Mount Greylock - Hiking to the top of Massachusetts on the Money Brook/Hopper Loop
Mount Greylock is Massachusetts highest mountain at 3,491 feet. It stands in the middle of a long ridge of mountains that include Mount Williams and Fitch to the north and Saddle Ball Mountain to the south. The Appalachian Trail runs over this entire ridge generally from north to south and there are a multitude of trails surrounding Greylock that climb the mountain from several different directions. The mountain is steep from just about every direction and almost all the ascents include over 2,000 vertical feet of climbing.
Our favorite way to hike Mount Greylock is from the west via the trailhead on Hopper Road. From this trailhead the Hopper Trail and the Money Brook Trail provide access to Prospect, Williams, Fitch and Greylock.
We followed the Hopper Brook Trail from the trailhead to the Money Brook Trail. From there we went up Money Brook, to the Mount Prospect Trail, up Mount Prospect via the Mount Prospect Trail and then connected with the Appalachian Trail. From there we followed the Appalachian Trail southward up and over Mount Williams, along the ridge to Mount Fitch and then made the final climb to the summit of Mount Greylock after connecting with the Thunderbolt Trail. From the top of Greylock we followed the Hopper Trail down off the summit and then dropped down the Hopper and eventually made our way back to the trail head on Hopper Road. That's about a 13 mile loop and you've got about 3100 vertical feet of relief from the parking area to the summit of Greylock.
The hike begins at the end of Hopper Road. There's a fairly large parking area with an informational kiosk at the trailhead.
Mount Greylock does have an auto road to the summit that you will cross on this hike. The summit also features numerous amenities, though at the time of year we did this hike (late April) none of the summit buildings were open and there was no running water available at the summit.
As for water, after leaving the Money Brook Trail on this loop, there is no water until the small pond on the Hopper Trail after you begin descending Mount Greylock. In the months when the summit lodge is open, water would be available from a hiker water spigot on the outside of the lodge.
In the summer months, the snack bar in the lodge is a great place to get a mid hike hamburger!
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