Order of Visit: High Point #15
Date Visited: July 29, 2019
Route Taken: Appalachian Trail from Rockwell Road Parking area (1.8 miles round-trip)
Type of Terrain: Easy well-defined trail. You can also drive directly to the summit though or hike several longer, more rugged trails to the summit.
Elevation: 3,491 feet
Ancestral Lands: Mohican, Eastern Algonquin, Abenaki
What’s in a Name?
Like Connecticut’s high point, Mt. Greylock is part of the Taconic Mountain Range, which comes from the indigenous Lenape word Taghkanic or Taughannock, meaning “in the trees.” Yet the origin of Mt. Greylock’s name is less clear.
Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the land was inhabited by the Mohican and Eastern Algonquin people, but their name for the mountain is lost to history.
Beginning in the early 18th century, Anglo settlers referred the prominent mountain as Grand Hoosuc (a hoosac is an Algonquin word mean “place with stones”). Later they began calling it Saddleback Mountain – because of its appearance in conjunction with Saddle Ball Mountain to the south.
By the 1830s, however, locals were referring to the mountain as Gray Lock, which may be a tribute to the indigenous Chief Gray Lock (c. 1670-1750), who born near Westfield, Massachusetts and belonged to Western Abenaki tribe.
Chief Gray Lock doesn’t have any apparent association with the mountain itself, but he known was a formidable warrior for his guerilla-style raids on the English, French, and Iriquois, in Massachusetts and Vermont.
Although the Eastern Abenacki groups made peace with the Massachusetts Colony and Canada, Chief Graylock refused, and continued his raids. He died a free man, and his name soon became legendary among his friends and foes.
Trip Summary
Much like our previous trip to Mt. Rogers, Keith and I tackled our trip to the summit of using different routes. Mount Greylock has over 70 miles of designated trails for hiking, mountain biking, back-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, including an 11.5 mile section of the Appalachian Trail (AT).
I hiked up Mt. Greylock during my AT thru-hike, and started my morning from a trailhead 8 miles south of the mountain in nearby Cheshire, MA.
Meanwhile, Keith and Finn drove to Mt. Greylock State Park from their campground. Once inside the park, they parked at a trailhead on Rockwell Road, and joined me for the final mile climb to the summit.
When hiking northbound, Mt. Greylock climbs upward at a steady, but manageable grade. The trail was well-maintained and marked the entire way, and crossed Rockwell Road a handful of times.
At the summit, we visited Bascom Lodge, a rustic arts and crafts structure built in the mid 1930s, where visitors can stay overnight or enjoy lunch/dinner.
After a brief visit to the lodge, we headed next door to the Veterans’ War Memoral, a 92-foot high, lighthouse-style observation tower that rests atop the actual summit of Mt. Greylock.
This impressive observation tower has an incredibly beautiful mosaic ceiling when you first enter the main level. And around the edge of the ceiling the words,”Of those immortal dead who live again in the minds made better by their presence”, are inscribed in stone.
Visitors can head up a spiral staircase to the top of the observation tower and take in the 360-degree views of the Berkshires, Adirondack Mountains, and much of Taconic Range. On a clear day, you can even see into five states – Massachusetts. New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Once our visit was done, I continued north on the AT for another 12 miles, while Keith and Finn drove back to their campground. The descent down north side of the mountain was considerably more challenging with a steep, rocky trail between Mt. Williams and the town of North Adams, MA. Thus, I’d recommend using the southern route if you want to hike to the summit.
Details
When to Visit: Summer and Fall, as the auto road is only open between mid-May and November 1st. The visitor’s center operates daily from 9 am to 4:30 pm during those months.
Getting There: Mt. Greylock is located 16 miles north of Pittsfield, MA.
Entrance Fees: Daily parking fees for the summit are $5 for MA residents, and $10 for non-residents (as determined by the license plate of the vehicle). There was no fee to hike up via the Appalachian Trail.
Parking: There are multiple small parking lots along Rockwell Road that will allow you to hike to the summit, as well as a large paved lot near Bascom Lodge.
Accessibility: Visitors can drive to the summit between late May to November 1st each year.
Bonus: Bascom Lodge sells Mt. Greylock IPA (a 12% ABV double New England IPA from Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. in Worcester, MA).
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