South Taconic Trail

Infobox Hiking trail
Name= South Taconic Trail
Photo=
Caption=
Location= Duchess County and Columbia County, New York; Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Designation=
Length= convert|15.7|mi|km|abbr=on
Use= hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing
ElevChange=
HighPoint= Brace Mountain convert|2311|ft|m
LowPoint= Bash Bish Brook convert|732|ft|m
Difficulty= Moderately difficult
Season= easiest mid-May through early October
Months=
Sights=
Hazards= deer ticks, poison ivy, weather

The South Taconic Trail is a convert|15.7|mi|km|abbr=on hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains of the Berkshires. The trail extends from the village of Whitehouse Crossing in Millerton, New York, north along the ridgecrest of the southern Taconic Range and the border of New York and Massachusetts, and ends at the Catamount Ski Area on Massachusetts Route 23 convert|700|ft|m east of the New York border in Egremont, Massachusetts. The Appalachian Trail, which traverses an adjacent ridgeline in the same mountain range, parallels the South Taconic Trail convert|3|mi|km|abbr=on to the east. The trails are connected to one another via shorter trails.

Description

The South Taconic Trail passes through the New York towns of Millerton and Copake and the Massachusetts towns of Mount Washington and Egremont. it passes through Taconic State Park, Mount Washington State Forest, and Bash Bish Falls State Park. The trail, marked with white blazes, follows a series of high, open summits and ridgeline overlooking the Hudson River Valley to the west. Overnight camping is allowed on the trail at designated locations on Alander Mountain and at the Copake Falls Campground in Taconic State Park. The trail is maintained by the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the mid-Hudson chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference, and the Sierra Club.

Forest types the South Taconic Trail are mixed oak-hickory forest and northern hardwood forest with microclimate summit balds and alkaline-loving plant communities. The geology is thrust faulted metamorphic rock over younger sedimentary rock.

Features along the route include the summits of Brace Mountain, Alander Mountain, Sunset Rocks, Mount Fray, and perhaps Massachusetts' most famous waterfall, Bash Bish Falls.

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.

External links

* [http://www.bnrc.net/mrsid/bin/show.pl?client=southtaconic&
] .
* [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/mwas.htm Mount Washington State Forest] . Massachusetts DCR.
* [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/mt-washington800.gifMount Washington State Forest map]
* [http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=137 Taconic State Park] New York DEC.
* [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/bash.htm Bash Bish Falls State Park] . Massachusetts DCR.
* [http://www.catamountski.com Catamount Ski Area]
* [http://www.bnrc.net/index.htm Berkshire Natural Resource Council]
* [http://www.amcberkshire.org/ Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club]
* [http://www.midhudsonadk.org/ Mid-Hudson chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club]
* [http://www.sierraclub.org/ The Sierra Club]
* [http://www.nynjtc.org/ New York - New Jersey Trail Conference]