MA NET: Section 16

TYPE
Point to Point
Distance
6.9 miles
Town
Erving, Northfield
Region
Northern Massachusetts
Elevation Change
+1545 / -719 feet
Blaze Color(s)
White
north to section 17
south to section 15

CLOSURE/REROUTE SECTION 16 (ERVING+NORTHFIELD) – Trail closure until further notice between Mountain Rd in Erving, MA to South Mountain Rd in Northfield, MA due to logging. A reroute of this part will direct you on a 1-mile road walk back onto the trail. Signage will guide you along the way. 

Description

Section 16 climbs steeply from MA Rt. 2 in the village of Farley alongside the high cliffs of Rattlesnake Mountain.  From here it proceeds northeast on the ridge and ledges of Hermit Mountain (named after “the Hermit” who once lived at a site on its southern slope).  Hermit’s Castle is accessible from Section 16 by the blue-blazed Hermit’s Castle Trail.

The portion that traversed Crag Mountain has been temporarily relocated to South Mountain Road and Gulf Road (due to landowner request).

Note: Backpackers should consider Briggs Brook and Packard Brook to the east as contaminated water sources. Both brooks receive seepage from the nearby Northfield Mountain pumped storage power generation facility, which draws its water from the Connecticut River. Drinking water from these brooks must be filtered, boiled, or chemically treated.

On weekends and holidays the Farley parking area fills quickly.  Arrival before 10 a.m. is suggested.  Park only in designated areas.

You may notice inconsistencies between our trail overlays and those found on the google base map. The trail lines and feature overlays we show represent the most accurate data, which has been collected in the field by the AMC, CFPA, and other state and federal partners. We are working with Google to update their base-map data.

Trail Map