Greylock - Which Route for a Newbie?

I am going to the Bershires the week of 4/20 and wanted to know what route you would suggest for my girlfriend who has not done a lot of hiking as of late. I was considering the Hopper Trail. With the auto road closed, what other routes can we take that would be enjoyable and interesting at the same time? I don't want her to be miserable while I am having a blast.

Graylock

In January bolivia and another friend, we went up Mt gray lock by the Gould Trail. It was on the east side. It didnot seemed too bad. It took about 2 1/2 hrs. On that day there was ice under the snow but ice staberlizers work.

There are lots of trails up Greylock, I can't make a suggestion based on experience for an easy trail but I can -definitely- make a suggestion for a trail not to take a beginner on!! Thunderbolt!!!!!

The AT isn't so bad, coming up from the south side of the mountain. It's a grind, but there is a nice shelter two thirds of the way up, a short distance down a side trail. The north face is pretty steep. How many days will you be in the area. The Riga Plateau in south western Mass, on the AT might also be a good option. You could start in CT, just south of Bear Mountain, hike north through into Mass, depending on how many days you have available. That stretch of the AT is supposed to be very nice.

Going on the assumption you are talking day-hike since you mention, no recent hiking + girlfriend (without mention of trying to make her mad at you) I'd consider either Gould or if not too muddy the Cheshire Harbor Trail. This trail is reached from the Old Adams Road & if muddy, this old road & part of the trail can be messy.

Does it have to be Greylock? If I wanted a nice hike I'd look at something on the Riga Plataeu, my favorite being Race & Everett. Parts of that are a little steep, not bad. Bear in CT a more pleasant hike.

Back to Greylock:
From the North, since (I believe) the road is closed, you could walk up the Road to the AT & then take the AT where it crosses the road. While the AT from the south is doable as a day trip, it's pretty long, about 15-16 miles RT. From the north a bit shorter but steeper. From the Vistor Center off of Route 7 the road walk is about 15-16 RT also.

My suggestion would be to start on the west side, at the trailhead for the Hopper and Money Brook Trails. I'd take the Money Brook trail all the way to where it crosses Notch Road, turn right on Old Summit Rd trail which ends at the AT just south of Mt. Williams.Then turn right (south) on the AT and go over Mt. Fitch and then on to Greylock. Then go down the Hopper Trail back to where you started. This hike is a little long but not too tough. Make sure to stay on the Money Brook Trail in the beginning and don't take the Mt. Prospect Trail. This is a very steep, long climb and more distance. You could go up and down Hopper but it is a long hard pull up hill and the route above is significantly more gradual. Plus you don't have much of a loop choice with Hopper only. Here is a map (click lower right corner to enlarge) Mt. Greylock Map (I may not have all the trail names right, but the map is pretty accurate). Remember, I think the roads are now closed for a big construction project, but trails are all open.

Though I haven't done the Money Brook or Cheshire Harbor Trails, I think one of the better first time trails would be the AT from the north. There's a parking area just west of the reservoir, next to some metal building. The AT crosses right there and goes flat for maybe 1/2-3/4 of a mile, then ascends up the northern shoulder of Mt. Prospect. Though it doesn't hit the true summit, there is a nice NW lookout there.

After that, it drops down, crosses the closed auto road, and climbs up Mt. Williams for another nice view (ENE if I recall). It then passes over Mt. Fitch (no real view or marking of the summit, but a few lookouts along the way), past the top of the Thunderbolt, and up to the summit tower (closed).

I did this in November without snow on the ground and it took under 2 hours one way, so its not an overly long hike. The steep sections are the Mt. Prospect and Mt. Williams ascents - you get these done early in the hike. You can bypass climbing Mt. Williams on the descent by taking the Old Summit Road trail (I think that's the name), which starts in the gap between Mt. Fitch and Mt. Williams and dumps out next to the auto road.

The Hopper, as mentioned earlier, is a really nice area too...I haven't actually summitted from this area, but the views from Stony Ledge near it are superb - well worth the 1 mile detour.

The southern approach from the AT is rather long and, though there are some nice views, is a lot of straight out woods trail hiking - not as scenic as other parts of the park.

Greylock

Thanks for the responses all. Yes, I was considering a day hike somewhere in the 10 mile R/T range on Greylock. Why? Becuase I will be staying in Hancock, MA and have always wanted to hike Greylock. I lived in Sudbury, MA and never got there. I hike year round from NH to ME to PA where I now live. She on the other hand is in decent shape but has not done much hiking in a bout a year or so. I want it to be challenging but enjoyable. The Thunderbolt is out of the question for her level. The Money Brook or Hopper are my choices but the AT sounds good from the North as well.

where in PA are you? I am in York, PA. I have a group of friends and we are pretty active in hiking in the same areas that you like to go.

Pa

I live in Lionville man. About 40 minutes outside of Reading towards West Chester.