where to find a map for bear mountain in ct

[sherbi5]

im going on an overnight to bear mountain tonight, but I do not know where to get a map. Is there one on the trail head? Is it in the nearby town (Salisbury)?

[gsingjane]

Sherbi, don't know if this will catch you in time, but the ATC-CT puts out a very sketchy trail map at the trailhead kiosks... if you are going in at Sages Ravine or the Undermountain Trail you should be able to find one. It gives you mileage (somewhat accurate), campgrounds, shelters and water. Or, most outfitters in the area should carry the official ATC topo maps. I think that even if you don't find a map you should still be okay; the trail is very well-marked and well-travelled in that location and you will probably be running into other hikers at least once an hour if not sooner, especially on the weekend.

Have fun, stay cool!

Jane in CT

I don't know exactly

[Kevin A. Boyce]

The NY/NJ Trail Conference also puts out a map for the Southern Taconics that also covers that whole region.

The Berkshire Natural Resources Council has a map that I found one time on line, here is a link as well for a .jpg version of a map that you can buy from

http://www.pdcarto.com/common/STR.jpg

*** Warning, do not use this online version as your sole map though... you are asking for problems if you do. I cannot vouch for accuracy and how up to date it is.***

You are better off heading to an EMS store or a place like Backcountry Outfitters in Kent, or even the small outdoor shop in Kent to get the latest map and info on the area.

To add to what Jane said, there should be plenty of folks out on the trail currently, it is about prime thru hiker season, and the area is very popular with dayhikers and weekenders. The trail is very well blazed, you should have no problems finding and following it. If anything, the place will be like a busy high way at rush hour with folks.


Enjoy...
KevBoy

[Blue Jay]

There is a very good one in the ATC JOURNEYS

[sherbi5]

GUYS thx alot. There ended up being a map at the head of the trail. I thank everyone who responded. I had a great time eating blueberries. THX again

[gsingjane]

Oh, aren't the blueberries great this time of year? My daughter ate her way up and down every mountain three weeks ago...

Jane in CT

[jackiebolen]

Who needs a map? Just follow the painted trees.

[Jack Tarlin]

Ever done this section, Jackie? I just did it this week.

Some parts are blazed just fine. Some aren't. Kinda like the rest of the Trail.

If you wanna hike without maps, that's great, but advising other people to do so, or telling folks they can always count on using someone else's maps (like you did a few weeks ago) isn't really such hot advice.

In New Hampshire, where I live, ill-prepared and ill-equipped hikers that get into trouble, get lost, or need to be rescued, are subject to getting fined if its determined that their difficulties were their own fault. (Invariably, "lost" hikers either don't have maps or don't know how to read and use the ones they've got. Very few search and rescues are for uninjured folks who have maps....the reason: People with maps don't tend not to get lost, and if they DO get lost, they tend to rescue themselves. People without maps wait for help, and sometimes die).

Case in point: I encountered a couple of ladies a few days ago near Kent who didn't have a clue where they were, which direction they were going, or how they were going to get there. They weren't technically "lost" but if left to their own devices, and if they headed off on their own (the Trail wasn't blazed that well there, either), who the hell knows where they'd have ended up.

Smart people carry maps and know how to use them, even on trails that are allegedly well marked.

[justusryans]

I agree, I don't mind helping anyone in a jam. But don't go out all unprepared and expect to sponge of others. That's not hiking, that's welfare.

[jackiebolen]

Sorry, the internet just didn't really portray my sense of humor. I was mostly joking about just following the trees! I do not think that people should travel without maps, that being said, I did on the AT and found if the easiest trail I had even navigated in the wilderness.