Taconic Crest Trail

Infobox Hiking trail
Name= Taconic Crest Trail
Photo=
Caption=
Location= Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Rensselaer County, New York, and Bennington County, Vermont
Designation=
Length= convert|35|mi|km|abbr=on
Use= hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing
ElevChange=
HighPoint= Berlin Mountain, New York convert|2818|ft|m
LowPoint= Prossor Hollow Road, Petersburgh, New York convert|955|ft|m
Difficulty= Moderately difficult
Season= easiest mid-May through early October
Months=
Sights=
Hazards= deer ticks, poison ivy, weather

The Taconic Crest Trail is a convert|35|mi|km|abbr=on hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains of the Berkshires. The trail extends from U.S. Route 20 in Hancock, Massachusetts, less than convert|1|mi|km|abbr=on east of the New York border, north along the ridgecrest of the Taconic Range, first within Massachusetts, then weaving along the border of New York and Massachusetts and New York and Vermont, and ending in Petersburgh, New York on Prossor Hollow Road on the west side of the Taconic Ridge, convert|1.25|mi|km east of New York Route 22. Much of the route has been conserved as state forest, conservation easement, or forest preserve.

Forest types the Taconic Crest Trail are mixed oak-hickory forest and northern hardwood forest with microclimate summit balds, alkaline-loving plant communities, and red spruce/ balsam fir stands on the higher summits. The geology is thrust faulted metamorphic rock over younger sedimentary rock.

The Taconic Crest Trail passes through the New York towns of Stephentown, Berlin and Petersburgh; the Massachusetts towns of Hancock and Williamstown; and Pownal, Vermont. It is bisected by New York Route 2, Massachusetts Route 43, the seasonal Pittsfield State Forest Berry Pond Campground access road, and by Lebanon Springs Road in Hancock. The trail is supported by the Taconic Hiking Club, the Trust for Public Land, the National Park Service, Williams College, Rensselaer Land Trust, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation.

Trail details

The trail utilizes two distinct ridgelines of the Taconic Mountains. From Route 20 north, the trail passes through Pittsfield State Forest in Massachusetts; features include the highland Cranberry Pond and Twin Ponds, Doll Mountain, Smith Mountain, Tower Mountain, and Berry Pond, convert|2150|ft|m, reputed the highest pond in Massachusetts. A state campground is located at Berry Pond.

From Berry Pond, the trail descends the ridgeline into the village of Hancock, Massachusetts, then ascends the second ridge, which straddles the New York border. Features along this section include Rounds Mountain, Misery Mountain, Berlin Mountain (the trail's high point), Mount Raimer, White Rock, and a crevasse called the Snow Hole where ice has been known to persist year round. The trail utilizes conservation land and easements including the convert|2500|acre|ha|abbr=on Hopkins Memorial Forest, owned and managed by Williams College.

The trail, marked with white blazes, follows a series of high, open summits and ridgeline overlooking the Hudson River Valley to the west. The trail is open to hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, and backcountry skiing, but motorized vehicles and mountain bikes are excluded. Overnight camping is allowed on the trail; a seasonal campground with facilities is located at Berry Pond.

The Taconic Crest Trail originally extended convert|29|mi|km from Berry Pond in Pittsfield State Forest to North Pownall, Vermont. In the late 1990s, the Taconic Skyline Trail in Pittsfield State Forest was separated into two parallel trails: one retained the name Taconic Skyline and was designated a motorized recreation trail; the other trail was added on to the southern end of the Taconic Crest Trail, extending it by convert|6|mi|km. To the north, in Vermont, the former terminus of the Taconic Crest Trail once extended into North Pownal, but was closed per request of a property owner; the trail terminus was re-routed west into Petersburgh, New York, shaving nearly a half mile from the total mileage.

ee also

*The Appalachian Trail
*Taconic Trails

References

*"Massachusetts Trail Guide" (2004). Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club.
* [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/greenway/pdfs/connections.pdf Commonwealth Connections proposal PDF download] . Retrieved March 2, 2008.
*"AMC Massachusetts and Rhode Island Trail Guide" (1989). Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club.
* [http://www.rtlc.org/taccrest.html Taconic Crest Project] . Rensselaer Land Trust. Retrieved March 2, 2008.

External links

* [http://www.bnrc.net/index.htm Berkshire Natural Resource Council] .
* [http://www.rtlc.org/ Rensselaer Land Trust] .
* [http://www.mass.info/images/parks/pittsfield_state_forest_summer_use.gifPittsfield State Forest map]
* [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/pitt.htm Pittsfield State Forest] . Massachusetts DCR.
* [http://www.williams.edu/CES/hopkins/public/trailmap.htm Hopkins Memorial Forest map] .
* [http://www.williams.edu/CES/hopkins/history/historyhome.htm Hopkins Memorial Forest history]
* [http://taconichikingclub.blogspot.com/ Taconic Hiking Club]
* [http://www.wrlf.org/ Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation]
* [http://www.wrlf.org/trails.html Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation trail map]