View Full Version : Trip planning help - Mass
scientiffikk
05-12-2012, 08:19
New backpacker here. I would like to hike from the Mass/Conn border through Mass into Vermont in late June. Could anyone give any advice? Starting and ending points? Resupply points? How long will it take, for an average hiker? I'm in good condition and will have a reasonably light pack.
Thanks!
Snowleopard
05-12-2012, 11:32
Lyme disease is present in this section and there are lots of ticks early this year.
Treat clothing, boots and the tops of socks with permethrin. Wear long pants preferably light colored so you can see ticks. Read up on Lyme and deer ticks.
There may be black flies or mosquitos, so carry DEET and a headnet. If you're lucky you won't need them often.
The weather can vary from hot and humid to wet and cold, but is often beautiful. Be prepared for a 45 degree rain and if you're lucky you'll have 75F and sunny every day.
Don't skip the northern couple of miles in Conn.
both borders are in the middle of the woods, so you either have to start already in MA, or from in CT, and likewise end either go a good ways into VT (depending on if you're able to get extracted from a dirt road or are willing to double back, nearest paved road is over 14 or so miles in) or end at north adams MA, a few miles short of the border.
i'd definitely start in salisbury and hit those last few miles of CT and into MA. the northern few miles between north adams and vt on the other hand... ehh
Mountain Mike
05-12-2012, 20:47
Dalton easy place for resupply & hostel right on trail. North Adams also a good resupply if you go further into VT. Many other places close to trail to grab a meal or some supplies. Rt 9 in VT is an easy hitch into Bennington with bus service or further up to Vt 11 & 30 and hitch into Manchester Center.
scientiffikk
05-13-2012, 09:42
Thanks, Snowleopard, tdoczi, and Mountain Mike. Those are all good tips.
Do you have a feel for how many days should I budget?
From Route 41 in Salisbury CT to Route 9 in VT is about 112 miles with the last 14 miles being in VT. The MA/VT border is in the middle of the woods about 4+ miles from North Adams. This link should help with the distances.
http://www.atdist.com/ I really enjoy the first 14 miles of VT (not the mention the rest of VT). If you want to shorten this a bit there is a forest road not too far from the Seth Warner shelter but I'm not sure if it's north or south of the shelter.
if youre not opposed to hiking 20 miles a day its easy to do so across most of MA and IMO you wont be missing anything by hiking it quickly. 6 days, 7 tops if you do salisbury to bennington. 1 less if you stop at north adams.
Good parking site in North Adams near the Trail. Less so at Rt 9 for extended periods. Not sure of the condition of County Rt in VT, just north of Seth Warner shelter. I would not leave a vehicle there for an extended period, even if the road is passable.
Last Saturday (May 12th) the blackflies at the VT border were tolerable, many hovering around, but no biters. We've had plenty of rain in the past month, so no worries about water supplies at overnight sites. 6-7 days is quite doable.
Cosmo
if youre not opposed to hiking 20 miles a day its easy to do so across most of MA and IMO you wont be missing anything by hiking it quickly. 6 days, 7 tops if you do salisbury to bennington. 1 less if you stop at north adams.
I'm looking to do this hike this spring. lots of good information hear. can I just camp along the trail in small tent, or is there certan areas you can and can't?
I'm looking to do this hike this spring. lots of good information hear. can I just camp along the trail in small tent, or is there certan areas you can and can't?
Hi Pheeny,
In Mass (and CT) you must camp in designated campsites/shelters. There are plenty, typically less than 7 miles apart, often closer. In the spring (except for Memorial Day weekend, if the weather is nice) you should not have any problems finding space. Depending on how early in spring you go and the temps, expect a bit of mud (typically April/May), some blackflies (typically in early June), and some blowdowns (we'll have them cleared before the end of May). Water will be plentiful at all sites.
Upper Goose Pond Cabin will be opening on May 19th this year. A bit cold for swimming at that time, but still a nice spot. If you are planning to come earlier, there are tent sites--or you can sleep on the porch.
Have a great trip,
Cosmo
Cookerhiker
01-17-2013, 08:42
A few random thoughts:
1. If you're really set on border-to-border hiking, you can access the CT/MA border by hiking up the Untermountain Trail from Rt. 41, connecting to the Paradise LaneTrail which will take you within a mile of Sages Ravine and the border.
2. The parking in North Adams referred to by Cosmo is at the Greylock Community Club, phone no. 413-664-9020. You'll have to check in with them and leave your contact info. Parking is safe and free.
3. Personally I wouldn't hike CT & MA in June but if that's your schedule, then it's better than not hiking! I hiked most of it in October except for the southern half of MA which I hiked in April and actually had warm sunny Spring weather - lucky I know.:sun
Lady Grey
01-17-2013, 09:03
I hiked this exact section with a friend last July. We live in VT and had finished the Long Trail, so our goal was to hike all of MA and end at the trailhead for the Pine Cobble trail, the same point where our Long Trail hikes ended. As Cosmo mentioned, the parking at the Greylock Community Club is great and super easy. They're nice people and very accommodating for hikers. My husband dropped us off at the south end of the hike and it was a bit of adventure finding the trailhead since we took several side roads. We started at the Bear Mountain Rd. trailhead and hiked into Bear Mountain (highest point in CT) which is right on the CT/MA border.
The hike took us 6 nights and looked like this:
Day 1: Bear Mtn. trailhead to Glen Brook Shelter - 9.2 miles
Day 2: Glen Brook Shelter to Tom Leonard Shelter - 14.3 miles
Day 3: Tom Leonard Shelter to Upper Goose Pond Cabin - 21.1 miles
Day 4: Upper Goose Pond Cabin to the Cookie Lady's Home - 11.1 miles
Day 5: Cookie Lady's Home to Crystal Mountain Campsite - 13.7 miles
Day 6: Crystal Mountain Campsite to Bascom Lodge (Mt. Greylock) - 13 miles
Day 7: Mt. Greylock to Pine Cobble trailhead and return to our car in Williamstown - 11.8 miles
I would definitely recommend a stop at Upper Goose Pond Cabin, the Cookie Lady's (we camped in our yard and she and her husband were really lovely people) and Bascom Lodge. Our biggest problem was super hot weather and lack of water (completely dried up water source at Crystal Mtn. Campsite) but you shouldn't have to worry about that earlier in the summer. Bascom Lodge was an unexpected treat; it's a great historic lodge at the top of Mt. Greylock and you can stay in one of their bunkrooms for $35/person. We were outrunning a major thunderstorm on that day and were so grateful to be in a dry place with hot showers after 5 nights on the trail. At the very least, stop in there for a burger or cup of coffee.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
www.trailjournals.com/LadyGrey
Thanks for the info I'v gone up bear Mt. last year and did some camping at graylock. You are right about the lodge up on top nice place. Sounds like early Spring would be the time to go. Ha vtdeb have you gone up the hellbrook trail on Mansfeild I did by mistake last year looked a lot shorter than the long trail up the Mt. OOPS. I came back down the long trail and then 1.5 mi. to my trukc parked at the trail head. Live and learn.
Lyme disease is present in this section and there are lots of ticks early this year.
Treat clothing, boots and the tops of socks with permethrin. Wear long pants preferably light colored so you can see ticks. Read up on Lyme and deer ticks.
There may be black flies or mosquitos, so carry DEET and a headnet. If you're lucky you won't need them often.
The weather can vary from hot and humid to wet and cold, but is often beautiful. Be prepared for a 45 degree rain and if you're lucky you'll have 75F and sunny every day.
Don't skip the northern couple of miles in Conn.
And tuck your pants into your socks if you're concerned about ticks. There are mosquito netting long pants that you can wear over shorts that will be cooler than long solid fabric pants and you can treat them with permethrin and tuck them into your socks. It looks goof - er - unconventional, but it works.
They are available at Campmor and other places. The nylon ones are generally more durable than the polyester.
Lady Grey
01-18-2013, 22:09
Pheeny, I don't live too far from Mt. Mansfield and have been hiking on its trails since I moved to VT in 1984. The Long Trail off the Chin is steep enough for me so can only imagine how steep the Hell Brook Trail must be! I generally go up from the Underhill State Park (west) side of the mountain and Sunset Ridge Trail is my favorite.
You didn't mention if you need public transportation or parking/shuttle. A few miles south of the VT border, Williamstown (next to North Adams) has a greyhound station (actually the Peter Pan Bus Line who is a Greyhound partner that can take you to Logan Airport in Boston or connect you to anyplace else you need to go via Greyhound).
Looked into peter pan that looks good for me to get back home. thanks for the tip Miner. I'm verry exited about my hike. The wife not so much. Some of them just don't get it.
I'm looking to upgrade my gear backpack and tent any thing I should stay away from? 2 person tent and a good hiking backpack I'll be taking all the gear I will need on this trip. I have seen a lot of things on Ebay. A littel derection would be helpfull.
Darwin13
01-23-2013, 21:36
I'd start a little inside connect. Sages Ravine is beautiful and you literally cross it to get into Mass. I was there this May (mid to late) and it was beautiful. Didn't even have an insulation layer. Carried running shorts and a t shirt for camp clothes and mid weight underwear top and bottom if i needed them which was almost never. It was so damn hot towards the end but last winter was so much more mild. right now its 18 degrees in nyc. Mass is pretty wet and swampy and not the most difficult state for any type of hiker. Be careful going down steep rock faces on some of the mountains, if wet they are very dangerous and a fall would hurt. Two words. Tom Levardi. It will be a little early in thru hiker season and he will treat you like a king if you give him respect and listen to his rules. He's in Dalton. DO NOT PRESUME ON THIS MAN! He should not be taken advantage of or counted on to help you, it is out of the shear goodness of his heart that he does ANYTHING for hikers but he is not OBLIGATED. The beginning parts of vermont are spectacular. In Late May, it was getting buggy so definitely bring some bug protection. Ticks are always a possibility but i hiked in shorts the whole time and surprisingly didn't get a tick. This was pure luck. Always check regularly for ticks. Congdon shelter to Goddard Shelter is a great hike, with Goddard being a great shelter with a beautiful view, and porch. I stayed at kid gore just to get a few more miles in north. Its a nice shelter too but not as new. The Glastonbury wilderness is great and beautiful. The Greens really are spectacular. Manchester Center is where I got off. Long term resupply is easy there!
Darwin13
01-23-2013, 21:45
I'm looking to upgrade my gear backpack and tent any thing I should stay away from? 2 person tent and a good hiking backpack I'll be taking all the gear I will need on this trip. I have seen a lot of things on Ebay. A littel derection would be helpfull.
Unless you are SURE you will be hiking with two people, having a two person tent is not necessarily good for you. They tend to be very heavy unless going for the super ultralight ones like found on Zpacks and other cottage shops. When I started out I had a 85 liter backpack (5 lbs hahahaha) a 3 lbs synthetic 20 degree bag and an REI 2 persom dome tent (around 5 lbs as well) Being 6' 6'' I thought I'd need the extra room to fit me and my pack. Nope. More than enough room if I am going solo. Which i usually am. So now I have a single person shelter, a pack under 3 lbs and a 35 degree down bag ive used to the low 20s with the right clothing system. The only reason I was able to make these changes was with experience. I kept researching, would buy the gear, test it, and if it worked, kept it. Do you thang playa!
If you need any help feel free to PM me.
I'm planning on doing about 20-25 miles this weekend starting in NW Conn heading north. My friend is going to be taking care of the exact route and logistics, but I'm curious to know if anyone has an idea of what the conditions are on the ground at this point. Is there any snowpack and if so how much? I suspect there is going to be some drastic changes this week with the warmer temps and rain that's headed that way, but whatever info I could get about the present conditions would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Migrating Bird
04-08-2013, 17:53
Last Saturday, I hiked from Rt 23 to Main Rd. in Tryingham, the trail has a snow pack of 8-18" north of Wilcox until the decent into Tryingham valley. South of Wilcox it is bare. Last week I hiked from Barrington, Holmes Rd to Tom Lenard Shelter and there was some snow pack, but should be much less now. The weather forecast this week is for warm and some rain which will reduce the snow pack but not too much. 60 Degrees today. Last time I was on Bear Mt. the south side was clear, but the north side still had a lot of hard Ice, that was about 2 wks ago. Sages Ravine will still have considerable snow and ice. Where the trail/ground is bare it is quite dry. Ticks are out, so do a good tick check.
Last Saturday, I hiked from Rt 23 to Main Rd. in Tryingham, the trail has a snow pack of 8-18" north of Wilcox until the decent into Tryingham valley. South of Wilcox it is bare. Last week I hiked from Barrington, Holmes Rd to Tom Lenard Shelter and there was some snow pack, but should be much less now. The weather forecast this week is for warm and some rain which will reduce the snow pack but not too much. 60 Degrees today. Last time I was on Bear Mt. the south side was clear, but the north side still had a lot of hard Ice, that was about 2 wks ago. Sages Ravine will still have considerable snow and ice. Where the trail/ground is bare it is quite dry. Ticks are out, so do a good tick check.
Thanks for the detailed response! I asked a tick question in one of the other threads as well, and you ended up covering that for me also. I didn't realize there was still a decent amount of snow to contend with, but I'm glad I asked.
jeconiah
05-08-2013, 22:34
First, thank you all for the great information already provided. It's so valuable to a newbie like me.
Secondly, I was wondering if someone could help me with information about the MA section, which I'm planning to do later this month. The trickiest part of my planning so far has been the beginning and end: where to park initially when northbound, and then how to get back to my car from Williamstown or North Adams?
Here's my itinerary so far:
1502.9 CT-MA border --> 1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter (6.90 miles)
1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter --> 1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter (14.30 miles)
1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter --> 1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North (7.10 miles)
1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North --> 1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin (14.00 miles)
1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin --> 1554 October Mountain Shelter (8.80 miles)
1554 October Mountain Shelter --> 1565.8 Dalton, MA (11.80 miles)
1565.8 Dalton, MA 1579.7 --> Mark Noepel Shelter (13.90 miles)
1579.7 Mark Noepel Shelter --> 1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter (6.60 miles)
1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter --> 1597.5 MA-VT border & back to town (11.20 miles)
What do you all think? Two likely changes might be East Mountain Retreat Center instead of Tom Leonard, and Bascom Lodge instead of Mark Noepel.
Hope you'll bear with two other questions:
1. What's the people traffic like in MA late May (especially in light of Memorial Day)?
2. What's the bug traffic like in MA late May? What's my biggest nuisance this time of year: mosquitoes, ticks, flies, or...?
Thanks again.
Alligator
05-08-2013, 22:55
First, thank you all for the great information already provided. It's so valuable to a newbie like me.
Secondly, I was wondering if someone could help me with information about the MA section, which I'm planning to do later this month. The trickiest part of my planning so far has been the beginning and end: where to park initially when northbound, and then how to get back to my car from Williamstown or North Adams?
Here's my itinerary so far:
1502.9 CT-MA border --> 1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter (6.90 miles)
1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter --> 1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter (14.30 miles)
1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter --> 1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North (7.10 miles)
1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North --> 1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin (14.00 miles)
1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin --> 1554 October Mountain Shelter (8.80 miles)
1554 October Mountain Shelter --> 1565.8 Dalton, MA (11.80 miles)
1565.8 Dalton, MA 1579.7 --> Mark Noepel Shelter (13.90 miles)
1579.7 Mark Noepel Shelter --> 1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter (6.60 miles)
1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter --> 1597.5 MA-VT border & back to town (11.20 miles)
What do you all think? Two likely changes might be East Mountain Retreat Center instead of Tom Leonard, and Bascom Lodge instead of Mark Noepel.
Hope you'll bear with two other questions:
1. What's the people traffic like in MA late May (especially in light of Memorial Day)?
2. What's the bug traffic like in MA late May? What's my biggest nuisance this time of year: mosquitoes, ticks, flies, or...?
Thanks again.
I had a great overnight stay at Bascom Lodge, the food was awesome.
Jeconiah
Seems like a reasonable schedule, you may find that the short days get a little boring, you may want to stretch to the next overnight stop once you get familiar with the terrain. Dalton to Nopel will be a challenging day. Take your time, it's a nice section. You could always stop at St Marys in Cheshire after the first 10mi and go on to Wilbur the next day.
Parking: At the North end, park at the Greylock Community Club on Rt 2 in North Adams. They charge a small fee, but it's very convenient and pretty safe. You'll need to backtrack if you are determined to get to the MA/VT border (but it's a nice section of trail, worth seeing twice...).
Use the Undermountain Trail in CT to access the AT at the south end, or maybe better for a new hiker, the Race Brook Falls Trail a few miles further north. Both are steep, but your first day will be shorter into Glen Brook. You have a lot of climbing that day regardless--don't get discouraged.
What are your dates? Goose Pond Cabin will not be open until May 18th, water will be cold, but take a dip to rinse off. Bascom Lodge is open only on weekends from May 18th until sometime in June (they have contractors working on projects there). Water is on now, so you can refill.
Water sources should be running fine, 'tho we are a little low on rain this spring.
You will find popular campsites busy on Memorial Day weekend, especially around Greylock.
Tom Leonard may be busy on Mem Day. There is a resident porky. Don't be friendly. There is a baseball bat.
Blackflies are pretty active, but not too bloodthirsty. Got a few bites yesterday. They are annoying, just don't let them ruin your day. Stay relaxed and keep moving. A headnet may make breaks a bit more enjoyable. I usually wear long sleeved polypro until mid June, just push up the sleeves when you get sweaty. Skeeters are just coming out, but is may stay cool enough at night to keep them quiet. You won't even notice the ticks, but check nightly.
I'd skip the East Mtn Retreat. It's a mile road walk from the trail, you won't need a shower that badly.
The Birdcage in Dalton is closed. Tom Levardi is still taking in hikers. His house is on the AT in Dalton, shortly after you cross the RR tracks.
Cosmo
First, thank you all for the great information already provided. It's so valuable to a newbie like me.
Secondly, I was wondering if someone could help me with information about the MA section, which I'm planning to do later this month. The trickiest part of my planning so far has been the beginning and end: where to park initially when northbound, and then how to get back to my car from Williamstown or North Adams?
Here's my itinerary so far:
1502.9 CT-MA border --> 1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter (6.90 miles)
1509.8 Glen Brook Shelter --> 1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter (14.30 miles)
1524.1 Tom Leonard Shelter --> 1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North (7.10 miles)
1531.2 Mt. Wilcox North --> 1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin (14.00 miles)
1545.2 Upper Goose Pond Cabin --> 1554 October Mountain Shelter (8.80 miles)
1554 October Mountain Shelter --> 1565.8 Dalton, MA (11.80 miles)
1565.8 Dalton, MA 1579.7 --> Mark Noepel Shelter (13.90 miles)
1579.7 Mark Noepel Shelter --> 1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter (6.60 miles)
1586.3 Wilbur Clearing Shelter --> 1597.5 MA-VT border & back to town (11.20 miles)
What do you all think? Two likely changes might be East Mountain Retreat Center instead of Tom Leonard, and Bascom Lodge instead of Mark Noepel.
Hope you'll bear with two other questions:
1. What's the people traffic like in MA late May (especially in light of Memorial Day)?
2. What's the bug traffic like in MA late May? What's my biggest nuisance this time of year: mosquitoes, ticks, flies, or...?
Thanks again.
Jeconiah
Parking: At the North end, park at the Greylock Community Club on Rt 2 in North Adams. They charge a small fee, but it's very convenient and pretty safe. You'll need to backtrack if you are determined to get to the MA/VT border (but it's a nice section of trail, worth seeing twice...).
Use the Undermountain Trail in CT to access the AT at the south end, or maybe better for a new hiker, the Race Brook Falls Trail a few miles further north. Both are steep, but your first day will be shorter into Glen Brook. You have a lot of climbing that day regardless--don't get discouraged.
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/mwashington.pdf
Take a look at this map - we just had a small group doing a day hike last Saturday, and we started onto the AT just South of Sages Ravine by entering via the trail seen as small dots at the far bottom of this map. There were several spots along the end of the road to park - saw no signs about parking (ie limiting length of parking). It is a bit harder to get to this trail access (the last section of road is dirt and there is a limit of ways to access it) but it makes for less hiking (avoids having to go over Bear Mtn or start at Race and backtrack to get to the border).
Also a note that you'll see there are two shelters where you plan to stop the 1st night, very close to each other. The Hemlocks is a newer (and larger) shelter with the loft (which you'll see several of in MA) and is also a bit closer to the trail - might be worth checking it first for availability. And I'll agree the climb the first day is a lot - particularly the (mile wise) short section from Race Brook to the top of Everett.
For the North end (depepnding on how you are parking/picking up etc.) - there is a cut off trail (Pine Cobble) about a mile from the VT border which comes back into Williamstown (into a housing area). You'd have to get back from there to the Community Club, but an option if you want a route with less backtrack on trail. There is a small parking spot there, but probably not for any long term use.
Bug wise - seemed to be quite a few out this past weekend. Also to note that the foliage wasn't out much yet at the higher points (you could actually see the green decreasing from the valley up to the top at the overlooks), but also there are several spots (particularly that first section up to Jug End, but also further north, particularly on Greylock) with exposed stretches where it can get warm on a bright, sunny day.
jeconiah
05-10-2013, 17:09
Very helpful, thank you both Cosmo and Billy! :D It looks like I might miss Bascom Lodge by a day, unless the itinerary changes again. Dates aren't 100%, but I think I'll be fine for Goose Pond Cabin.
I will probably try your recommendation re: parking, Billy. I've heard Bear Mountain is great, but I am not that experienced and sort of feeling like the extra mileage is going to kill me. So if I can start super close to a) the trail and b) the border, I'll be happy—for whatever reason, I really have in my head that I want to do the whole MA section, even if it means a little extra up front and a little backtracking at the end (to Williamstown or North Adams, haven't decided which yet). I think my plan is to then hitchhike back down to my car at the CT/MA border. I've hitched before and really enjoyed it, and hoping in light of the AT that this'll be a pretty ride-friendly area.
Monkeywrench
05-11-2013, 08:57
I've heard Bear Mountain is great, but I am not that experienced and sort of feeling like the extra mileage is going to kill me. So if I can start super close to a) the trail and b) the border...
If I were leaving my car for a length of time I would probably leave it at the trail-head parking lot for the Undermountain Trail. If you wish to avoid the climb up and over Bear Mountain you can take the UnderMountain Trail to the Paradise Lane Trail which skirts around the east side of Bear Mountain and joins the AT north of Bear Mountain, just before the descent into Sages Ravine.
You can start in Salisbury, CT and end at VT 9. It adds a few extra miles but at least it is a one way trip. In June you can expect lots of bugs!
SurfinBirdman
03-24-2015, 09:40
Seems like a wealth of knowledge on the Mass portion here, so I thought I would drop a question and revive this old thread. I'm looking to hike the MA portion over a bunch weekends through the summer and have questions about overnight parking at undermoutnain trailhead and race brook falls trailhead. I was thinking a good first weekend would be:
Day 1: Undermountain Trailhead => Bear Mountain => Laurel Ridge Shelter
Day 2: Laurel Ridge => Race Brook Falls Trailhead
Anyone have any thoughts about the hike? (Or about when we expect the trails to thaw after all this snow?)
Just Tom
03-24-2015, 13:50
Hopefully someone who has been on it more recently will comment with current conditions, but I would be careful tackling the north face of Bear Mountain. It doesn't get the sun on it and will be icy for quite some time. You can bypass it (since you are heading in to MA anyway) by taking the first right on the Undermountain trail onto Paradise lane trail, which connects to AT just past Bear Mountain.
Your itinerary sounds quite reasonable. Parking at either location will not be a problem if you can get there early on the weekends. Race Brook, in particular can get a bit crowded. As to when conditions will be snow free, probably well into April, if not May before it's all gone, you may encounter icy patches well into May in shady areas. We are getting slow melting now, but it's pretty deep up there this year.
Cosmo
Seems like a wealth of knowledge on the Mass portion here, so I thought I would drop a question and revive this old thread. I'm looking to hike the MA portion over a bunch weekends through the summer and have questions about overnight parking at undermoutnain trailhead and race brook falls trailhead. I was thinking a good first weekend would be:
Day 1: Undermountain Trailhead => Bear Mountain => Laurel Ridge Shelter
Day 2: Laurel Ridge => Race Brook Falls Trailhead
Anyone have any thoughts about the hike? (Or about when we expect the trails to thaw after all this snow?)
SurfinBirdman
03-25-2015, 10:36
Thanks Cosmo & Just Tom,
That's great advice! I've been watching the snow melt slowly here by Boston and fingers crossed will decently melted and a little warmer, mid-late april.
I'll let you know how it goes.
If the completion of the thaw is questionable when you head out, I suggest you bring the microspikes.
Day 1: Undermountain Trailhead => Bear Mountain => Laurel Ridge Shelter
Day 2: Laurel Ridge => Race Brook Falls Trailhead
Unless something has changed quite recently, Laurel Ridge is a Campsite. There is no shelter there, or anywhere else on the route you're considering.
Have fun,
--Peter
SurfinBirdman
03-29-2015, 15:16
thanks, thats my typo, was planning on tenting it anyways
Traveler
03-29-2015, 16:37
Parking at Undermountain or Race Brook Falls is pretty safe, I have not heard of any problems nor have experienced any before.
Right now there is still a considerable snowpack in that area of CT/MA. Probably won't be a full thaw in the forests for several weeks on northern exposure trail, southern exposure will be clear by the end of next week or so.
I like starting that hike at the parking area on Rte 41 North of Salisbury, CT and ending it on Vermont rte 9 near Bennington. Gives you a few miles of CT and VT and stays one way on the AT as opposed to hiking in to Sages Ravine and up to the Mass/Vermont border and back to North Adams. This is my favorite 10 to 12 day hike. I'm old and slow.
Just Tom
03-31-2015, 08:47
I like starting that hike at the parking area on Rte 41 North of Salisbury, CT and ending it on Vermont rte 9 near Bennington. Gives you a few miles of CT and VT and stays one way on the AT as opposed to hiking in to Sages Ravine and up to the Mass/Vermont border and back to North Adams. This is my favorite 10 to 12 day hike. I'm old and slow.
That sounds like a great hike! I look forward to when I can ever get more than 4 or 5 days off in a row to do a trip of that duration.
Cattuell
07-21-2016, 13:06
I will be doing this section hike in August....I plan on leaving the car at the Greylock community center...my question is, transportation-wise, what is the best way to get to the MA/CT border?
Dave Ackerson would be my first choice for a shuttle. Also check ATC shuttle list for more names.
Cosmo
robbym70
04-11-2019, 10:01
This is likley a good thread to post an update on the parking situation at Greylock Community Club. It's a no go, at least at this time. I called them about spotting my car there for a section hike this month. They said at this time they are not allowing AT hiker parking. Something about renovating the lot and she mentioned neighbors too. Not sure if there was an issue last year or what. David Ackerson, who provides AT shuttle services in the area, has been very helpful and is working with one of the councilmen in town to identify a suitable spot near the GCC. I may park at the Pattinson Road trailhead near the water treatment plant. I asked the N. Adams PD about activity here. They said there had been intermittent incidents but also suggested contacting them if and when I parked there and send them plate numbers and likely itinerary. David also offered to let me park on his property but this means finding a ride over when we come off trail Not too onerous but I think I'll take the chance on Pattinson road unless you all advise otherwise . Cheers. I'm starting out on April 27 from Jug End Road and ending at Rte 2 on May 4 or 5.
Yup, Greylock Club does not have space for AT parking this season, their neighbor is updating their parking lot (where club patrons used to be able to park). At present, we're looking at an area across the street from the Club as a parking area for this season. If it's a go, things should be ready by early June.
Pattinson seems a bit sketchy for more than a day or two for me. It's dark, infrequently travelled. I'd take Dave's offer. There are cabs you can call to take you to back to Dave's (no Uber out here in the sticks, yet).
Cosmo
Mouser999
04-12-2019, 08:04
There was a post on WB last week that the AT Parking at the Greylock Community Club is temp. closed due to some construction nearby. Parking may be avail in June.
When open, they ask for a donation to help with community activities. Riga shelter in CT has some great views. Limestone Spring Shelter is 1/2 mile of AT downhill with a bear box/tent platforms/privy & a water pipe right behind the shelter
robbym70
04-15-2019, 12:03
Pattinson seems a bit sketchy for more than a day or two for me. It's dark, infrequently travelled. I'd take Dave's offer. There are cabs you can call to take you to back to Dave's (no Uber out here in the sticks, yet).
Cosmo
Good tips...exactly the info I was hoping for. Thank you.