Pocumtuck Ridge Trail
Encyclopedia
The Pocumtuck Ridge Trail is a 20 miles (32.2 km) footpath that traverses the Pocumtuck Range
of Deerfield
and Greenfield, Massachusetts
.
The trail is known for its dramatic views of the Deerfield River
and Connecticut River
valleys from extensive cliff faces. It traverses the ridgeline from Sugarloaf Mountain
, at the southern end of the range, in the Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation
, north over the main ridgeline of Pocumtuck Ridge, to Poet's Seat in Greenfield.
Seventy percent of the footway is located on conservation land.. As of May 2010, an exception exists approximately one mile north of the east-west crossing high tension power line that is itself north of Stage Road and Ridge Road in Deerfield. Here, a private landowner has barricaded the trail with orange snow fencing, and has posted a plethora of no-trespassing signs including "you do not have permission to be here" and "you are being watched."
Pocumtuck Range
The Pocumtuck Range, also referred to as the Pocumtuck Ridge, is the northern-most subrange of the Metacomet Ridge mountain range of southern New England...
of Deerfield
Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 as of the 2000 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in Western Massachusetts, lying only north of the city of Springfield.Deerfield includes the...
and Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
.
The trail is known for its dramatic views of the Deerfield River
Deerfield River
Deerfield River is a river that runs for from southern Vermont through northwestern Massachusetts to the Connecticut River. The Deerfield was historically influential in the settlement of western Franklin County, Massachusetts, and its namesake town...
and Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
valleys from extensive cliff faces. It traverses the ridgeline from Sugarloaf Mountain
Sugarloaf Mountain (Franklin County, Massachusetts)
Sugarloaf Mountain or Mount Sugarloaf, is a butte-like mountain located in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States, with two summits, North Sugarloaf Mountain and its more popular knee, South Sugarloaf Mountain . Its cliffs, made of arkose sandstone, are a very prominent landscape feature visible...
, at the southern end of the range, in the Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation
Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation
Sugarloaf Mountain State Reservation, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, is located in Deerfield, Massachusetts, just west of the Connecticut River...
, north over the main ridgeline of Pocumtuck Ridge, to Poet's Seat in Greenfield.
Seventy percent of the footway is located on conservation land.. As of May 2010, an exception exists approximately one mile north of the east-west crossing high tension power line that is itself north of Stage Road and Ridge Road in Deerfield. Here, a private landowner has barricaded the trail with orange snow fencing, and has posted a plethora of no-trespassing signs including "you do not have permission to be here" and "you are being watched."