The six youth and four adult Troop 54 participants enjoyed our first night time backpacking trip. We got to the camp site at about 10:30 PM and, of course, set up camp in the dark. Our neighbors in the campground included Troop 44 from Walpole, Massachusetts. The weather on this trip was great, with the only rain coming Friday night after we were in our tents.
During the day on Saturday, we hiked up to the summit along the Hopper Trail, which was also the Appalachian Trail for part of the hike (our second small portion of the AT in two months). The view from the summit was great. Cloud cover during the early part of the day disappeared at just the right time. Most of our troop went on the climb the War Memorial on the summit (for the exercise). We returned to camp along the Overlook Trail; true to recent reports, this did not include any scenic views.
See our actual trail (GPS data recorded by Keith MacNeal):
Trimble Outdoors - map and notes uploaded by Keith MacNeal
GPX file
MappingSupport
The park's water pump was out of service, so campers were provided with bottled water. We produced much of our water by pump filtering or otherwise sanitizing water from the Roaring Brook, which happened to have a flowing channel about one foot across.
This was our 45th consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
Narrative originally posted on Trimble Outdoors by Keith MacNeal:
Sperry Campground is located on Mt. Greylock. Park in designated area and hike into campground on Campground Trail to Sperry Road (1.3 miles). Campground has group and individual sites. Campground features Clivus privvies and food lockers. Water is available from a pump near the contact station or can be drawn from Roaring Brook and treated. Pump was out of order when we were there so campers were supplied with gallon containers of bottled water at contact station. Trail maps and additional information can be found at http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/mt-greylock-state-reservation-generic.html
All of the trails are well marked with signposts & blazes. For the hike to the summit we took Sperry Road out of the campground to Hopper Trail. Hopper Trail ends at the intersection of Overlook Trail and the Appalachian Trail. We continued up the AT to the summit. The summit features the Massachusetts War Memorial to honor those from the state who served during the first World War. Bascom Lodge offers rooms and meals to through hikers, tourists, and other visitors. We took the Overlook Trail down from the summit to the Hopper Trail, back to Sperry Road and into the campground.
Mt. Greylock State Reservations features many trails and is open year round. Rockwell Road allows cars access to the summit. Several parking lots are available at intervals all the way up with access to various trailheads. Geocachers will enjoy searching for many hides in the area.
Page updated 3/14/17
J. Froimson
