Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.