Planning a section thru VT, MA, CT this summer. Can you camp anywhere in MA and CT like you can in the south or does it have to be in designated campsites?
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Planning a section thru VT, MA, CT this summer. Can you camp anywhere in MA and CT like you can in the south or does it have to be in designated campsites?
designated only. narrow corridor through lots of private lands.
It is designated only, but not for the reason you state as there is significant vast public land the AT runs through. Only in a few spots is it a narrow corridor or right of way across private property and most of those places are pretty obvious or indicated as such.Quote:
Originally Posted by linus72
The rest of the time it's just not real practical. And you do cross a lot of private land.
In Conn. no open fires
That's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks everybody.
this feels a little misleading, at least for MA. yes, there are large tracts of public land that the trail passes through but generally speaking those lands are also fairly well covered with camping options. the race/everett ridge, beartown, october mt, and greylock all come to mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starchild
there are also some narrow corridors between these tracts of public land. some of the longest stretches between designated sites (great barrington and tyringham) are precisely what the other poster described - narrow corridors weaving through private lands.
+1 - There are not many public lands (State Parks/Preserves/Forests) the AT passes through in CT.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatexpectations
A good example of public land confusion is the Riga Plateau in northwest CT, arguably one of the nicest sections of the AT in the region. Hiking the AT from Lion's head to Bear Mountain one could be forgiven for thinking the land is public given the relative wildness of the area, but it's not. It is owned and managed by the Mt. Riga Association, a landowners group who has given access permission for a relatively narrow AT corridor to traverse the plateau. It's not a good idea to stray too far off the trail there, certainly not past the Boundary Markers that flank the sides of the trail. Over the years there have been issues with careless campers up to mischief, including ignition of several forest fires that were drivers for the all-season campfire ban and designated camping area regulation.
Actually, it is for the reason i state. I am with the CT AMC AT management committee and I know this to be true. And trust me when I say we almost lost the rights to some of those right-of-ways (especially the Riga plateau as mentioned above) because of irresponsible hikers, and we had several very bad fires along our section of the trail the last few seasons. No way to prove if these were your typical thru or section hiker or the more likely inexperienced locals out weekending but either way, please follow the rules in CT, or we could have a lot more trouble. Happy trails!
we also have a TON of camping options in the 52 miles. There's no reason to stealth unless its life and death. Please LNT.