Section 14: Shutesbury Road, Leverett via Brushy Mountain to North Leverett Road, Village Co-op Store

This section is interesting from two viewpoints: (1) its beauty — the wilderness character of the terrain, of a winding trail (actually an old town road, as its enduring stone culverts make clear) up hill and down dale, through hardwood forest, white birch country and pure stands of hemlock beside its streams; and (2) its historic character-for here are the remains, in miles of sturdy stone walls and many cellar holes, that speak of a early pastoral community that dwelled here when the Native Americans still controlled the Connecticut River and its broad valley.

From Shutesbury Road the trail soon follows west on Rat Hollow Rd and then north on Brushy Mt. Road, both old town roads (discontinued) near Brushy Mountain to Rattlesnake Gutter Road and North Leverett, the site of a hiker friendly general store.

The recently constructed “Mosher Shelter” (SCA/AmeriCorps 2005) is located in this section on a 16 acre parcel donated to the Leverett based Rattlesnake Gutter Trust.

Hikers, we have been requested by a property owner to not include their land as part of the MM Trail. The blazing in these sections have been painted over. However, you are welcome to hike on this land. Signs will be posted in the future to explain the closing on the trail heads and just before you get to this land with distances. The MM trail committee is working to find new routing for the Trail and hopefully in the future we will be able to provide a continuous trail from the Connecticut line to Mount Monadnock. In the meantime, if you do not feel comfortable hiking without blazing, you should skip these sections.