View Full Version : Salisbury,CT/CT-41 to Jugs End Rd
blind1587
05-24-2011, 02:57
I plan on hiking from CT41 to Jugs end road in Mass in about 2 weeks. I have hiked small portions of the AT, but only day hikes. My question is how long do you think the hike will take? ( is it a one day hike or overnight?) Also, can I just pick a spot somewhere along the trail to sleep for the night or do I need to stay in a designated camping area?
Thanks,
-Brian
Migrating Bird
05-24-2011, 06:22
This is a great section to hike. You should stay at a shelter or designated site, no fires allowed in this section. Sages Ravine is a great place for an overnight. The views from Race Mt. are stunning to the east as are the views from Bear Mt. A short side trip to Race Brook Falls is worth the effort. This is very nice overnight hike or could be stretched into 2 nights, fewer AT miles with a chance to explore some of the side trails. Additionally there are a number of bail out points should the need arise as the AT parallels Rt 41 to the east and West Street to the west. Lots of history in this section as well as interesting flora and fauna. Good water sources as well.
I agree w/ Migrating Bird. It's doable in one long day, depending on your pace and conditioning, but there's lots of neat stuff to see nearby to make a two or three day trip worthwhile. You can do a side trip from north of Bear Mtn on Northwest Road to the Mt. Frissell Trail over to CT's high point and to great westerly views from Brace and South Brace Mtns. Side trip on Race Brook Falls Trail/s (a couple different trails around the falls) is way beautiful. A side trip to Bash Bish Falls and Alander Mtn would also be nice.
Race and Bear have lots of fine 360* views. Two often missed points - 1) Bear's high point is not at the stone cairn monument (which has great views and is a must), it's north and west 100 yards or so, at or about a point which gives very fine views north and west, 2) as you ascend Race atop the veritiginous cliff line, make a point about halfway up (maybe a quarter mile into the exposed cliffwalk) to get fairly far out on the cliffs, look north-northeast along the cliffline, and on a clear day you get a magnificent view of Mt. Greylock, just right of the cliffs, 50 miles or so away.
Race's Summit offers the best views on the AT in the area, Bear's second best. You can see downtown Albany from both on a clear day. Everett, whose summit is rounded and quite wooded, is the tallest and offers very good views in most directions, does not offer easily accessible views northwesterly. NOBO about 0.1 from Everett's summit, there's a very nice rock outcrop left/north or the trail which gives great Greylock views and likewise along the Housatonic Valley, and NOBO about 0.3 more there's a spur rightward to the old Everett Road parking area which has a storm shelter with great Greylock views on clear days.
Also nearby on the western side of the Taconics is Bash Bish Gorge and the Bash Bish Falls, the largest single waterfall in the area, with lots of rugged trails in the area.
PS: NOBO, Lion's Head's north overlook gives very nice views of the neighboring Taconics and, on a clear day, of the double-humped Mt. Greylock north-northreastward.
pattydivins
05-31-2011, 12:09
I just hiked this section last week. I would recommend camping at Sages Ravine campsite the first night, then finishing out your hike the next day. It is possible to do in 1 day, but it would be long and exhausting. It would be nice to give yourself some time to relax at many of the scenic spots along this section.
Chenango
05-31-2011, 12:28
This is one my favorite sections of the AT. Take your time and joy.
BTW, I did my very first overnight hike (camped at Sages Ravine) on this trail 45+ years ago. The following year I hiked the Presidentials! Then I was hooked.
Have fun!!
I agree with pattydivins - it would be a pretty long one-day hike given the hills to get up and over.
I just did this exact section this past weekend. We stayed at the plateau campsite just above the parking lot Friday night. On Saturday we did the 11.5 miles or so to Race Brook, then finished up on Sunday. We ran into a hiker going south who suggested doing the additional mile of the AT past Jug End to end up on 41 - you end up going through a nice flat forested section with lots of ferns and then a field before you hit 41. As we were hitchhiking back to the start, it made a lot of sense - lots more cars on 41 than Jug End Road!
I'd advise going at least to Laurel Ridge to spend the night, Race Brook if you can make it. Sage's Ravine isn't even halfway; we were very happy to have a shorter day on Sunday!
We saw a great rattlesnake on the trail - see my post from earlier today!
dthompson451
04-11-2012, 00:15
I am considering doing this section of trail the weekend after next with my girlfriend. We both are experienced dayhikers but this will be our first overnight backpacking experience, so we are planning on doing half of the segment, camping at Laurel Ridge, and doing the remaining half the next day. I was wondering if anyone has any info on the Laurel Ridge campsite, whether it's advisable to spot cars at the Jug End Rd. and CT 41 parking areas, and recommendations for SOBO vs. NOBO? Thanks!
I am considering doing this section of trail the weekend after next with my girlfriend. We both are experienced dayhikers but this will be our first overnight backpacking experience, so we are planning on doing half of the segment, camping at Laurel Ridge, and doing the remaining half the next day. I was wondering if anyone has any info on the Laurel Ridge campsite, whether it's advisable to spot cars at the Jug End Rd. and CT 41 parking areas, and recommendations for SOBO vs. NOBO? Thanks!
CT 41 is fine, and I've heard of no problems with Jug End Road, though there you are parking roadside, not in a lot off the road. I very highly recommend a side trip down the Race Brook Falls Trail, as far as the big upper falls (about a mile east of the AT), then scrambling down along the south bank of the brook as far as the 100-ish foot tall lower main falls, passing by four or five other smaller falls in the 0.1-0.2 in between. Beautiful stuff - the brook, the flora, the rocks, the mountain. One of my favorite trails anywhere.
If you set a good pace, you should easily be able to cover the whole stretch, with the Race Brook side trip, in two day's hiking at an average hiker's pace. The north side of Bear is very steep though fortunately only for about 0.2, the south side of Everett has a very steep stretch, but manageable. On both of the, be sure to stop for occasional views, which are superb. The cliff-line and main summit of Race speak for themselves - you can see Catskills, Albany, Greylock and tons more from that very pretty mountain.
One word of warning - be on the lookout for rattlesnakes on the higher stretches of Race, Bear and Everett, and in other sunny spots. They do live in the Taconics - I've yet to encounter one, but many others have. Also, there are bears around and about, so take proper precautions with your food and other personal effects.
My wife and I were out in this section this past weekend- We parked on rt41 race brook parking lot, Hiked up the race brook trail then over Mt Everitt, ending the day at Glen brook campsite with a nice campfire, The next morning we continued north on the A.T. then took the elbow trail back down to rt41 going through Bershire college campus, It's about a 3 mile roadwalk back to the car - but not to bad.
I never saw the Laurel Ridge campsite but Glen brook and Hemlocks are only a few yards apart and both very nice with plenty of water.
Riga Lean-to is one of the great places in the world to wake up at.
coach lou
04-11-2012, 10:02
Riga Lean-to is one of the great places in the world to wake up at.
It is special!
Pretty quick I'm going to get myself up on that stretch.
coach lou
04-11-2012, 10:55
The entire stretch from Salisbury/ rt.41 all the way to Tom Leonard Shelter, has many different access points and parking. Day hikes, overnites, long weekends.