Race Brook Falls to Kellogg Road

[dperry]

Hello All,

The wife and I are doing our next section from Race Brook Falls to Kellogg Road in MA in a couple of weeks. We will probably hike up Race Brook to one of the campsites near Mt. Everett on the first day, down to Jug End Road on the second, then an easy day hike to Kellogg Road on the third day. Any information anyone would like to share, particularly on water and parking at Jug End Road, would be greatly appreciated.

[Driver8]

Hello All,

The wife and I are doing our next section from Race Brook Falls to Kellogg Road in MA in a couple of weeks. We will probably hike up Race Brook to one of the campsites near Mt. Everett on the first day, down to Jug End Road on the second, then an easy day hike to Kellogg Road on the third day. Any information anyone would like to share, particularly on water and parking at Jug End Road, would be greatly appreciated.

Race Brook is a beautiful trail. Highly recommend that you hug along the brook, as follows, to see all the falls:

First, follow the trail from the parking lot trailhead about 0.2 miles north of Race Brook Inn, maybe a mile south of Berkshire School Road on Undermountain Road/Rt. 41;
About 0.25 in on the trail, there are two branches at a big trail sign - one going left, to cross the brook soon (usually you can hear the brook from here, it's about 150 yards away), the other going straight - take the straight option;
Maybe 0.5 later, you will come upon the tallest set of falls, which drops about 100', with 85' in the main fall, gorgeous stuff;
The trail crosses the brook towards the bottom of the small cascades below the main falls, near a massive fallen, dead tree;
From there, you can follow the trail, which is blocked a short ways up by two large stumps which can get over without much trouble, though the going is steep, or you can scramble up the steep slope, using roots and rocks and such - in either event, you end up on the same trail, which goes to a nice viewing area above the first main falls;
From there, you follow along the left (south) bank of the brook past several picturesque falls, ranging from 15 to 50-ish feet, with some mild rock scrambling, lots of roots and rocks, beautiful moss, hemlocks, mountain laurels, etc;
At the fifth falls, the second-tallest at about 85 feet and, elevation-wise the second highest, you will join the main trail which branched left at 0.25 miles from the road;
Follow the brook across the trail up a steep switchback;
If you've seen enough falls, continue on up to the A.T., about a mile after you rejoin the brook.
If you feel like seeing the last of the falls, at a massive boulder near the brook, take a left on a herd path spurring off the RBF trail. Cross the brook amid the boulders (not difficult), then scramble - it's not too bad, just take care with your steps, down the far side of the brook to see the uppermost of the falls - very pretty and about 14' high. There are also a couple of small falls, maybe 4' high, upstream from the 14-footer where you cross the brook.

It's beautiful country, as is the glen the brook flows through between Everett and Race. I gather there are more bear issues with the Race Brook campsite than there are with the sites on the north side of Everett. Guilder Pond is not far from those north campsites and worth a visit, I gather, though I've only glanced at it so far.

[coach lou]

There is space for a couple of cars @ Jug End, but why, if you are going to Kellogg Road? At Kellogg lot there is 4 to 6 spots to park. You can probably jamb in more. jug End to Kellogg will be through bogs{read that b-u-g-s}, It is very dry in the Berkshires, strike that, Eastern United States!