Trail Towns in MA

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#1

I have some friends who live in the outer Boston area and we are thinking that they could come out and join me for a weekend stay in one of the towns near the trail as I pass through their state. The town would need to be an easy weekend return trip from Boston. I would appreciate it if the forum members would make suggestions as to which towns near the trail in this area would offer city folk the nicest weekend away, and perhaps comment on the things the town and local area has to offer.

Thanks,

Downunda

#2

i think lee is probably the town you want. its right on the mass turnpike.if you stay at upper goose pond cabin its a 5 mile hitch into lee on US20.or your friends could meet you at the trail head on 20. there isnt a whole lot in lee but the berkshires offer alot, stockbridge is the home of norman rockwell the painter. lenox has tanglewood home of the boston symphony.its just a very scenic area probably alot more things that as a native i take for granted.there must be quite alot because in the summer we get people from all over the world. and with any tourist area the prices can be very high.avg. motel in summer is about100-200 per night.you can expect those kind of prices from conn-vermont.but im sure you can find cheaper places if you look around. its a great area i hope you enjoy your stay. jigsaw

jigsaw

#3

A few years ago, I stayed in a Holiday Inn that was in (or very near) North Adams, MA. I was coming from New Jersey so I am not sure how easy/hard it is to get to from Boston, but it didn’t seem to difficult for me and I am a lot further from Western MA than your friends are. From North Adams, you are fairly close to everything the Berkshires Region has to offer including Mt. Greylock. You are also relatively close to the Vermont border in case you want to check out Southern Vermont, too.

Ken G.

#4

I agree Lee is the best place since I90 goes right past there. I was in Lee this summer, and although a bit upscale and pricey for most thru-hikers, seems to be a good town for you and your friends to hang out. There are some motels, fast food restraunts, ice cream, and a bunch of cool stores. Also with a car, you have access to a lot in the area…as mentioned. There is a gigantic outlet center right at the Lee crossing area, which might be worth checking out. If you were behind on time, you can access Lee from where the trail crosses jerusalem road. It is a 3 mile hitch/walk into lee, which is about 12 trail miles short of US 20 in case you got behind schedule

A-Train