The ridge

About the Trail

The Pocumtuck Ridge Trail is north-south in orientation and about 15 miles long. Its southern end is at South Sugarloaf mountain in South Deerfield, MA. Its northern end is on Rocky Mountain in Greenfield, MA.

The trail follows the ridgeline most of the way, offering many views east and west from its traprock cliffs. Much of the trail is on conservation land.

Blue blazes mark the trail, including occasional blue square metal markers bearing the name of the trail and a hiker logo.

Trail Map

Here’s a Google Map with landmarks along the trail.

Trail Sections

The trail can be thought of as having seven sections, defined by road crossings:

  • Section 1: Route 116 to Hillside Road
  • Section 2: Hillside Road to Stage Road
  • Section 3: Stage Road to Pine Nook Road
  • Section 4: Pine Nook Road to Keets Road (crosses Rices Ferry Road)
  • Section 5: Keets Road to Hope Street
  • Section 6: Hope Street to Turners Falls Road (crosses Mountain Road)
  • Section 7: Turners Falls Road to Wunsch Road

There is space to park at Route 116, Hillside Road, Pine Nook Road, and Keets Road. There is not convenient legal parking at Stage Road, Hope Street, Turners Falls Road, or Wunsch Road.

Note on Section 5: Most of this section of the trail has been disrupted by the creation of a multi-acre photovoltaic facility. There have been some guerilla attempts at re-routing, but as of 2022 I know of no reliable blazed route through Section 5.

Trip Planning

History, Reference, Information Elsewhere

One of “Four fabulous hikes in Western Mass” (NBC News)
…a vantage point for the Connecticut River Valley’s geological history and mythic lore…
Pocumtuck Ridge Trail page at myhikes.org
(Includes map; just section 6 though)
History of the Pocumtuc tribe
Perhaps as many as 5,000 in 1600, the Pocumtuc population declined rapidly from epidemic and wars with the Iroquois and English…
Pocumtuck Range (Wikipedia)
…the northern-most subrange of the Metacomet Ridge mountain range of southern New England…
Pocumtuc territory map (Native Land Digital)
Pocomtuc Indians (Wikipedia)
Among the members of the Pocumtuck tribe was Chief Wawanotewat, better known as “Greylock”…
The giant beaver legend (Wikipedia)
… the Pocumtuck range is actually the petrified remains of a giant beaver…
Deerfield Academy lost ski area
New England Lost Ski Areas Project
The New England Trail
Beyond the PRT