AMCBerkshire.OrgThe Western Massachusetts chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club

The AT Committee will be holding our 10th Annual Volunteer Gathering on January 28, 2011 at the Mount Greylock Visitors Center. Current volunteers gather to hear the latest on the AT, make plans for the 2012 trail season and renew friendships. If you are interested in becoming an AT Volunteer this is a great opportunity to find out what it’s all about. Contact us at: at@amcberkshire.org for more info.

The Upper Goose Pond Cabin will be closing for the season on October 16th. The last day for hikers to use the cabin will be October 15th. After closing hikers may use the open porch or tent platforms to camp as in the past. Hikers are advised to use the bear box to store their food as bears have been active in the area.

AMC-Berkshire’s ‘Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee’ is responsible for the maintenance, management, and protection of the almost 90 miles of Appalachian Trail within Massachusetts, coordinating the extensive volunteer effort that keeps the trail open and beautiful. We work in partnership with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the National Park Service (NPS).

This is a list of campsites and shelters on the Massachusetts portion of the Appalachian Trail, listed from north to south.

The AT is managed as a “primitive footpath”. Hikers are expected to be self-reliant, and to carry appropriate equipment for the season and terrain.

Because the AT can be very busy, we ask all hikers to respect the trail, overnight sites, and their fellow travelers. The Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee in partnership with Mass Department of Conservation and Recreation established the following guidelines and regulations to aid in that effort:

The Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Management Committee organizes Appalachian Trail supervision and maintenance within Massachusetts. If you’d like to be a part of this, get in touch with our chair (see below)!

There are literally thousands of AT-related sites on the Web. Here are a few of our favorites (with a distinct New England bias).

Trail maintainers keep the footpath free of obstructions such as brush, and fallen trees. They also keep the white paint blazes that mark the AT fresh and easy to see. Shelter adopters take care of a particular shelter along the trail.

Boundary and Corridor Monitoring

Boundary and corridor monitors are volunteers who keep AT Corridor lands free from boundary encroachment and misuse. They also serve as an information source for trail neighbors (abutters) with questions or concerns about AT lands.

The AT is your trail. It is primarily cared for by volunteers like yourself, not by paid professionals. Volunteers contribute over 6,000 hours of work every year in the Berkshires alone. Without this kind of support from Georgia through Massachusetts to Maine, the trail would quickly become impassable and would cease to exist.