A hiker ticking off the Appalachian Trail's state high points has crossed into Massachusetts, and the first order of business was Mount Greylock — the highest point in the state at 3,491 feet. The account, published on The Trek, traces a 24.6-mile southbound day from Vermont's Route 9 to a tent site just below Greylock's summit, clocking over 56,000 steps and roughly 6,500 feet of climbing along the way.

The day started at the Route 9 trailhead near Bennington, Vermont, with a steep stone staircase immediately testing rain-slicked footing. The payoff came at Harmon Hill, where a view over Bennington opened up as the clouds began to lift. From there the trail mellowed onto a high plateau of fern fields and wet leaves for the final ten miles of Vermont, before reaching the state line clearing — a spot the hiker had last visited in 2021 while day-hiking this section, mud pit and all.

Crossing into Massachusetts brought the trail through North Adams, where an old memory proved reliable: a water spigot right on the trail down a private driveway, plus the familiar bridge over the Hoosic River and the train tracks. It's a reminder of how this stretch of the AT threads between wilderness and town — you're never far from civilisation here, a contrast to the deeper woods of Vermont and Maine.

The climb up Greylock itself turned out friendlier than expected: well-maintained trail, few bothersome rocks, and the Mount Prospect Ledge viewpoint looking west towards Williamstown and the Taconic Range. The summit features the iconic Veterans War Memorial Tower, though the wind up top was fierce, and the tower locks for the evening — hikers hoping for sunset views need to time it carefully. Water is available outside Bascom Lodge at the summit, and the old Thunderbolt ski lodge offers emergency shelter with four elevated platforms around a fireplace.

A few useful nuggets for anyone planning their own Greylock outing: a dispersed tent site sits about two tenths of a mile north of the summit (marked in the FarOut app), and late-season hiking means far less competition for campsites — no more racing fellow hikers for a pitch. The hiker gambled that sunrise from the open ledges on the tower's south side would beat the sunset, which was awkwardly blocked by a radio tower and trees.

For travellers, this is a great snapshot of one of the most accessible sections of the entire Appalachian Trail. Greylock State Reservation sits within reach of the Berkshires' towns, and you can experience the highlight — the summit tower, the lodge, the ledges — via a day hike from the visitor centre roads, no 2,000-mile trek required. If you want the full North Adams-to-summit experience, budget a solid day and check water sources in advance.

Credit: The Trek