Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Section Hike
Another state high point, fancy trail towns, and the famous Berkshire Mountains, yes you have made it to where other famous athletes (just like yourself!) Big Papi David Ortiz, Tom Brady, Rebecca Lobo, and Jayson Tatum have all called home: Massachusetts. In 2023 we section hiked 1,225 miles of the Appalachian Trail, the longest footpath in the world, and spent 13 weeks day hiking, working, and van camping on the Appalachian Trail as we moved up the trail slowly from Georgia to Maine. In this series we cover each section we hiked and in this article we cover a northern section in the state of Massachusetts.
The top of Massachusetts: Mount Greylock.
IF HEADING NOBO (NORTHBOUND) ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL Dalton MA is located at mile marker 1577.3 on the 2023 at and the Mass/Vermont state line is at mile marker 1604.7. THIS 27.4 MILE STRETCH IS WHAT WE COVERED IN two DAYS AND YOU WILL GAIN 7,200 FEET OF ASCENT AND HAVE 6,000 FEET IN DESCENT.
Heading NOBO from North Adams MA before heading back into the woods and towards Vermont!
Northern Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Section Hike Need to Know’s:
This section of the trail begins in what is one of the longest flat town/neighborhood walks we had on the entire AT. Then just like any good section of the AT you head back into the woods and up a big hill. But the neighborhood time is very lengthy.
You could also start this section a smidge earlier in Great Barrington MA. We stopped for groceries, lunch, and a quick walk on the trail at its intersection. It’s a pricey town, but the food co op was lovely for our van meals! You can hear about our favorite stops to eat in Massachusetts in our Trail Towns Podcast Episode HERE.
You get another state high point with Mt Greylock for the top of Massachusetts. If you have friends/family meeting you this is a great spot, they could either connect in via the Gould Trail for the final summit push with you OR they can just drive to the summit and see ya there!
North Adams MA is another trail town you will walk directly through. The famous driveway of a private land owner who is a friend of the AT is the last NOBO moment of North Adams as he has a sign for free water fill-ups with his hose. Then you are headed for a climb to the MASS/VT Border.
We camped at Bonnie Brae and were easily able to connect the trail pieces and do three days of hiking in MASS and this section in two days. The pool was nice and it was very clean but the campground can feel a little full if sold out. It’s also a nice spot to set up as a base camp if exploring the Berkshire range for a few days.
This is a relatively easier state to hike than what awaits you the rest of the way, but once again, just like all states on the AT…you will have steep ascents…and steep descents.
The AT map in Dalton, Massachusetts.
What else happened that was memorable during this section hike?
After a bit of chaos due to the floods and heat waves in PA/NJ/NY this section felt good to get back into a cadence and a routine on the trail.
We met a section hiker named Maverick who started in New Jersey and has been slowly pushing his way out NOBO and SOBO on his weekends for the past few years and has completed NY, NJ, MASS, CT, and is pushing into VT and PA. There are many ways to hike the AT!
We met the famous hiker friendly driveway house owner. He was gardening when we came by and he was super KIND! We thanked him for being so AT friendly and if you can do the same if you meet him outside his home in North Adams you should!
Great Barrington MA was probably the most bouje trail town the AT goes through, according to us. You could feel the money flowing through that town and it showed up on our food co-op bill lol!
The climb off Greylock’s summit begins immediately and knowing we had to hike back up it again was defeating for a moment, then we realized we would get two summits of it on the same day!
Ramunto’s in North Adams MA was probably our favorite pizza of the entire Appalachian Trail! And we tried a lot of them trust us.
WHAT GEAR DID I USE AND LIKE THE MOST ON MY 2023 AT SECTION HIKE?
Hoka One Kaha’s were my trusted shoes for this day (and for the whole summer on the trail.)
I used my REI 40 Liter Backpack. This worked great since I was coming on and off the trail every day but most thru-hikers or multi-day section hikers were looking at bigger packs than mine.
Darn Tough Vermont and Merino Wool Socks from REI and SmartWool were my go to’s.
Osprey Water Bladder and Lifestraw Collapsible Filter for hydration.
I wore New Balance running shorts mainly and much preferred that to more typical hiking shorts.
Gaiters were a must as was coating our clothes in Permethrin to avoid ticks. (We did not get any ticks remarkably while hiking the AT in 2023.)
The AT Guide by AWOL and AT Conservancy are AMAZING resources for a hike on the AT!
Due to the flash floods that we had to sit out for several days in Scranton Pennsylvania. (And we didn’t even do an “Office” tour, huge miss.) As a result we had to cut our time in Massachusetts short.
What we did get to encounter was three days of hiking (two in this section) of the beautiful Berkshire mountain range that we had only heard of and never experienced. Once again, our theme is the same, that the Appalachian Trail took us to places we wouldn’t have gone, met people we wouldn’t have met, learned things we might not have learned, and allowed it to shape us as we went.
We had only been to Boston in this state and visiting experiences North Adams, Dalton, Pittsfield, Cheshire, and Great Barrington gave us another look and angle to enjoy in this region of the planet.
It was also our 4th state high point of the trip and 6th overall (we had already hiked to the top of North Carolina and Tennessee in previous hiking trips) Massachusetts miles gave us a sense and prep for what was left…
The big ones…the northeast…Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.
No Pain, No Rain, No Maine they say on the trail. We had plenty of rain and a bit of pain…we felt we were getting closer to Maine by hurdling through this New England state and to its top and back down!
This section of trail in Massachusetts took us two days and we spent three total hiking in the state with a few miles here and there in Great Barrington and Pittsfield (blue blazes). There are 90 total miles in the state and it’s a great prelude to the rough and tough final three states if heading NOBO on the AT. Anyone
trained up can knock the whole MA section out in four to six days.
Thanks for reading and happy trails to you! Whether you are planning a thru, section, or day hike…or are a trail town local, trail angel, or just someone wanting to learn more about the longest footpath in the world…I hope the Appalachian Trail gives you what you need! Don’t forget to Leave No Trace and pack your 10 Essentials!
Comment below with questions or your experience on hiking the AT in the state of Massachusetts!
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R
