The New England National Scenic Trail offers both day hikes and multi-day treks that offer sweeping views, such as this one from Mount Norwottuck/Eric Shaw White via Wikimedia Commons
Fall, which is arguably the best season for hiking in the National Park System, is almost upon us. The cool days and bright colors provide hikers with plenty of incentive to hit the trails.
With that wonderful season in mind, we’ve selected some of the country’s “scenic trails” for your consideration. To those we’ve added a Yellowstone National Park classic, a hike in Canyonlands National Park, and another that traces one of the bloodiest days of the Civil War.
Here's our third hike for this fall:
New England National Scenic Trail
There are few better places to hike than New England in the fall. The orange, yellow, amber and red leaves cloak the hardwood forests.
This footpath, which runs for 215 miles, traces its short history to the Mattabesett Trail, Metacomet Trail, and Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 2000, Congress directed the National Park Service to consider a “New England National Scenic Trail,” and the agency’s eyes were drawn to these three established trails. Finally, after a number of studies, the new, combined trail was added to the National Scenic Trails system in 2009.
Head out on this trail and it’ll lead you through the wonders of the southern tier of New England. From Long Island Sound to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts, the New England National Scenic Trail is a showcase of kaleidoscope panoramas and, “closeups of New England’s natural and cultural landscape: traprock ridges, historic village centers, farmlands, unfragmented forests, quiet streams, steep river valleys and waterfalls,” the National Park Service notes.
If there’s a downside to this trail, it’s that much of it runs across private property where you’re not allowed to camp. Still, there are “cabins, lean-tos and campsites” that you can connect with on long treks.
Details on these somewhat rustic shelters are provided on the New England National Scenic Trail’s website. “Select the shelter of your choice to learn more about it,” the site notes. “All inquiries about staying at overnight shelters are posted on our shelter schedule page. This is simply to let others know your intention to stay and does not represent a completed reservation. We will contact you directly to confirm a cabin reservation. The lean-to operates on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
The nicest accommodation would be the Mount Holyhoke Outing Club Cabin. Inside you’ll find six cots and a queen-size air mattress, electricity, lights, a wood stove, dishes and silverware, and even a First-aid kit.
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