The trails are all well labeled and I felt prepared and organized going into this hike (Thank you DCR!). There are also driving guides, bird guides, safety tips and more, all provided by DCR and included in the "Useful Links" section of this post. They even go a step further, with a list of suggested day hikes combining several trails for awesome loops and even including the routes mapped out, trailheads, lengths, and descriptions. You can also find a list of all of the trails with the round trip distances and a rating from easy to strenuous. You can find their trail map online (no, you don't have to buy it or show up in person, you can actually find and print your own version). And if you are trying to do some research on which trail to take, don't worry, Massachusetts does an amazing job of organizing all of the information for you. There are a lot of trails in the state park, and there are a few ways to get to the summit. There is water, food and bathrooms at the summit. Be bear aware and use bear boxes if camping. Notes: Be prepared for bad weather or high wind at the summit (pack layers). Other car camping spots include Clarksburg State Park, Savoy Mountain State Forest, and Mohawk Trail State Forest. I camped about 25 minutes south of the park at Pittsfield State Forest ( click here for last week's post on camping at the state forest). If you want to car camp (as I did), you have to do it outside the park. Reservations are required from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend (May-October). The campground is accessed via hiking in from "Campground Parking Lot" on Rockwell Road via the Campground Trail (1.3 miles, 100') or the Haley Farm/Hopper Road trailhead via the Money Brook and Hopper Trails (2.4 miles, 1,275'). There are 18 tent sites and 9 group sites. Each site comes with a picnic table, fire pit, and a large bear box. The Sites are great, spread out throughout the old dirt road. The Mount Greylock Campground (primitive overnight area) is accessible by hiking only. If you want to camp on Greylock, you really only have one option.
Overall, the trail was beautiful and we were glad to bag another peak, the highest in MA. The last two miles down Haley Farm Trail were steep, and felt like they took forever. We continued on the loop hike but by mile 11 we were a little over the hike and ready to be done. We had a great lunch at the summit and refilled our water, although we had absolutely no views with the clouds and fog. The hike was steep in parts and humid, but overall the elevation was spread out well over the distance. I loved the scenic overlook at Stone Ledge Vista. This was a great way to hike a portion of the AT, see a few waterfalls, hike along a river, stop at a few summits, and stop at the main summit. The trail had a lot of signage, but there were a lot of different trails weaving throughout the forest (pay attention to trail signs). The materials (directions, maps, etc) available for the hike were great, online and at the trailhead. It was a great loop hike around the mountain starting at an old farm.