The Deerfield River Watershed Association (DRWA) has taken responsibility for the Mahican-Mohawk Trail and is looking to the AMC for help making improvements.
The Mahican-Mohawk Trail extends from Hoosac Road in Deerfield to Route 2 in Shelburne, just east of the State Police barracks. This eight-mile stretch follows woodland trails and the abandoned New Haven Railroad rail bed along the south side of the Deerfield River in Deerfield and Conway. It then crosses the river and winds its way along the Shelburne side of the river. The trail is unique in its east-west direction in the state, and gets a lot of use by local people, as well as groups from the lower Connecticut River Valley hiking on organized trips.
The finished section of the Mahican-Mohawk Trail in fact is part of a larger concept for a trail from the Connecticut River to the Hudson River, a route used by the indigenous people for thousands of years. One desirable extension would run from Old Deerfield to the Pocumtuck Ridge Trail. The extended trail already exists in some places but needs a local person to be the leader to connect the pieces. Another proposed extension would run from its present terminus in Shelburne along the river to the Potholes in the center of Shelburne Falls.
Work is also planned on the present crossing of the South River in Conway where the railroad once crossed on a 550-foot long bridge 175 feet above the stream. TransCanada Hydro Northeast, which owns the land with a Conservation and Recreational Restriction given to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), is committed to building a pedestrian bridge using the stone bridge piers on the bottom of the river. At this point, it is rarely crossable without getting your feet wet. The South River is approachable from both sides, and the massive stone piers from the railroad bridge (which stand 20 feet above the river) are very impressive and beautiful.
The DCR has taken a strong interest in the Mahican-Mohawk Trail and is helping the DRWA to pull people and agencies together to increase the use and enjoyment of this trail. For a full description of the trail click on [www.deerfieldriver.org] and scroll to the last item on “Hike and Bike Your Watershed.”
For more information or to volunteer, call Polly Bartlett, 44 Ashfield Road, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 at (413) 625-6628