The Western MA Exchange

ATC »

The five-mile loop provided pretty views of the West Branch of the Westfield River and a chance to see three of the majestic keystone arch bridges built in the 1830s. The double bridge is found right next to the trail head parking lot and is still in use today. The two other bridges are no longer used since the track was rerouted in 1912 but have remained standing and are now part of the trail as you walk over them. After the hike, many of the participants visited the Chester Railway Museum for a private tour by Dave Pierce, President of the Chester Foundation and the Friends of the Keystone Arch Bridges. Dave shared many interesting and fun facts about the bridges and the history of the area. Many thanks to Dave for volunteering his time to share his wealth of knowledge! MORE PHOTOS »

Thirty women from MA, some surrounding states, and as far away as VA, gathered at the AMC Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell on Saturday to learn, play and enjoy the outdoors together. Workshops throughout the day included painting, creative writing, yoga, orienteering, plant identification, edible and medicinal plants, and of course some hikes on the beautiful trails at Noble View. Participants shared breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as comradery and friendships - seeing old friends and making new ones. When the tornado warning sounded, everyone went inside the North Cottage, the musicians broke out their instruments and they had an impromptu sing-along until they could go back outside. A huge shout-out to Dawne Piers-Gamble, the Community Engagement Chair for the Western MA Chapter, for organizing the event, to all the experts who came to share their knowledge, and to all the volunteers who helped Dawne! What an incredible event! MORE PHOTOS »

REGISTER »

September. One of the best months of the year to get out and enjoy the outdoors. The temperatures are cooler and the bugs seem to disappear. We have lots of opportunities to join the fun with us – hikes, bike, rides, yoga, family activities, paddling, events for young members and so much more! There are several ways to stay informed of what's coming up: the Chapter Activities page of our website, the Activities Calendar to browse by date, and the AMC website to search for activities anywhere in the western MA area. We hope you will join us!

ATC »

It's been a big year for our Chapter, and the momentum just keeps building! From brand new committees full of energy, to unique training opportunities, to special weekends designed to connect people with nature and each other – there's something for everyone on the horizon. Whether you're looking to meet new friends, grow your outdoor skills, or simply spend more time outside, the Western MA Chapter has plenty in store. Read on to see just a few highlights of what's happening and how you can get involved!
Kathy Martin, Western MA Chapter Chair

Committee Highlight: Western MA 20s/30s Committee is on the Rise!

The Western MA 20s/30s Committee has seen incredible growth and energy in the past year, transforming from a dormant group into one of the most active in the Chapter, now boasting over 160 members. This young-member community hosts a wide variety of events, from hiking and paddling to cross-country skiing, film nights at Tanglewood, backpacking, whitewater kayaking, and climbing trips. Many of the outings are capped off with relaxed, social gatherings, such as grabbing a beer at a local brewery or enjoying ice cream together after a hike. It's a great way to connect with others who enjoy the outdoors and are looking to build community along the way. If you or someone you know is in their 20s/30s, the best way to get involved is to join the committee's WhatsApp group where upcoming events are announced and informal activities are organized. There's also the @amcwesternma Instagram page and the 20s/30s committee page on the Chapter website if you'd like to connect in that way.

Southern New England Trail Skills College

We are happy to announce that the registration for the First Annual Southern New England Trail Skills College is now open! This 3-day event on September 10-21, 2025 at Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell, MA is filled with a variety of trainings and workshops that any trail or outdoor enthusiast would love. We are lucky to have a robust selection of courses and grateful to have so many of the industry's best providing instruction. This collaborative event is for the entire trails community – volunteers and professional trail stewards alike – with all levels of experience. Whether you're just starting out and looking for ways to get involved, or a professional looking to further your skills and build your network, this event offers opportunities for everyone, and all are welcome. Learn more and register here. Thanks to all the instructors and event planning team for putting this together! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to our Trails Training Programs Supervisor, Erik Samia at esamia@outdoors.org. We hope to see you at this year's "Fall Semester"!

Western MA Fourth Annual Connecting Women, Connecting with Nature Weekend

This year's Women's Weekend will be held on September 6, 2025, 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM, at Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell, MA. We've scheduled a variety of traditional and non-traditional outdoor pursuits in the hope of attracting women to the joy and rejuvenation provided by experiencing the outdoors. This is a women-only event that uses an inclusive definition of women. We respectfully welcome all women including non-binary, gender non-conforming, trans-women and individuals who identify as a woman as the best expression of themselves. Some of the planned activities include forest bathing, watercolor painting, bird walking, yoga, plant/tree identification, hiking, and a campfire with music. Two big changes this year are that we will not have the cottages for overnight accommodations and our activities will be held on Saturday only. We invite women to stay over Friday, September 5^th and Saturday, September 6^th at the AMC Noble View Outdoor Center campsites. Campsites include a raised platform to place your own tent and supplies on. Please be aware that AMC Noble View's cottages are now the summer home of the AMC Professional Trail Crew (mixed gender) and that Noble View is open to the public. However, we will be the sole occupants of the campsites during Women's Weekend. Click here for details and to register.

Help Put Nature on the Ballot in 2026

AMC is leading the charge to put nature on the ballot in 2026 through the Protect Water and Nature Initiative and Nature for MA Coalition, which would dedicate $100 million annually to land and water conservation, climate resilience, and outdoor recreation – without raising taxes. To get there, we must collect 90,000 signatures this fall, and we need your help! Sign up for a signature collection training today and be part of this once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect nature and expand access to the outdoors. Questions? Email amcconservation@outdoors.org.

Yesterday Dave, Russ, Ted, Cosmo and Lauri performed a potpourri of work at and near Wilbur Clearing Shelter and Campsite. First on the list was moving the privy. The resting bin was ready to distribute, so we emptied it and moved the outhouse over the empty crib. From there, we moved on to installing a new site map on the kiosk, which required a bit of rearranging of existing signage. We then installed numbers on most of the tent sites and tent platforms. We also did a bit of re-benching on one tent pad; more work needs to be done here to make it suitable for pitching a tent. We also moved the bear boxes out of the site and located them at the junction of the site trail and the Money Brook Trail, so they aren't quite so close to the tenting areas (though the bear probably won't really notice the difference). We then headed uphill to the Mt Prospect Overlook. Two weeks ago, we had a teen crew cut down all the saplings and brush that had grown up into the view. Today, we moved most of the cut saplings to the sides of the opening, so they won't be underfoot as much when we clear this site again in a few years. The viewpoint was cleared last in 2014, so hopefully we have some time before another visit. Upcoming projects:

• 06-Sep-2025: Brushing back laurel north of Sherman Brook Campsite
• 19-Sep-2025: Boundary maintenance near Blotz Rd, Hinsdale
• 20-Sep-2025: Boundary mmaintenance near Cheshire
• 20-Sep-2025: Wildlife transect, Cady Brook. Register now, attendance is limited to 10 people
• 30-Sep-2025: Open area maintenance near Shays' Rebellion Monument
• 12-Oct-2025): Close Upper Goose Pond Cabin
• Oct-2025: Boundary maintenance (multiple dates)

If you're interested in getting involved in helping to maintain the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, view upcoming activities on the committee's webpage. More Photos »

AMC has three professional teams from the Southern New England (SNE) Pro Crew working on western MA trails and parks this year, and we'd like to share the impressive list of projects they've completed so far. Many thanks to the crews for their hard work to improve the trails in our area!

Noble View APT Add-Ons

Funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the crews installed two rest areas with accessible picnic tables on the Noble View All Person's Trail (APT), and addressed drainage issues on the trail itself.

Long Mountain

The crews installed 21 new rock steps on Long Mountain in Amherst on the New England Scenic Trail (NET). This project was carried over from last year's MassTrails Grant with Mass Audubon and the MA Department of Conservation & Recreation, which funded our timber box step work on Mt Norwottuck.

Bash Bish Falls Staircase

The crews built a 26-step, stone staircase to repair damage from Hurricane Helene, making it safer for hikers.

Roving Maintenance for Mass Audubon

The crews spent 3 weeks performing trail assessments and critical trail maintenance on 5 different Mass Audubon sanctuaries in central and eastern MA.

Clarksburg State Park Beaver Brook Bridge

The crews replaced a pedestrian bridge across Beaver Brook and repaired a bog bridge.

DAR State Forest

The crews deconstructed, then rebuilt, two Diamond Pier boardwalks.

Pittsfield State Forest Tranquility Bridge

The crews built a new bridge over a stream on the Tranquility Trail.

NET Section 9

The crews worked with a teen crew from Holyoke to build a box step staircase on Section 9 of the NET. The project will be completed in late September.

Baldpate State Park

Yesterday, the crews completed a 170+ ft long diamond pier boardwalk at Baldpate Pond State Park. The final report for this work will be released next week.

Projects in Progress

Greylock Bellows Falls. The crews are currently replacing two pedestrian + snowmobile bridges on the Bellows Falls trail in Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS) Goldsmith Woodlands. APT, Andover. The crews just wrapped up construction of a new APT in Andover, MA for AVIS. Greylock Hopper Bridge. The crews are replacing a bridge on the Hopper Trail for access to Sperry Road Campground on Mt Greylock. View more photos on Facebook.

AMC's Southern New England (SNE) Pro Crew has been hard at work on western MA trails this summer. One project included supervising a teen crew, recruited by our partners at the MassHire Holyoke Career Center. AMC provides compensation and project work. The teen crew primarily works on the New England National Scenic Trail (NET). This season, they constructed a box step staircase on the Section 9 junction with Bay Road in Belchertown. This is part of a concurrent project with the SNE Pro Crew to re-align the trail near the road crossing to make the trail safer and more sustainable for those hiking the NET. The crew built 29 steps during their two weeks on this project, a huge accomplishment to them and a testament to their growing skill sets as trail maintainers for the future! This project - currently unfinished - will be completed this fall by the SNE Pro Crew. MORE PHOTOS »

September 10-21, 2025
Noble View Outdoor Center, Russell, MA This collaborative event is for the entire trails community - volunteer and professional trail stewards with all levels of experience. Whether you are just starting out and looking for ways to get involved, or a professional looking to further your skills and build your network, this event offers opportunities for everyone, and all are welcome! We are lucky to have such a robust selection of courses and grateful to have so many of the industry's best providing instruction. For safety and best teaching practices, there will be set capacities for day programs and will be able to open up our evening programs to all who would like to participate. If you have any questions or need any email confirmations, please feel free to reach out to our Trails Training Programs Supervisor, Erik Samia at esamia@outdoors.org.

MORE PHOTOS »

From planning and leading recreational activities to seasonal trail work – here's what our committees were up to last month.

20s/30s

The 20s/30s+ WhatsApp group has over 100 members! ✧ Recent events: Tour de Ponds - Overnight backpacking in southern VT (07/05); Mount Warner & Scoops at the Silos (07/08); Chesterfield Gorge & Northampton Brewery (07/15); MacLeish Field Station (07/22); Cole Conservation Area & 3 Amigos (07/29); Camping weekend: Greylock and Film Night @ Tanglewood (08/08)

A.T. Management

The most recent A.T. Committee meeting was May 5 ✧ Seasonal project work continues in full swing. Projects since the last report include switching the cribs on 2 moldering privies and digging new pits for 2 others, grass mowing along the trail in open areas, installing and repairing bog bridges, clearing water bars, painting the east side of Upper Goose Pond cabin, removing numerous trees blown down across the trail and clipping of vegetation that grows into the treadway. See the Outdoor Connector for details of specific projects and how to volunteer ✧ Upper Goose Pond Cabin remains open with a steady number of overnight visitors ✧ Seasonal project work is ongoing; see the Outdoor Connector (OC) for details on upcoming A.T. projects and information on how to volunteer with us ✧ Volunteer recruitment needs include trail maintainers, corridor monitors, and three coordinators: shelter, communications and group outreach ✧ Next meeting: August 25, 2025. The Committee will review work done so far this season and discuss upcoming projects ✧ Volunteer recruitment needs include trail maintainers, corridor monitors, and three coordinators (shelter, communications, and group outreach)

Bicycling

July 26: Tour of the Hamptons (29.9 miles) ✧ August bike rides are listed on the AMC Outdoor Connector (OC) and include: Berkshires Ride - Stockbridge to Alford (37.7 miles/2518 ft); Bernardston to Guilford, VT Ride (38 miles/1900 ft) ✧ Tentative plans to lead an AMC 150 relay (May 30, 2026) are under consideration

Communications

The Chapter's social media accounts continue to gain new followers- 29 new followers on Facebook and 51 new followers on Instagram since May. The Chapter’s Facebook account had a total of 9110 views, an increase of 18%. All the data points for Facebook increased in July despite fewer posts. July saw our highest number of users to date and third highest views on the website. The Chapter's social media accounts continue to gain new followers. Facebook: 9110 views (up 18%). All the data points increased in July despite fewer posts. Top post: Mt Tom hike to the Eyrie Ruins. Instagram: 18 posts with 5547 views (up 12%). Top post: 20s/30s hike to Chesterfield Gorge and brewery. Email messages sent: 3895. ✧ Ongoing web work included activity postings, updates to the Western MA Exchange, new photos, and regular site maintenance

Membership

We have 75 new members! ✧ Recent events: Guided hike with Williamstown Rural Lands examining local effects of climate change (07/12); Bennington Trailfest, a free event for hikers and the community for which we provided info about AMC Western MA, a Leave No Trace activity, and snacks (07/26) ✧ Planning is underway for the ExCom planning meeting in September and the chapter's annual meeting in October

Paddling

The Paddling Committee last met on 07/08 ✧ We have adopted two paddling legs of the AMC150 relay: Westfield River (Russell/Westfield line to Robinson State Park) on 24-May-2026 and the Connecticut River (Hatfield to Northampton Oxbow) on 27-May-2026 ✧ Recent events: 20s/30s Hike and Paddle at Tully Lake (06/04); Cheshire Reservoir (06/15); LGBTQ+ trip on the Deerfield River, Class I-II (06/27); beginner kayak instruction at Barton Cove (07/05); LGBTQ+ trip on the Deerfield River, Class I-II (07/25) ✧ Find upcoming trips on the OC

This month's Committee Highlight focuses on the 20s/30s Committee. Under the leadership of Hew Hart, it has grown from a defunct committee to a thriving, growing group of over 150 members. The 20s/30s Committee engages in a variety of activities from hiking and paddling to film nights at Tanglewood. They've been cross country skiing and are looking into doing some backpacking and climbing events. Often the activity is followed by a social gathering at a brewery or ice cream at a local ice cream shop. Hew started a WhatsApp group for the 20s/30s members as a way to share photos, ideas and comments about the trips. So if you'd like to connect with others who enjoy the outdoors and socializing, visit the committee's webpage, join us on WhatsApp, or follow us on Instagram.

ATC »

We started with a crew of three, Russ, Jess, and Cosmo. We met Kenney, recently back from 800 miles of AT hiking, who had missed us at the initial meeting point, but hiked over Mt Everett to meet us at Race Brook. We cleared long-neglected waterbars uphill of the Race Brook campsite, then cleaned up the main fire ring at the site. We removed a recent blowdown on the Race Brook Trail. We then hiked back over the mountain for a quick lunch at the Guilder Pond parking area and headed down to the Hemlocks shelter to clear off several inches of accumulated needles and branches. Footing was a bit tricky, but we managed to get things pretty well cleaned up w/o having to climb on the slippery roof. Russ provided valuable service by clearing out the deer flies as we hiked to each site. Basically a simple piece of double stick tape. We'll continue our drainage clearing work over the next couple of weeks. Our full project list can be found here.

The group hiked from North Adams to the VT border, the start of the Long Trail. Several participants logged over half of the 14 hikes in the series, while others joined in on several sections. We are grateful for Hiking Chair Mike April and Chapter Chair Kathy Martin, who planned the series, and for all the other hike leaders who volunteered to lead a section of the series! MORE PHOTOS »

Choose your ride length (20, 50, or 100k), on trails opened exclusively for this weekend. You'll ride through a nationally-renowned system of logging and sporting camp access roads through rugged landscapes and a flourishing wilderness. We're planning a full weekend of activities and fun to complement your rides, including bike rafting, a family movie night, and stargazing. We hope you'll join us for this unique opportunity in Maine's pristine North Woods! REGISTER NOW »