How to get to the Long Trail from San Francisco?

[Besalu]

Hello:
I am planning to do the LT but I do not know how to get there, since it seems like a very rural trailhead. I am in San Francisco, so where should I fly? How about ground transportation? Any clues will be appreciated.
Julio

[Slo-go'en]

The most straight forward way would be to fly to Boston and take the afternoon commuter bus to Williamstown, MA. There is a trail from the edge of town which connects to the long trail. It's a bit of climb. You will likely arrive too late to hike out and camp (it's a rough start), but there is only one Inn and it's pricy. That is where the bus stops.

As how to get back, there are several options, with at least one shuttle service who can get you to Burlington, VT and the transportation options available there (bus).

At the moment, Vermont has very strict requirements to enter the state. Hopefully that will change in a few months, but keep that in mind.

If your on Facebook, joining the GMC page would be helpful. And of course, get the guide book and the E2E guide. These will answer all your questions.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Current Vermont COVID-19 tourist restrictions. These may very well change by June 1, typically the earliest date you can start a hike on the LT. https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/travel-quarantine/visitors-vermont

[soilman]

I went SOBO. Rented a car and dropped it off at Burlington airport. Then got a shuttle to the northern terminus.When i finished I walked the Pine Cobble trail into Williamstown. I spent the night in Williamstown at the Williamstown Motel which is hiker friendly and quite reasonable. They are on the main drag and the bus goes right past the motel. I took the bus to Pittsfield where I caught the Amtrak for home.

[colorado_rob]

Myself and another LT SOBO hiker used the North Troy B&B to stay at the night before, and got a ride to within about a mile of the northern terminus the next morning, worked out great. Here's some current info for this Inn:

North Troy Inn B&B (North Troy)
35 Vermont 243, North Troy, VT 05859
(802) 988-2527 – [email protected]

This was back in 2017, but talk about getting lucky, maybe, just maybe they still do this: I flew into Burlington VT, and one of the owners of the North Troy Inn actually works a day job in Burlington and commutes every day to/from North troy, and he gave us a ride on his way home to North Troy. Knowing this and pre-arranging, I timed my travel to Burlington accordingly (weekday, arriving in the afternoon). Doesn't hurt to call the NT Inn and check.

Another option is to fly into somewhere reasonbly close and rent a car to get closer. The closest rental car place to North Troy is in Morrisville, about 35 road miles away, maybe you can get a shuttle from there to North Troy at least.

Obviously, this only works going SOBO, which I think is the best way to hike the LT, assuming you're in hiking shape (the northern LT is a butt-kicker!).

I simply cannot remember how I got from the southern terminus back to Boston! Getting O.L.D. I suppose.... Pretty sure I just skipped the last little section, hitched into Bennington VT and got a shuttle. I had already hiked this short section on my AT hike. Not much further into MASS though to get into north Adams which has a Hertz.

[peakbagger]

One big caveat is the time of the year you are planning. The Northern Long Trail holds snow and mud and bugs a couple of weeks later than the southern section. Jay Peak a very short distance from the Northern endpoint generally has the deepest snow pack fro ski area in New England. Once that snow pack builds up in the shady valleys covered with softwoods it take a high sun angle and lot of warm weather all day and overnight to burn that snow off. There is also a very wet section north of Stratton Mtn in southern VT that is decidedly a mud pit until late July.

The LT get a lot of use in summer and fall, with Covid restrictions in VT starting to crack open a bit I expect it will be quite busy if they open up further.

[Besalu]

How do I find the trailhead at the edge of town in Williamstown? Is it marked?

[Deacon]

Myself and another LT SOBO hiker used the North Troy B&B to stay at the night before, and got a ride to within about a mile of the northern terminus the next morning, worked out great. Here's some current info for this Inn:

North Troy Inn B&B (North Troy)
35 Vermont 243, North Troy, VT 05859
(802) 988-2527 – [email protected]

This was back in 2017, but talk about getting lucky, maybe, just maybe they still do this: I flew into Burlington VT, and one of the owners of the North Troy Inn actually works a day job in Burlington and commutes every day to/from North troy, and he gave us a ride on his way home to North Troy. Knowing this and pre-arranging, I timed my travel to Burlington accordingly (weekday, arriving in the afternoon). Doesn't hurt to call the NT Inn and check.

Another option is to fly into somewhere reasonbly close and rent a car to get closer. The closest rental car place to North Troy is in Morrisville, about 35 road miles away, maybe you can get a shuttle from there to North Troy at least.

Obviously, this only works going SOBO, which I think is the best way to hike the LT, assuming you're in hiking shape (the northern LT is a butt-kicker!).

I simply cannot remember how I got from the southern terminus back to Boston! Getting O.L.D. I suppose.... Pretty sure I just skipped the last little section, hitched into Bennington VT and got a shuttle. I had already hiked this short section on my AT hike. Not much further into MASS though to get into north Adams which has a Hertz.

Here is Samantha (Sammi), owner of the North Troy B&B. She is a fantastic cook. Her scrambled egg creation was out of this world.

https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/photos/15390/752946/422214


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[soilman]

How do I find the trailhead at the edge of town in Williamstown? Is it marked?
The AT is easier to find than the Pine Cobble Trail. The AT crosses near the Greylock Community Center in between Williamstown and North Adams. I am not sure where the boundary is. The Pine Cobble trailhead if I remember right is on the northern edge of Williamstown and has a parking lot at the end of a housing development. I remember it took a little walking to get into town and the motel.

[BillyGr]

The AT is easier to find than the Pine Cobble Trail. The AT crosses near the Greylock Community Center in between Williamstown and North Adams. I am not sure where the boundary is. The Pine Cobble trailhead if I remember right is on the northern edge of Williamstown and has a parking lot at the end of a housing development. I remember it took a little walking to get into town and the motel.
Yes - it's actually called Pine Cobble development, and the entry is off of North Hoosac Road. Most direct route would be Cole Road (a traffic light on Route 2) then a right at the end of that where it meets N. Hoosac. About 0.4 miles a left into the development and trail is on the right of that entry road. The Pine Cobble Trail - Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (wrlf.org) (https://wrlf.org/the-pine-cobble-trail/) has maps to show it.

[10-K]

I parked in Williamstown and used Thomas Transportation to get to the northern terminus. I got picked up in a Lincoln and the driver bottomed out the car getting me as close as he could to the trailhead - I didn't have to walk very far to the start.

http://thomastransportation.com/

[4eyedbuzzard]

The AT is easier to find than the Pine Cobble Trail. The AT crosses near the Greylock Community Center in between Williamstown and North Adams. I am not sure where the boundary is. The Pine Cobble trailhead if I remember right is on the northern edge of Williamstown and has a parking lot at the end of a housing development. I remember it took a little walking to get into town and the motel.


Yes - it's actually called Pine Cobble development, and the entry is off of North Hoosac Road. Most direct route would be Cole Road (a traffic light on Route 2) then a right at the end of that where it meets N. Hoosac. About 0.4 miles a left into the development and trail is on the right of that entry road. The Pine Cobble Trail - Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (wrlf.org) (https://wrlf.org/the-pine-cobble-trail/) has maps to show it.

While the OP is coming from San Francisco and not leaving a car at this lot, I just want to post an FYI / warning on that parking lot at Pine Cobble trailhead: My daughter parked her car there on a hike several years ago and it was broken into even though what was left in the car (and of little value) was covered in the back (Subaru SUV). They smashed the driver window to get in. Made for a miserable end of hike experience.