Mid State Trail

[truepatriot09]

Has anyone thru-hiked this trail? Is it worth it? I figured it'd be mostly woods walking with a few ups and downs given that it's through the center of Mass, but at just over 100 miles this could make for a fun 5-6 days. Anyone, anyone? Bueller?

Thanks guys...
-ct

 

[sli74]

Haven't done it but I have been eyeing it
I saw it recently mentioned in some outdoor magazine I was browsing, can't remember which one, maybe "Outdoors"? Might want to check that out.

sli74

 

[dr_wu002]

Haven't done it but I have been eyeing it
I saw it recently mentioned in some outdoor magazine I was browsing, can't remember which one, maybe "Outdoors"? Might want to check that out.

sli74

Are you talking about the most recent AMC Magazine thing? They had an article about the longest trails in the NE US and I believe this is one of them.

-Dr. Wu

 

[sapblatt]

That is it...it is in the most recent "Outdoors"...I beleive thsi trail also has a number of miles on roads, but I could be mixing it up with another one.

 

[summit1]

My wife and I, as well as our 2 dogs have been section hiking the midstate trail since January. We have been doing it in 4-8 mile increments. We started on the NH end Wapack trail/Mt Watatic. With all the snow this year the trail has been tough going- especially since we found ourselves breaking trail 90% of the time. I imagine this would be pretty doable in 5-8 longer increments during dry conditions. We are just over halfway done the trail and have avoided it in the past few weeks because of the saturated ground. The trail guide can be found at ems, but if you order it from www.midstatetrail.org
you get a patch with the guide for the same price. In the northern half of the trail I would guess that ~5% is on roads, but they are mostly dirt and some abandoned roads. In the southern section it appears that ~10% of the trail is on roads.

 

[truepatriot09]

have your hikes been rewarded with any views or wildlife encounters? Or is it mostly just a jaunt in the woods. I imagine if there was a lot to see this would be a good thru hike, but if not, it could get a bit boring.

 

[Tramper Al]

Sure

Hi,
I have section hiked the whole Midstate, most of it RT (in both directions). What can I tell you?

 

[summit1]

We have seen more wildlife on this trail than in the 12 years since we have been hiking in the Whites. We have seen 2 Deer herds, and a Moose . We even saw 2 people- yes only 2 people in the 51 miles of trail that we have done so far. The views are great, but most of them are through the trees, which of course will not be around in the summer. There are great views from Mts Watatic and Wachusett and the Crow hill ledges in Leominster State Park. I imagine the southern 30 miles or so will be pretty much viewless. We are having a lot of fun section hiking the trail. We would love to thru hike it someday.

 

[Dugan]

http://www.midstatetrail.org/

 

[Waumbek]

Is the MidState Trail well-marked? And can you camp on the land?

 

[summit1]

It is very well marked. I think with leaves on the trees it will be harder to find the markers, but the trail itself will be more apparent. There are a few lean-tos on the trail, but not enough to spend every night in one. Some of the land is private and some is on state land. You would have to research which state forests and which land owners allow camping. Although some people thru hike the Midstate the layout of the trail makes camping on it legally a difficult proposition. FYI the Wapack Trail http://www.wapack.org/ picks up the Midstate trail at the NH border and continues for 21 more miles over Pack Monadnock and North Pack. The Wapack is more rugged and has many great views.

 

[Davehiker]

?through-run

I have a friend who used to live on the trail in Rutland. He is a runner, and did the trail in one week-end, sleeping at home. Now, there's a different type of through hike!

I live in south-central Mass. The southern end of the trail in the Douglas State Forest is an interesting hike in the woods. North of there, through Sutton, Oxford, and Charleton there is much more road walking. I've really enjoyed the sections on Wachusett and Crow Hill. Some day I'd like to section hike it in 4 or 5 sections.

 

[Tramper Al]

Hi again,

I think that summit1's description of the camping situation on the Midstate is very good. It is not the case, as you read in the current 'Outdoors', that camping is prohibited on the Midstate. I believe there are 5 shelters total, but while that might have been just enough were they spaced at just the right intervals, they are not. Do your research. Yes, there are places you can camp. No, you can't just start at one end and thru hike without thinking about it.

I think the 'Outdoors' blurb did list the % trail and % country road, and that seemed about right. I nearly always found the Midstate to be well marked. Some interesting things you will find on the Midstate (compared to say a Northern NE trail) are lots and lots of cellar holes, remote cemetaries, of course stone walls, and a really cool cow tunnel passing under Rt 20.

If your notion of 'views' is limited to higher elevation outlooks, then yes, you will not find many on the southern half of the trail. However, there are a lot of other cool views to be had throughout.

And if you like the idea of long trails, remember that the Midstate continues 21 miles into NH as the Wapack (as I think someone mentioned) and some 70 miles into RI as the North South Trail. So you can actually walk from Pack Monadnock to Block Island Sound, all the way on blazed trails.

Please let me know if I can relate any specifics on any of these three fine trails.

 

[Waumbek]

Great replies. Thanks. I'll research and look into these, for me, new trails.

 

[BrentD22]

Throo Hiked it about 9 years ago...

The trail is marked by yellow triangles. Some are painted on trees others are plastic. At times the trail is difficult to follow so be careful to watch where you are going.

Going from North to South

Muddy Pond Shelter is about 10 miles from the North end. The pond in front of the shelter is muddy and not sutable for swimming (at least when I was there), but good enough to use for water source with good filter.

Long Pond Shelter is about 35 miles South of the first one on the trail.

Buck Hill Shelter is about 6 miles South of Long Pond Shelter. I can't remember much about this shelter (sorry).

Moose Hill Shelter is only like 3.5 miles South of Buck Hill Shelter. There is a water source nearby. If my memory serves me correct I think I remember Buck Hill as a nicer shelter, but I could be wrong.

Douglas Forest Shelter is really nice sitting about 37 miles or so South of Moose Hill Shelter, plus this area is the most interesting area on the trail. I recommend to venture on some of the side trails in this area. Douglas State Forest also offers a really nice lake area that can serve as a good pick-up spot. Take a dip in the lake get changed in the bathrooms and wait for your ride.

There are plenty of good spots between the shelters for stealth off trail camping spots. Just be careful that you are away from roads, the noise of cars during the night take away from the whole thing.

This trail has some great long stretches of woods hiking with rolling hills, but there is a lot of road walking as well. I believe that the road walking has increased since I hiked it 9 years ago. There are lots of nice little interesting spots.

Have fun and enjoy this little gem of a trail that is only as good as you want it to be.