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Hey folks... just starting to get serious about my hiking and decided to highpoint New England over the next couple of years (Washington last, of course).

First goal is Greylock in the late spring unless conditions push it out a bit. In the opinion of the folks who know Greylock, what is the favorite route up? Distance or grade don't bother me, at least not on Greylock. I'm going to have to find a place to stay the night before so I'd like to take the route up that provides the best experience.

I did a search before asking the question but not a lot came up specific to Greylock.

The Chairse harbor trail (for a waterfall and enjoyable hike)also their is a trail to loop with this trail (the name has slipped my mind though) or the thunderbolt ski trail (for difficulty), their is a road for all the lazy people and a lodge somewhere near the summit , so i supose if u wanted real easy park at the bottom and walk the dirt road, though you miss so much-


i am actuly leading the Adirondack mountain club binghamton chapter in June on this peak for the first time

I personally am a fan of the Thunderbolt Trail. It's steep and right to the point, a good workout. Pretty easy to find if you get a map of the Reservation from the visitor center, it's at the end of a little street in Adams.

For a short route, the Thunderbolt is about the best. Conditions may be iffy for a few months yet. For what it's worth, I once took this route in late December and found the upper reaches very icy; I made it up without any kind of traction, but it'd be wiser to have crampons or stabilicers along if still early in the spring.

A nice longer route is the AT from outside Cheshire, north to the summit. 16 miles roundtrip, with the option of camping near Saddle Ball Mtn. I don't recall many views this way until the summit area(s) of Saddle Ball, but it's a worthy approach nonetheless.

Awesome, thanks, folks! I think I might end up taking Roaring Brook - Hopper Trail. I live out by Gillette Stadium so I want to make sure I do more hiking than driving if I'm not even leaving MA.

Not really on topic, but I find it ironic that even though I've lived in MA for most of my life, I have never hiked Greylock (though I think I might have driven up to the summit on the auto road a really long time ago, as a small kid). I think this has to do with the fact that it's actually closer to Franconia Notch, NH from where I live than to Greylock, which doesn't leave much incentive to visit the latter...

Isn't Franconia Notch a good 4 hours from the MA border? Nothing in western MA is much further than 3 hours from the ocean.

I have only done the Cheshire Harbor Trail, and that was really easy. The path was like 8 feet wide for almost the whole time, and there weren't many views. Once you jump on the AT though, its sweet. You see a cool looking pond and stuff.

ChadTower wrote:Isn't Franconia Notch a good 4 hours from the MA border? Nothing in western MA is much further than 3 hours from the ocean.

Nope, it's about 2 hours from Boston and 1.5 hours from the border.

I grew up basically on the side of Greylock and have been up it more times than I can remember.

I'd recommend starting at the Hopper Rd trailhead and either taking the Hopper all the way up, or connecting to it from the Money Brook trail. If you're looking for a little addition to your hike or to break up the downhill, on your way back walk along Sperry Road to Stony Ledge, which has a really nice view, and then pick up the Haley Farm trail back to your car.

Go before Memorial Day and the road won't be open so you won't have to share the summit with those that drove up. And if you want to go earlier than that the road makes a nice ski tour. Or wait until the autumn and enjoy the colors -- but that's just me being nostalgic for New England falls now that I've moved to CA.

finckster wrote:I grew up basically on the side of Greylock and have been up it more times than I can remember.

I'd recommend starting at the Hopper Rd trailhead and either taking the Hopper all the way up, or connecting to it from the Money Brook trail. If you're looking for a little addition to your hike or to break up the downhill, on your way back walk along Sperry Road to Stony Ledge, which has a really nice view, and then pick up the Haley Farm trail back to your car.

Go before Memorial Day and the road won't be open so you won't have to share the summit with those that drove up. And if you want to go earlier than that the road makes a nice ski tour. Or wait until the autumn and enjoy the colors -- but that's just me being nostalgic for New England falls now that I've moved to CA.

Ha. From someone who currently enjoys the colors of New England I would rather have the California mountains