Roads condition: Alander, Frissell, & Brace - MA / CT /NY

[Papa Bear]

I hope to do some hiking in the near term near the SW corner of Massachusetts.

I am interested in stuff west of the AT, including Perry Peak, Alander, Frissell, Brace and Riga (aka Bald Peak). The main "thoroughfare" (if you can use that term) is a mostly dirt road called East Street in Massachusetts, and Mt. Washington Road in Connecticut.

Any one have any recent data on road condition, access gates etc? I don't suppose there is a cheap motel anywhere near here? (Copake Falls? Salisbury?, Mt. Washington?) I could bring my stuff to camp out but this is part of a larger trip and that would not be convenient.

Thanks

 

[BlackBuffalo]

From what I've heard East Street is blocked off near the CT state line.
You can access Mt.Washington SF and the trailhead for Riga/Bear Mtn.
Motels - try Great Barrington, not too far away.

I do a large loop hike there a couple times a year for conditioning. From the Mt.Wash HQ south via Charcoal Pit trail, Ashley Hill Trail, Mt. Brace, north on S.Taconic to the foot of Alander, up and back east to hq.
I sleep well after that.

The Catskills just to the west offers much more bang for the buck though.

Dave

 

[Taconic]

I hope to do some hiking in the near term near the SW corner of Massachusetts.

I am interested in stuff west of the AT, including Perry Peak, Alander, Frissell, Brace and Riga (aka Bald Peak). The main "thoroughfare" (if you can use that term) is a mostly dirt road called East Street in Massachusetts, and Mt. Washington Road in Connecticut.

Any one have any recent data on road condition, access gates etc? I don't suppose there is a cheap motel anywhere near here? (Copake Falls? Salisbury?, Mt. Washington?) I could bring my stuff to camp out but this is part of a larger trip and that would not be convenient.

Thanks

East street is blocked at the CT state line every winter. I haven't been out that way in a while, but last I saw it wasn't blocked (that usually happens around November.) It doesn't really matter, though--the better route is to just take 41 to the north end of the plateau and follow East St. south. The road is in much better shape on that end and is not ever blocked.

What is Perry Peak? I'm very familiar with the area and have dozens of maps, but I've never seen a peak labeled as such on the plateau. Care to link?

Also, Bald Peak and Mt. Riga are very different these days. On old maps, Bald Peak was called Mt. Riga, but today's Riga is well within Riga Corp's land and is for all intents and purposes unreachable by the general public. You'll definitely not want to go to that one from what I understand about the Riga folks.

Bald's situation is... iffy. It was once accessible from an AT spur, but Riga Corp shut that down years ago. The land is currently posted, but I'm really not sure if that means access is currently denied. TNC acquired a number of easements several years ago on that side of the plateu, so it may once again be legal to access. Either way, it would be a bushwhack--the spur trail is long overgrown.

As for motels, there are none in Mt. Washington and as for Salisbury, I'm not sure you can use "cheap" in a sentence with it. I can't think of any in the immediate area. I know there are some in the vicinity of Kent off of US-7, but I can't vouch for their pricing. Race Brook Lodge is right off of MA-41 and right next to Mt. Race, but I have no idea what it costs--more than a motel, I'd wager. I also wouldn't be surprised if there are options in the vicinity of Mt. Fray because of the ski area, but I've never looked.

If you wind up camping, you should know that there's no camping along the South Taconic Trail...
...mostly .
There is a cabin below the summit of Alander. It's old and creepy, but it's a roof.
There are also several camp sites about halfway up Alander by way of the forest HQ.

Those are about your only options unless you want to head over to the AT. There are a few obvious tent sites along the STT, but officially camping is not allowed except at the aforementioned sites.

 

[Mike P.]

Bald they restricted around 1995, which is when I was there.

While the area isn't known for cheap, I would think there would be a Hostel or two, after all the AT does go through there.

 

[Papa Bear]

I have a current map from the NYNJTC (2006) which shows a trail up to Bald Peak from Mt Washington road and another "Bald Peak Trail" from the AT. The peak stands about .1 miles east of the Mt. Washington Road. This is about a half mile south of Bingham Pond and about a half mile north-east of south pond.

Is this the peak we're talking about being posted?

I know there is a "Mt Riga" about a mile south which is not what I'm after.I know the name was historically used for several peaks.

Here's a map of where I want to go: Bald Peak

There are many visits logged on Geocaching.com (a cache is there as well as a survey marker) so it wouldn't seem to be restricted.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Mike P.]

I have a current map from the NYNJTC (2006) which shows a trail up to Bald Peak from Mt Washington road and another "Bald Peak Trail" from the AT. The peak stands about .1 miles east of the Mt. Washington Road. This is about a half mile south of Bingham Pond and about a half mile north-east of south pond.

Is this the peak we're talking about being posted?

I know there is a "Mt Riga" about a mile south which is not what I'm after.I know the name was historically used for several peaks.

Here's a map of where I want to go: Bald Peak

There are many visits logged on Geocaching.com (a cache is there as well as a survey marker) so it wouldn't seem to be restricted.

Thanks for the info.

yes that peak is restricted

 

[MichaelJ]

Things may have changed in 2008:
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/press/press3821.html

 

[Taconic]

I have a current map from the NYNJTC (2006) which shows a trail up to Bald Peak from Mt Washington road and another "Bald Peak Trail" from the AT. The peak stands about .1 miles east of the Mt. Washington Road. This is about a half mile south of Bingham Pond and about a half mile north-east of south pond.

Is this the peak we're talking about being posted?

Yup. That trail no longer exists.

There are many visits logged on Geocaching.com (a cache is there as well as a survey marker) so it wouldn't seem to be restricted.

The area is posted. I can tell you for a fact that the remains of the trail are heavily posted because I ran across it once a couple of years ago.

However, like MichealJ's link suggests, TNC now manages an awful lot of land on the plateau. The land is definitely still posted, but whether that's because nobody has bothered removing the signs yet or not, I'm not sure. I once tried talking to TNC about their policy for access to land in the area, but I just was run around and never put in contact with somebody that could actually answer my question.

I don't doubt that people still visit Bald, but I just thought it prudent to let you know that it may still be seen as trespassing in the eyes of Riga Corp.

 

[Papa Bear]

Perry Peak, huh?

...
What is Perry Peak? I'm very familiar with the area and have dozens of maps, but I've never seen a peak labeled as such on the plateau. Care to link?
...

Sorry about that. Perry Peak is near the MA-NY line up in Pittsfield (actually Richmond). I put it on the list since I thought I might jaunt up there on the way to or from my target area.

GMap of Perry Peak


Bald Peak, yeah.

And Thanks to Taconic and others for the beta on Bald Peak. If I attempt it (a matter of available time) it will likely be from Mt. Washington Road, since that's a rather quick in and out, bushwhack or not.

In fact in one of the recovery reports (from Salisbury in 1942) for the survey marker it was stated:

PARK TRUCK HERE AND PROCEED SOUTHEAST ON TRAIL FOR ABOUT 1000 FEET (4-1/2 MINUTES A MANS WALK) TO THE SUMMIT OF BALD PEAK AND STATION.

I love that "4-1/2 MINUTES A MANS WALK"

The other report, from (from So. Egremont in 1984) has:

CONTINUE SOUTH ON DIRT ROAD FOR 4.3 KM (2.2 MI) TO A SMALL PARKING AREA ON THE LEFT AND SIGNS FOR AUDOBON TRAIL, BALD PEAK AND MT RIGA. TURN LEFT INTO PARKING AREA AND END OF TRUCK TRAVEL. FOLLOW TRAIL EASTERLY FOR 0.2 KM (0.1 MI) TO HIGH GROUND AND STATION SITE.

 

[Taconic]

Perry Peak, huh?


Sorry about that. Perry Peak is near the MA-NY line up in Pittsfield (actually Richmond). I put it on the list since I thought I might jaunt up there on the way to or from my target area.

GMap of Perry Peak

Ah. OK, I'm aware of that mountain. I was just wondering if maybe you had an interesting old USGS quad of the plateau that I'd missed.

And Thanks to Taconic and others for the beta on Bald Peak. If I attempt it (a matter of available time) it will likely be from Mt. Washington Road, since that's a rather quick in and out, bushwhack or not.

Sure thing.

I can't help you with that bit of the plan, though. None of my maps show a trail ever having been on that side of the mountain, and I've certainly never seen it or its remains. I'm actually not even sure there are still any pull offs in the immediate vicinity of the mountain... there may be, I just can't remember seeing any.

My suggestion would be to be careful about where you park along that section of the road. It's a narrow area and I've been told that the Riga people don't like finding people parked along it. There are pull offs between the state line and Bunker Hill Rd, but I've never used them and I'm not sure if they're posted--they may well be. A lot of land along that part of the road is.

100% legal parking can be found at the state line (Frissel trailhead) or on Bunker Hill Rd (the "back" way up Lion's Head) if you don't find any accommodating pull offs. Either would require a walk of probably a mile or so.

 

[Papa Bear]

...

I can't help you with that bit of the plan, though. None of my maps show a trail ever having been on that side of the mountain, and I've certainly never seen it or its remains. I'm actually not even sure there are still any pull offs in the immediate vicinity of the mountain... there may be, I just can't remember seeing any.
...

Thanks again.

Here's a link sent to me by a friend not on this forum: Interlaken Inn

Note item 8 mentions this Bald Peak Trail and Item 9 mentions signage etc. on Mt Washington Road Of course I have no idea if this is out of date, but judging from the other stuff on the site, it looks to be.

So I shall see what I shall see when I get there.

One last questions: I'll be staying in Great Barrington. Would it be better to go all the way south on Rte 41 and then head onto the plateau from Salisbury to get to Bald peak and / or to get to the Frissell trailhead?

I assume for Alander, it would be better to go in from the north.

 

[MichaelJ]

So, just to confuse things a bit more, I talked to someone I know who has a place in the Riga property. According to him, there's a trailhead (pulloff to park a few cars) on Mt. Washington Road that has a short, *blazed* trail up to Bald Peak, and while the surroundings are all posted (and you'll see the signs as you drive the road), the trailhead is not posted, and he says the trail is open to the public.

 

[Taconic]

Note item 8 mentions this Bald Peak Trail and Item 9 mentions signage etc. on Mt Washington Road Of course I have no idea if this is out of date, but judging from the other stuff on the site, it looks to be.

I definitely don't recall seeing any signage. I imagine it was removed in the '90s. It's possible that it's still there and I just never noticed, though.

One last questions: I'll be staying in Great Barrington. Would it be better to go all the way south on Rte 41 and then head onto the plateau from Salisbury to get to Bald peak and / or to get to the Frissell trailhead?

I assume for Alander, it would be better to go in from the north.

I'd come in from the north for both. East St is paved until the vicinity of the forest HQ. The northern approach is definitely in better shape than the southern one. I don't think you'd save much time (if any) by going all the way south on 41 and then looping back up.

 

[BlackBuffalo]

Perry Peak I accessed last year in the town of Richmond. Starting at the Hilltop apple orchard, they provide a map of the route for free.

 

[Papa Bear]

So, just to confuse things a bit more, I talked to someone I know who has a place in the Riga property. According to him, there's a trailhead (pulloff to park a few cars) on Mt. Washington Road that has a short, *blazed* trail up to Bald Peak, and while the surroundings are all posted (and you'll see the signs as you drive the road), the trailhead is not posted, and he says the trail is open to the public.

Perry Peak I accessed last year in the town of Richmond. Starting at the Hilltop apple orchard, they provide a map of the route for free.

Yippee, looks like I may have not 1, but 2 walk-ups.

 

[Jazzbo]

I vote for Race Brook Lodge

PB

Check out Race Brook Lodge. RB Lodge is located at one of the trailheads that lead up from east side of Riga Plataeu and AT. We stayed there when the kids were little and we hiked up to Mt Everett (not Everest). It is really neat place - comfortable and rustic - not overly antiquy. I think the flavor comes though on their website. There was a great restaurant right next door too. Sounds heavily developed but that's all there is there. No other commercial stuff and very rural surroundings.

http://www.rblodge.com/

I remember asking the owner about what was under this huge tarp out back and he showed me this huge old antique wooden cabin cruiser from that used to ply the waters around Manhatten Island. He's either finished it by now or it who knows maybe he's still working on it.

BTW thanks for the info on the bunkhouse at Chimney Pond. It was really great staying up there.

Ray

 

[Jay H]

If you wind up camping, you should know that there's no camping along the South Taconic Trail...
...mostly .
There is a cabin below the summit of Alander. It's old and creepy, but it's a roof.
There are also several camp sites about halfway up Alander by way of the forest HQ.

I hiked Alander from Bash Bish via the STT a few weeks ago, stopped at the cabin. It's old, creepy, has the usual mice issue but it's in decent shape from what I could tell, wood stove is still there, functional looking, not a lot of cut firewood.. but would make for a fun night....

Jay

 

[Taconic]

I hiked Alander from Bash Bish via the STT a few weeks ago, stopped at the cabin. It's old, creepy, has the usual mice issue but it's in decent shape from what I could tell, wood stove is still there, functional looking, not a lot of cut firewood.. but would make for a fun night....

Jay

The stove is still there? I thought the DCR got rid of it a few years ago.

I was up there in August, but didn't stick my head in. I noticed that somebody hauled a ladder up at some point since I was last there, though. I don't imagine that was a fun carry, but I noted that the roof looked it be in a bit better shape than it was a few years back. It looks like somebody has taken an interest in ensuring that the cabin doesn't collapse any time soon.

 

[Jay H]

The stove is still there? I thought the DCR got rid of it a few years ago.

I was up there in August, but didn't stick my head in. I noticed that somebody hauled a ladder up at some point since I was last there, though. I don't imagine that was a fun carry, but I noted that the roof looked it be in a bit better shape than it was a few years back. It looks like somebody has taken an interest in ensuring that the cabin doesn't collapse any time soon.

Yup, small stove, even has instructions on the wall on how to make sure the flue is open. I saw the ladder too, it was lying up against a tree outside...

The table there was litered with food stuffs (hence the mouse issue) and the journal was a fun read...

Jay

 

[BlackBuffalo]

Retract

Papa Bear - the map from Hilltop Orchards to Perry's Peak is $5. I was incorrect.

I do remember to views weren't fantastic due to tree growth but with good company and a couple apples, and some wine samples, it should make for a great trip.

Dave