Hiking Connecticut and Massachusetts

Hiking new england during the fall.

      The fall is a wonderful time of the year to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts.  The cool mountain breezes and changing leaves creates a delightful trek through the countryside.  The Appalachian Trail travels fifty-one miles in Connecticut and ninety miles in Massachusetts.  Hiking these two state section of the Appalachian Trail enables the through hiker some relief before attempting the more challenging Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  The deer, turkey, and fox are plentiful in both states.

     

The beautiful fall foliage makes hiking along this section of the trail in the fall a real breath taking experience.

​

Many of the hikes in Massachusetts can be divided into day hikes of less than fifteen miles each.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts AT is layered with high ridge lines and cool river walks as it tranverses through the Berkshire Region of the state.  There are higher mountains of Mount Everett and Mount Greylock at an elevation of 3,491 feet.  In 1786 there was a citizen's uprising against the United States Government's taxation policies. This lead the development of the Constitutional Convention and the birth of the Constitution.  There are also several rock monuments along the trail. A large rock ten foot tall and four foot wide marks the battle of Shay's Rebellion along the trail.

​

​

Connecticut

There are about 52 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) that cuts through Connecticut from the New York boarder into Kent, Salisbury, and into Massachusetts. On the way it passes through the town of Cornwall and the villages of Falls Village and Lime Rock, finding it way up and down the Litchfield Hills, known as the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.  There are many waterfalls, river walks, open farmland, country vistas, steep climbs and relatively flat areas.  The Undermountain Trail on Bear Mountain joins up with the AT near a three-quarter section in Falls Village accessible to the handicapped. This area gives rise to several breath taking views of the Housatonic Valley from River Road.  This area was used as a large ironworks, and in the winter below the 50-foot waterfall there can be seen large cascade due to the heavy rain and snow melt.  The great thing about Connecticut's AT is that there are dozens of day hikes that are easily accessed.  You may choose to hike the Connecticut section of the AT in day hikes of less than fifteen miles each​

---

 The Pine Swamp Brook  and Limestone  Shelters are a few of the shelters found along the trail.  A short distance from the trail are many quaint towns steeped in history and beauty.  The town of Cornwall Bridge has one of the remaining functioning covered bridges.

Take a stroll along the Connecticut AT in the fall.