Hey all,

I'm planning a hike for this weekend and I was wondering if anyone had any good spots in the Boston area. I'm looking to hike 6-10 miles total. I really want to hike a little ways in and set up a base camp and just relax. I'd prefer to not have to camp on platforms or anything. The more remote the better!

Anyone know any spots in the area? 2 hours from Boston is the range I'm looking to drive..

Thanks for the help!

Edited by arichardson6 on 09/27/2007 10:40:08 MDT.

Hi Andrew,
Couple options for you
1. A.T. in Western MA great sections for what you described. Greylock summit is still closed should be on the quite side. There are some great sections south on the A.T. from there that you will probably have to yourself.
2. Midstate trail is pretty nice have done section from rt 2 to N.H. border. Offers mixed terrain with some road crossings
some good options for camping.
3. Metacomb/Monadnock looks great on a map have not done this but worth looking into.

Good luck, weather is looking great for MA this weekend

Edited by florigen on 09/27/2007 12:12:34 MDT.

I'll have to check those places out! I haven't been on the AT in MA yet. I just moved back to New England a couple of months ago and have only explored a bit of the VT section.

There are a lot of trails off of Mount greylock. What do you think about the Money Brook trail? I'm afraid that anywhere near the AT will have so many people...

Edited by arichardson6 on 09/27/2007 16:32:47 MDT.

When I lived in Boston I loved walking up in New Hampshire. The area around Franconia Notch (like Owl's Head) and the Zealand Trail, Crawford Notch, and Hale Brook are all nice. Monadnock is a nice walk, but very crowded, especially at this time of year. I did a lot of winter walking around White RIver Junction. And for easier day hikes the Berkshires in western Massachusetts are also really nice. South of Boston, the Blue Hills are okay, though more developed than I like. When I didn't have a lot of time to get up north I often rode my bike out to Walden Pond and walked around the woods in Lincoln and Great Meadows.

For a lot of information go to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) on Beacon Hill in Boston. They are great!

Hi Andrew,
Have to agree with Miguel hikes he mentioned in N.H. are some of my favorites, have been in N.H. the past 16 weekends backpacking in the Whites this being my preferred stomping ground.
Greylock most likely will have a good amount of foot traffic mostly day hikers but if you continue onto the A.T. (north or south) guessing the only folks you will see are going to be small pockets of southbound thru hikers. Not familiar with trail you mentioned, did do a overnight starting from the visitor center and stayed about a 1/2 mile from the summit with no company whatsoever that night at shelter/tenting area and was great.

I live in MA and I also usually hike in the whites.
The southern part of the whites is nice right now, perfect weather, no bugs, and the fall colors are staring to come in. The Pemi wilderness and Sandwitch wilderness are good fall hikes and about 2 hours from Boston (depending on how fast you drive).
In western MA the Mohawk Trail/ Monroe state forest has some of the largest amounts of "old growth" forest in the North east, I havnt been -but its on my to-do-list.

A few weekends ago we hiked along the Dry River in Crawford Notch.
It starts at the Dry River Campground and is very easy hike following the river upstream. There are several campsites (no platforms) that are noted on most maps and several that aren't mapped. It looks like it would be pretty easy to "stealth" just about anyplace along the way. There's also a lovely waterfall that's worth the walk. (The trail to the falls isn't marked, but it's pretty obvious where to find it if you look at a map - plus you can hear the falls from the main trail.)
There are very few people in this area - the AT and several AMC huts are very close and they get all the traffic. I'd say it's just about perfect if your goal is to relax. Nothing beats falling asleep listening to running water.

One note: the bridge over the river is out, so you'll have to ford. One our way in we were able to jump from rock to rock and stay dry - but on our way out (after 1 1/2 days of rain), we just slogged through.

Have fun!

Well now it's tough to decide where to go! I guess I should pick a spot since I'm only planning on walking 4 miles or so and then just sitting with my girlfriend so we can both relax. I imagine that all the places will have some beauty somewhere or another..I've never found a hike that doesn't...

Sometimes I think I enjoy barely walking at all and just sitting quietly for hours on end listening to nature...Awww...Now work is gonna be tough to get through.. only 6 and half hours to go!

Thanks again for the choices everyone. Now I have a list for many weekends to come! Hope you can all get out for a walk this weekend!

P.S I just read your post Linda and that sounds great! That's where I'll head! Thanks a bunch!

Edited by arichardson6 on 09/28/2007 08:35:14 MDT.