The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail is a 108 mile trail that runs North South through the whole length of Massachussets and 17 miles into New Hampshire. Highlights include Mount Monadnock, Mount Tom and the Holyoke Range and it follows the Metacomet Traprock Ridge all the way to the Connecticut border where it joins the Metacomet Trail in CT. The ‘MM’ as its known makes up part of the 225 mile New England Trail that also comprises The Metacomet, Mattabesset and Menuckatuck Trail in CT taking that trail all the way from the MA NH border to Long Island Sound in Guilford in CT.
In Depth Guide
The Metacomet – Monadnock Trail can be a bit confusing. There is a ‘New Hampshire’ MM trail that winds from Mt Monadnock in New Hampshire to the MA border near Royalston Falls, and then the ‘Metacomet- Monadnock’ Trail then extends 92 miles through the whole of MA (sharing about 80% with the New England Trail) until the border with CT where it meets the Metacomet Trail.
You may also be interested in my Wild Camping Guide and Multi Day Adventure Kit List Guides
Start of the Trail
The NHMM starts at 3166 ft high Mt Monadnock and is cited as the most frequently climbed mountain in the world. The trail then passes over Little Monadnock and Gap Mountain.
Royalston Falls and the MA Border
Royalston Falls is a 50 foot (15 m) waterfall and granite gorge located in Royalston, Massachusetts along Falls Brook, a tributary of the Tully River which in turn is a tributary of the Millers River. It is near the point where the NHMM ends and the MM starts at the MA/NH border.
The path then winds through Mount Grace ( the third highest point in MA) and Warwick State Forest before reaching the Richardson-Zlogar Cabin in Northfield State Forest. There are three small sections in this stage where the ‘MM’ diverges away from the ‘NET’ so you will need to be careful to watch the signage.
Erving State Forest
The Trail then continues to head south passing through Erving State Forest, Wendell State Forest (where a lean to shelter is located) and before diverging away from the New England Trail route for 16 miles near Lake Wyola.
Buffan Falls and Holland Glen Falls to The Holyoke Range
The trail then diverges away from the NET again taking in two sets of waterfalls at Buffan Falls and Holland Glen Falls before rejoining the NET and turning West towards The Holyoke Range which includes 7 mini peaks called the Seven Sisters. Its also famous for the Horse Caves where it is rumored horses were hidden during Shays rebellion.
The trail then has no clear way of crossing the Connecticut River so you are faced with a choice of a long dog leg walk on the road, stashing a kayak, or driving round. Once across the river the trail rejoins and goes up Mount Tom.
Mt Tom State Reservation
The CT Border – From white to blue
The tral finishes where it meets the start of the Metacomet Trail in CT and the blazes change from white to blue.
Parking info
coming soon.
Just a commment from the general blog: browsing the whole library as a newcomer is annoying. I would like to just scroll down instead of clicking this oddly placed arrow noted “older posts”
Thanks for the feedback. This would create an ‘infinite scroll’ and a page that would be thousands of pages long. I would get absolutely clobbered by google for it and probably have nothing rank. The best way to have a poke about my site is to use the tabs at the top to pick whether you want to read about articles, guides FKTs or gear reviews or trail guides. Thanks ! L-S
Minor correction – Mt. Norwottuck is a bit east of the Seven Sisters. The seven sisters are independent of Mt. Norwottuck, Mt. Hitchcock, and Bald Mtn. You can actually see the Seven Sisters most easily from down on the highways (Rte 91 or Rte 47) from the north.
Interesting that the M-M trail diverges from the NET for short distances. One wonders why that is so; perhaps land ownership issues?
yeh the MM has largely been abandoned as a concpet and replaced with the NET because of land access rights issues, both legal and illegal.