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  1. #1
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    Default Any backpacking trails near Worcester, Mass

    I'm going to visit a friend up in Mass and we might have time for a quick trip. It has gotta be close and gotta get him home Sunday morning so it probably has to be a short hike out to the cars for the next morning. He mentioned Wachusett and I see online there are hiking trails there, but I'm from out of state so I don't know if there are any back country camping sites there. Any suggestions appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Midstate trail, RI to NH, near worcester: http://www.midstatetrail.org/map_page.html It has a couple shelters: https://sites.google.com/site/treksa...id-state-trail

    Tully Trail: http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to...ww.google.com/ Around Royalston, MA, 1 hour NW of Worcester.

    Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M&M Trail), ends at Mt. Monadnock, starts in CT.

    Monadnock Sunapee Greenway, http://www.msgtc.org/map Goes from Mt. Monadnock to Mt. Sunapee (NH) and has shelters a day apart; it's supposed to be pretty nice, but takes longer than an overnight (I suppose you could do an out and back).

    Wapack Trail, Mt. Watatic to N. Pack Monadnock; not much camping though (maybe at Windblown XC ski area with permission and fee).

    I'd say the Tully Trail would be best for a nearby overnight, staying at the shelter. Closer might be hiking around Mt. Wachusett (lots of trails on Mt. Wach) and the Midstate Trail and spending the night at the Muddy Pond shelter, Westminster, MA.

    Bring DEET and headnet.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowleopard View Post
    Midstate trail, RI to NH, near worcester: http://www.midstatetrail.org/map_page.html It has a couple shelters: https://sites.google.com/site/treksa...id-state-trail

    Tully Trail: http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to...ww.google.com/ Around Royalston, MA, 1 hour NW of Worcester.

    Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M&M Trail), ends at Mt. Monadnock, starts in CT.

    Monadnock Sunapee Greenway, http://www.msgtc.org/map Goes from Mt. Monadnock to Mt. Sunapee (NH) and has shelters a day apart; it's supposed to be pretty nice, but takes longer than an overnight (I suppose you could do an out and back).

    Wapack Trail, Mt. Watatic to N. Pack Monadnock; not much camping though (maybe at Windblown XC ski area with permission and fee).

    I'd say the Tully Trail would be best for a nearby overnight, staying at the shelter. Closer might be hiking around Mt. Wachusett (lots of trails on Mt. Wach) and the Midstate Trail and spending the night at the Muddy Pond shelter, Westminster, MA.

    Bring DEET and headnet.
    That about sums them up. The MidState will be the closest to you. The area north of Spencer (next to Worcester) is great. There are some shelters and tent platforms in the area too. Here is some trail info from when I ran the MidState(broken out into individual sections). http://www.backpackingengineer.com/c...s/ma-midstate/

  4. #4
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    Thanks a ton. After I look all of these up I might post back some follow-up questions.

  5. #5
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    Thanks everyone for all the trip ideas! I just wanted to follow up on the trip for anyone looking for something similar.

    We ended up doing a short trip on the southern end of the Midstate Trail along with some side trails in the area, including the tri-state marker on the MA-CT-RI border. The shelter and tent area was within Douglas State Forest, and was an easy 18 mile drive from the Worcester area. There was even a safe place to park overnight if you call the rangers, and it is outside the park entrance where you would have to pay to park so it was nice saving the $10.

  6. #6
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    Wapac Trail is a gem. Not very long, but pleasant hiking and great views. Monadnock-Sunapee is pretty nice also, though about half of it is on country roads, ATV trails, and the like. MA Mid-State trail similar to M-S trail in that regard.

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