Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th: AMC Guide to Hiking Trails in Massachusetts (AMC Hiking Guide Series) [Paperback]

Charles W. G. Smith (Editor)

Book Description

Series: AMC Hiking Guide Series | Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Now completely revised and updated, the Massachusetts Trail Guide is the most comprehensive guide available to the trails of the Bay State.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This old standard in the trusted AMC Guide series provides comprehensive trail information county by county, making a lot of overlooked backcountry accessible. Designed to survive trail use and pack pockets."
--Backpacker magazine

"Like all AMC Guides, the AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide sets the standard against which all other hiking guides are measured."
--Steve Golden, National Park Service

From the Back Cover

For more than 35 years, hikers have relied on the AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide as the most comprehensive guide available to the Bay State's beautiful and diverse terrain. This revised and updated edition provides detailed descriptions of more than 350 trails across the state, including 91 new trails. You'll also find brand-new, GPS-rendered maps of the state's most popular areas - including the Blue Hills, Wachusett Mountain, and Mount Greylock – to help you more easily and accurately find your way. Whether you're looking for a short excursion, a daylong adventure, or an overnight trip along the Appalachian Trial, the AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide is a must-have for every hiker trekking in the Bay State.
Inside you'll find:
*Thoroughly updated descriptions of more than 350 hiking trails
*Six full-color, pull-out, GPS-rendered maps
*Suggested hikes for all abilities
*Tips on trip planning, safety, and more

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books; 8th edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192917344X
• ISBN-13: 978-1929173440
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,424,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How did I manage without these maps?, July 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th: AMC Guide to Hiking Trails in Massachusetts (AMC Hiking Guide Series) (Paperback)

I used this guide in its last incarnation, and was thrilled to see that the new edition includes maps. And not just any maps--they're in color and have contour lines and parking and trails. With these tools I have been able to plan and hike safer, and I seem to be doing more hiking too!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not spectacular, April 26, 2006

By 

nehiker (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th: AMC Guide to Hiking Trails in Massachusetts (AMC Hiking Guide Series) (Paperback)

I own the 7th edition, which includes Rhode Island in the title, and have used the book primarily in Western MA. The guide is pretty good, but certainly not on the level of the AMC White Mountains Guide. Only one of the maps (for Mt. Greylock State Reservation) is of high quality; the rest look more like sketches. Only a portion of the trails described have any maps (or sketches) at all. Less than half of the Appalachian Trail in MA is shown. All of it is described in the book, but in rather laconic (and insufficient) terms. If not for the trail signs, the description would not be sufficient to follow the trail in Chestire or Dalton. Sometimes the description is somewhat inaccurate.

For AT in MA, ATC's Appalachian Trail guide with its maps is probably the way to go. However, for trails in MA overall, the AMC guide is certainly the better choice, if not the best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, May 25, 2008

By 

herumlauferin (western Mass) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th: AMC Guide to Hiking Trails in Massachusetts (AMC Hiking Guide Series) (Paperback)

Having moved to Massachusetts relatively recently, I haven't found this guide to be very useful. The descriptions are very bare-bones, the maps are only of small areas and there is no overall "orientation" map showing where the hikes are in the state or region overall. Plus, the hikes listed are really short! With some engineering, you can string a few together to make a longer hike, but it'd be nice if the authors would just come out and do that for you.