Trail Distance: 22.4 miles
Elevation Gain: ~2,000 ft
Terrain Rating: Moderate
Hike In: 9AM
Hike Out: 6:30PM
Trailhead: Norwottuck Rail Trail parking lot on Mill Ln at S East St.
Route: Robert Frost Trail across the M&M Trail, and back around through the K.C. Trail
Amherst Conservation Trail Map here
Amherst is a nice college town filled with nearby trails weaving through wetlands, farms, and a vast landscape. From the parking lot, we cut through Wentworth Farm and through a few residential streets to the Robert Frost Trail. From there, we followed the trail south about 13 miles through swamps and wooded areas. It was a nice Spring day and the trees provided some much needed shade. After the orange-blazed Robert Frost Trail, we reached the mountain range and connected with the white-blazed M&M Trail.
From here, it was a lot of ups and downs on dry, rocky ground. There were a few wipe-outs from inexperienced hikers, but you will be ok if you are wearing hiking shoes! This area is where most of the elevation was. After around 3 miles, we reached the top of Mount Norwottock for some well needed wind/breeze.
After lunch, we turned back around until we hit the blue KC trail. From there, we headed north back to the parking lot! The walk back up was only about 5 or 6 miles, and it was a nice cool down to our day.
Make sure to bring lots of water. I packed around 3L and drank most of it.
