River.

"We've actually been selling quite a few of them," a staffer at Food for Thought Books in Amherst said today. "They've been very popular."

The map, titled the "Pioneer Valley Trails: A Hiking and Biking Guide," is available at the following locations: Amherst Books and Food for Thought Books in Amherst; Adventure Outfitters in Hadley; Broadside Books, Don Gleason Camper’s Supply, and Booklink Booksellers in Northampton; The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley; and other retailers. It costs $7.99.