Blackburnian Loop Trail at Savoy Mountain State ForestBlackburnian Loop Trail at Savoy Mountain State ForestLost Pond Trail at Savoy Mtn. State ForestNorth Pond Loop Trail at Savoy Mountain State ForestNorth Pond at Savoy Mtn. State ForestStream crossing along the Blackburnian Loop Trail at Savoy Mountain State ForestExposed bedrock along the heavily eroded (but fun to run down) Old Florida Road at Savoy Mountain State ForestApproaching South Pond along the South Pond Loop Trail at Savoy Mountain State Forest
To purchase either a hardcopy or ebook version of the Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebook (May 2015), please visit a local bookseller or click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher).
All photos copyright 2014 by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted.
Small stream crossing along the Blackburnian Loop trail at Savoy
Westward view from a ledge near the top of Mt. Prospect
Rich forest cove along the Haley Farm Trail
Upper portion of the Thunderbolt Trail (also part of the AT) just below the summit of Mt. Greylock
The AT along the west slope of Mt. Williams
Prospect Mountain Trail along the ridge
East-facing view from the summit of Mt. Greylock
Small pond along the Hopper Trail near the summit of Mt. Greylock
Money Brook Trail along the brook though the lower end of The Hopper
Trailhead for The Hopper
Bottom end of the Haley Farm Trail where it crosses a field
Alternate route options:
Mt. Greylock is a large mountain, and it certainly deserves more than one trail profile. The route described in the book takes runners on a big loop that offers a diverse sampling of the western side of the mountain. The ones suggested below describe other ways to explore the vast network of trails here.
1. Hopper Trail / Haley Farm Trail loop option
This reverse lollipop route is similar in some ways to the circuit described in the book, but is significantly shorter (and easier) and substitutes the Hopper Trail for the Mt. Prospect Trail, affording less diversity in terms of views but allowing for an easier ascent of the mountain. The Hopper Trail climbs at a relatively gradual grade with good footing as it slabs diagonally up the hillside. At the Sperry Campground, continue up to the summit on the Hopper Trail. Then return to the campground the same way, and descend via the Haley Farm Trail as described in the book. One way to add some diversity to this option that would slightly increase the length and make it more of a figure-8 loop would be to return from the summit via the Overlook Trail, which has some nice westward views.
2. Greylock Half-Marathon route
Each year, the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club hosts a half-marathon trail race on the eastern and southern sides of the mountain. The follow description approximates the race course, but shortens and simplifies it slightly. Starting at and of the small roadside trailheads off of Gould Rd or Thiel Rd in Greylock Glen, ascend the Thunderbolt Trail (excellent approaches to the lower portions include the Bucket, Whitetail, and Bellows Pipe Trails, as well as the Thunderbolt Trail itself) to the summit. Then descend to the south on the AT (you could shorten the loop considerably by taking a left and returning via either the Gould Trail or a combination of both the Gould and Cheshire Harbor Trails). Continue south on the Saddle Ball Mtn. Trail to the summit of Saddle Ball Mtn. You could choose to slightly shorten the run here by descending the AT for 1.3 miles to Old Adams Rd. Take a right and descend on the Jones Nose Trail, bearing left in 0.5 miles at a junction with the CCC Dynamite Trail. After dropping through the open fields below Jones Nose, turn left/east at the parking lot and return to Greylock Glen via the Old Adams Rd and Gould Trails.
Lower section of the Thunderbolt Trail on the east side of Mt. Greylock
To purchase either a hardcopy or ebook version of the Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebook, please visit a local bookseller or click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher).
All photos copyright 2014 by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted.
View of Williamstown and the Taconic Ridge from Pine Cobble
Along the Pine Cobble Trail
Pine Cobble Trail trailhead sign
Switchback steps along a steep part of the Pine Cobble Trail
Upper part of the Class of ’98 Trail
Rough, rocky section of the Pine Cobble Trail just south of the junction with the AT near the summit
Along the Appalachian Trail on East Mountain
negotiating the rocky summit clearing on Pine Cobble
Descending the Pine Cobble Trail
To purchase either a hardcopy or ebook version of the Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebook (May 2015), please visit a local bookseller or click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher).
All photos copyright 2014 by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted.
Curved bridge at the crossing of the Middle Branch of Birch Brook along the Upper Loop Trail at Hopkins Memorial Forest
Along the Upper Loop Trail at Hopkins Memorial Forest
The Birch Brook Trail to the Taconic Crest Trail at Hopkins Memorial Forest
South Branch Birch Brook along the Upper Loop Trail
Signage at Hopkins Memorial Forest
Bridge along a spur trail to a small stream weir and dam
Upper Loop Trail at Hopkins Memorial Forest
To purchase either a hardcopy or ebook version of the Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebook (May 2015), please visit a local bookseller or click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher).
All photos copyright 2014 by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted.
This post will be used to call attention to any important corrections that need to be made to the 2015 edition of Trail Running Western Massachusetts, and any that need to be made to the 2022 edition of Trail Running Eastern Massachusetts.
Trail Running Western Massachusetts
Site 6: Monroe State Forest (p. 30)
The quick reference data at the start of the Monroe State Forest profile is incorrect (it is actually the data for Pine Cobble). It should say:
DISTANCE: 10+ Miles
TOWN: Monroe / Florida
DIFFICULT: Challenging
TRAIL STYLE: Lollipop Loop
TRAIL TYPE: Singletrack
Site 29: Greenfield Ridge (p. 120)
The labels for Poet’s Seat and Sachem Head should both be nudged slightly to the right to be closer to the summits (black triangles) that they are naming.
To purchase either a hardcopy or ebook version of the Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebook (May 2015), please click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher). Or better yet, pick it up at a locally-owned bookseller!
The posts on this site contain enhanced maps and color photos intended to be used in conjunction with the Trail Running Southern Vermont, Trail Running Eastern Massachusetts, and Trail Running Western Massachusetts guidebooks. Maps are updated periodically with new trails or trail names, re-routings, closures, and corrections, as well as various cartographic improvements (each map has a creation/rev date).
To purchase either hardcopy or ebook versions of the guidebooks, see the options below:
For Trail Running Southern Vermont (March 2024), please click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher). Or better yet, pick it up at a locally-owned bookseller!
For Trail Running Eastern Massachusetts (March 2022), please click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher). Or better yet, pick it up at a locally-owned bookseller!
For Trail Running Western Massachusetts (2015), please click here (Amazon), here (Barnes & Noble), or here (the publisher). Or better yet, pick it up at a locally-owned bookseller!
All photos copyright 2014 or copyright 2021 by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted. Please inquire if interested in using any imagery.
