Best hikes/climbs in W.Mass??

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jjo

jjo

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The Tetons in pic.. live in MidWest
I have a short business trip planned for mid Sept and will be staying in the Springfield area as well as Pittsfield. I plan to extend the stay a day or 2 to get in some hiking. Won't be able to get up to the whites this trip. What are are your favorite hikes in that general area? I'm looking for 5-6 mile RT day hikes with some elevation, view, solitude, etc. Living now in midwest allows no access to hills/mtns so this will be a treat for me. I have the AMC Mass/RI guide book but would love to know YOUR favorites and recos before I head out. Thanks in advance. A "hungry for hills" hiker,
 
If you have a rental car, you could do Holyoke Range & Mt. Tom after work simply enough.

Race & Everett are two of my favorites either alone or together. Greylock in that mileage requirement, I believe would mean starting off the road up, either around Sperry or higher.
 
elevation, view, SOLITUDE?

If solitude is a factor you might consider the Deerfield River Valley area of W. Franklin Co. The Holyoke Range and Greylock will satisfy your desire for the elevation and view part of the equation but are low on the solitude scale.

A short but very rewarding hike along the Deerfield is Mt. Negus. Climb up from Zoar Gap (I can give more specific directions if you are interested.) It has probably the best view per effort ratio of any hike I've done anywhere including Bugle Cliff in Crawford Notch. Probably 2-3 mi. round trip, depending upon how high you want to go.

Longer trips are possible in Monroe State Forest further up the valley from Negus. Monroe State Forest You can easily pretend you are in the Whites as you hike up alongside Dunbar Brook.

I can't guarantee you'll be alone on either of these hikes but the odds are better than in the more popular areas.
 
bcskier said:
If solitude is a factor you might consider the Deerfield River Valley area of W. Franklin Co. The Holyoke Range and Greylock will satisfy your desire for the elevation and view part of the equation but are low on the solitude scale.

A short but very rewarding hike along the Deerfield is Mt. Negus. Climb up from Zoar Gap (I can give more specific directions if you are interested.) It has probably the best view per effort ratio of any hike I've done anywhere including Bugle Cliff in Crawford Notch. Probably 2-3 mi. round trip, depending upon how high you want to go.

Longer trips are possible in Monroe State Forest further up the valley from Negus. Monroe State Forest You can easily pretend you are in the Whites as you hike up alongside Dunbar Brook.

I can't guarantee you'll be alone on either of these hikes but the odds are better than in the more popular areas.
Click to expand...


BCSkier: Thanks Good info. Cannot find Mt Negus in my AMC Mass/RI guidebook. Did find Deerfield R and Zoar near Rt. 2 on map and Monroe SF further up road..Where can I get more info, map or directions/access to the trail??
Thanks much. Sounds like just what I'm looking for...
 
Negus Mt.

The mountain is shown on the quadrangle for Rowe, MA. Use topozone.com to get a view of the map. The trail is not marked/maintained but is well-used and easy to follow. Attached is a copy of a section of the Rowe quad on which I've marked in red the approx. location of the trail.

If this is still too vague let me know.

bcskier
 
:D
bcskier said:
The mountain is shown on the quadrangle for Rowe, MA. Use topozone.com to get a view of the map. The trail is not marked/maintained but is well-used and easy to follow. Attached is a copy of a section of the Rowe quad on which I've marked in red the approx. location of the trail.

If this is still too vague let me know.

bcskier
Click to expand...

Thanks again. Very helpful. Printed them out. I'll try that area when/if I can get away from business duties. I'll let you know my results. Thanks BC.
 
When I lived in Western MA (left 15 years ago) I loved...LOVED Mt. Greylock. I enjoyed it in every season. The area known as the Hopper is (was, anyways) particularly dear to me. Except near the summit, I would see very few people along the two routes below.

A fairly short trip would have you park at/near Sperry Campground and make a loop of the Money Brook and Hopper Trails.

A longer loop from the same parking lot would take the Money Brook Trail to the AT. Head south on the AT to the summit. From the summit you could continue on the AT to a trail (Deer Hill Trail?) that takes you back to the Sperry Camground Road or take the Overlook Trail to the same (Deer Hill?) Trail and back to Sperry. This loop is much longer than the first and involves more elevation, but I used to have no problem making it as a day hike. I can't remember the distance.

Have Fun!
-vegematic
 
jjo, you might want to check out Teejay's thread on Gathering 9.0, which is supposed to be in western Mass. around the time you're going to be there. Look for it in "Trips & Events." There'll be plenty of people going out on all kinds of different excursions.
 
jjo said:
What are are your favorite hikes in that general area? I'm looking for 5-6 mile RT day hikes with some elevation, view, solitude, etc.
Click to expand...

A nice hike in the 5-6 mile range would be on the west side of Mt. Greylock. Park at the Hopper trailhead and follow the Money Brook trail about 1/4 mile, then turn right onto the Haley Farm trail. Follow that to Stony Ledge and enjoy the view of the Hopper. Walk along Sperry Road, through the camping area, take a left at the Hopper trail and head downhill. At the Money Brook cutoff, take a right and follow to the Money Brook trail where you turn left and follow the brook back to the trailhead.
 
Thanks guys...MANY good tips. Hard to pick the best ones. Will be in Stockbridge and Pittsfield early in the trip and then base in Springfield for my "free"days before return. There are so many good options. Graylock and Alander are mentioned a lot as well as other many interesting climbs. Nice to have all these choices. Its pretty limited in Midwest..It'll be good to be on a real trail with some elevation and views. Before the snow flies, I also plan to do the "whites" for my annual fix. Y'all know the trails and have been a BIG help!!! :)My only dilema is which mt. and which trail??
 
In Sunderland there is a nice mountain by the name of Mount Toby. It has a fire tower at the top and a nice view of the Mt. Holyoke/Mt. Tom Range. It is probably 15 miles north of Springfield, has considerable solitude, and has a fairly mellow trail. There is about a 5 mile loop including a fire tower, and a very nice waterfall.







http://www.percious.com/hiking/other/MA - Mount Toby - May 2005/index.html

The seven sisters is a nice hike, but fairly grueling. Here is a nice shot of the ridge (as seen from Toby):





Have a great trip!

-percious
 
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jfb said:
A nice hike in the 5-6 mile range would be on the west side of Mt. Greylock. Park at the Hopper trailhead and follow the Money Brook trail about 1/4 mile, then turn right onto the Haley Farm trail. Follow that to Stony Ledge and enjoy the view of the Hopper. Walk along Sperry Road, through the camping area, take a left at the Hopper trail and head downhill. At the Money Brook cutoff, take a right and follow to the Money Brook trail where you turn left and follow the brook back to the trailhead.
Click to expand...

Jfb: Sounds like a good hike. Can't find Haley Farm Trail in my book but this is '95 edition of AMC Mass/RI guide (believe there's newer one). Understand the hopper is attractive but having trouble figuring out the loop and connections. Hike sounds perfect otherwise...Thanks
 
For a quick hike I would say park at the "notch" rt. 146 between S hadley and Amherst and hike up Bare Mt (very short hike) and futher south along the M&M to Mt. Hitchcock. This was one of my favorite after class activities while at UMass.

Also North Hampton and Amherst both have some good places for food and drinks.
 
Another vote for Greylock. Park half way up the auto road a little ways past where the AT crosses. There is a parking lot on the left. Come back to the AT and hike up, which is south to the two smaller peaks of Mt Williams and Mt Fitch. Continue onto Greylock, then descend into the Hopper down the Hopper trail. Connect with the Money Brook trail and this will climb back up to the auto road and come out near where you parked your car.
It is longer than what you are asking about, but it is a nice loop hike. Although, it does end with a pretty good climb back up the Money Brook trail to your car.
Have fun with what ever you choose, Eric
 
jjo said:
Jfb: Sounds like a good hike. Can't find Haley Farm Trail in my book but this is '95 edition of AMC Mass/RI guide (believe there's newer one). Understand the hopper is attractive but having trouble figuring out the loop and connections. Hike sounds perfect otherwise...Thanks
Click to expand...

You can pick up the Williams College Outing club guidebook at the Mountain Goat, located on Rt. 43 just south of the intersection with Rt. 2. That guidebook has all the trails, although the 18-meter contour line intervals is annoying. The start of the Haley Farm trail is pretty easy to find.
 
brianW said:
For a quick hike I would say park at the "notch" rt. 146 between S hadley and Amherst and hike up Bare Mt (very short hike) and futher south along the M&M to Mt. Hitchcock. This was one of my favorite after class activities while at UMass.

Brian, Thanks,,But did u mean Rt 116 between S.Hadley and Amherst or ? Sorry but can't find access you're describing. Sounds like good hike..Thanks
Click to expand...
 
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