On Top of the Dome
Hike # 104
Dome Trail, Agawon Trail, Broad Brook Trail
Pownal, VT
Hike Distance: 7.01 Miles
Date Hiked: 6/1/2014
Date Published: 6/4/2014
After my most recent experience along the Appalachian Trail, I decided I had to try to get away from the bugs. Instead of taking a summer break from hiking, as I’ve done in the past, I decided to head for a little bit cooler climate. Originally, I thought about heading to central Massachusetts to hit up some of the peaks there. But, while researching weather forecasts for the weekend, I found the weather to be too similar to the weather at home. So, I decided to flip through the Day Hiker’s Guide to Vermont (The Guide), which I originally purchased when Jaci and I were in Stowe last October. I used it for one hike and haven’t used it since. Fortunately, I found exactly what I was looking for in the first region describe in the Guide.
From the Guide, “Located in the southwest corner of Vermont and the Northwest corner of Massachusetts, the Pownal Area is a large trail network which offers many loop hikes. The trails lead to several peaks with wonderful views across Vermont’s southern Green Mountains, New York’s Taconics, and Massachusetts’ Mount Greylock and the Berkshires. Most of the trails lie within a watershed area owned by the city of North Adams, Massachusetts.”
The Dome is a mountain in the Pownal Area with a summit of 2,784 feet. The trees at the summit have grown tall enough over the years to eliminate most of the views. Having read this in the Guide and online while researching the hike, I was a little discouraged. In the end, I decided the elevation (which would be a Top 3 peak for me) would be worth the two hour trip by car through Connecticut and Massachusetts. I loaded Roscoe in the car and we hit the road at 5:20am.
To reach the trailhead, I drove us up I-91 through Springfield until we reached Route 2 in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Heading west, I drove us on Route 2 (also known as the Mohawk Trail) through northern Massachusetts. I was familiar with the first leg of the drive on Route 2. I’ve come this way many times on the way to the recording studio where the band in which I play has done all of our recordings. I wasn’t familiar with, and therefore not prepared for, the second leg…which included several sharp turns and some breathtaking views. I hadn’t even left my vehicle yet…and this was already a great day.
Per the Guide, the trailhead can be found by following turning east on Sand Springs Road (from U.S. Route 7 in Williamstown, MA, 1.6 miles north of its junction with U.S. Route 2 or 0.8 miles south of the Vermont State Line). From Sand Springs Road, bear right at a fork on Bridges Road. Then, turn left (0.6 miles) on White Oaks Road at a four-way intersection. Go north to the end of the pavement at the Vermont state line. Continue 0.3 miles farther to a logging road on the right where White Oaks Road bears left. Parking is available along the apron of the logging road.
A note about parking: I didn’t exactly follow the directions provided by the Guide so I can’t verify their accuracy (but they do seem fairly accurate). I personally located the area on Google Maps and found a more direct route to the parking location through North Adams. My advice would be to use whatever makes you the most comfortable. Also, because I wanted to do all three trails, I elected to park at the trailhead for the Broad Brook Trail…which is the parking area near the end of the pavement at the state line…
Hike # 104
Dome Trail, Agawon Trail, Broad Brook Trail
Pownal, VT
Hike Distance: 7.01 Miles
Date Hiked: 6/1/2014
Date Published: 6/4/2014
After my most recent experience along the Appalachian Trail, I decided I had to try to get away from the bugs. Instead of taking a summer break from hiking, as I’ve done in the past, I decided to head for a little bit cooler climate. Originally, I thought about heading to central Massachusetts to hit up some of the peaks there. But, while researching weather forecasts for the weekend, I found the weather to be too similar to the weather at home. So, I decided to flip through the Day Hiker’s Guide to Vermont (The Guide), which I originally purchased when Jaci and I were in Stowe last October. I used it for one hike and haven’t used it since. Fortunately, I found exactly what I was looking for in the first region describe in the Guide.
From the Guide, “Located in the southwest corner of Vermont and the Northwest corner of Massachusetts, the Pownal Area is a large trail network which offers many loop hikes. The trails lead to several peaks with wonderful views across Vermont’s southern Green Mountains, New York’s Taconics, and Massachusetts’ Mount Greylock and the Berkshires. Most of the trails lie within a watershed area owned by the city of North Adams, Massachusetts.”
The Dome is a mountain in the Pownal Area with a summit of 2,784 feet. The trees at the summit have grown tall enough over the years to eliminate most of the views. Having read this in the Guide and online while researching the hike, I was a little discouraged. In the end, I decided the elevation (which would be a Top 3 peak for me) would be worth the two hour trip by car through Connecticut and Massachusetts. I loaded Roscoe in the car and we hit the road at 5:20am.
To reach the trailhead, I drove us up I-91 through Springfield until we reached Route 2 in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Heading west, I drove us on Route 2 (also known as the Mohawk Trail) through northern Massachusetts. I was familiar with the first leg of the drive on Route 2. I’ve come this way many times on the way to the recording studio where the band in which I play has done all of our recordings. I wasn’t familiar with, and therefore not prepared for, the second leg…which included several sharp turns and some breathtaking views. I hadn’t even left my vehicle yet…and this was already a great day.
Per the Guide, the trailhead can be found by following turning east on Sand Springs Road (from U.S. Route 7 in Williamstown, MA, 1.6 miles north of its junction with U.S. Route 2 or 0.8 miles south of the Vermont State Line). From Sand Springs Road, bear right at a fork on Bridges Road. Then, turn left (0.6 miles) on White Oaks Road at a four-way intersection. Go north to the end of the pavement at the Vermont state line. Continue 0.3 miles farther to a logging road on the right where White Oaks Road bears left. Parking is available along the apron of the logging road.
A note about parking: I didn’t exactly follow the directions provided by the Guide so I can’t verify their accuracy (but they do seem fairly accurate). I personally located the area on Google Maps and found a more direct route to the parking location through North Adams. My advice would be to use whatever makes you the most comfortable. Also, because I wanted to do all three trails, I elected to park at the trailhead for the Broad Brook Trail…which is the parking area near the end of the pavement at the state line…
We geared up and hit the trail,
setting out due north along the gravel section of White Oaks Road...
Along the way, we passed some
interesting flora, which was growing out of a roadside barrier…
After about 3/10 of a mile, we reached the parking location at the trailhead for the Dome Trail…
Dome Trail (2.6 miles)
At the back of the parking location, we found a large rock and a cable intended to prevent all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Right next to the large rock and cable, I discovered that the ATV and dirt bike riders found a way around…
At the back of the parking location, we found a large rock and a cable intended to prevent all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. Right next to the large rock and cable, I discovered that the ATV and dirt bike riders found a way around…
We made our way around the
cable and started following the logging road…
It wasn’t long before I spotted
the first Red Blaze of the day, shortly before the trail cut through a small
field…
After following the logging
road along what the Guide calls a “moderate” ascent, the trail veers left and
heads uphill. I located the double
blaze, which indicates to turn…but there is also an arrow on a tree…
Approximately 1.7 miles in (1.2
miles from the Dome Trail trailhead, per the Guide), I spotted a yellow blazed
diamond a tree…
Here, the Agawon Trail leads
right and heads southeast. My plan was
to cover the Agawon Trail later…on my way back down the mountain. For now, we continued heading uphill on the
Dome Trail. Almost immediately, we
passed what the Guide calls Meeting House Rock…
Roughly 2.2 miles in (1.7 miles
from the Dome Trail trailhead, per the Guide), the trail descends to a shallow
sag. Here, it turns right and briefly
follows a woods road. The Guide notes
this section is occasionally muddy and I can confirm it was a little muddy on
our trip…
50 feet after flattening out,
the trail turns left…
Eventually, the trail leaves
the hardwoods and enters a spruce-fir forest before beginning a steep climb
over a series of quartzite outcrops…
The trail then passes through a
small wet area surrounded by thick conifers before climbing easily through
scrub growth to the bare summit…
The Guide certainly wasn’t
kidding when it noted all of the views are gone. But, I did a bit of searching and I was able
to spot one view. I believe the mountain
in the distance is Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest point…
Since there wasn’t much of a
view, I quickly started the process of heading back down the mountain. Once I reached the junction with the Agawon
Trail, I made a left and started following the yellow blazes…
Agawon Trail (0.7 miles)
Agawon Trail (0.7 miles)
The Guide refers to the Agawon
Trail as “little-used but enjoyable” and I wholeheartedly agree with that
assessment. The trail was a little
overgrown but I found it easy to follow and I really enjoyed some of the steep
slopes. The elevation data doesn’t
reflect it, but it felt a lot steeper on the way down than the Dome Trail did
on the way up. In some sections, the
trail was very narrow and on the side of a steep hill…so I had to use my
balancing skills. Roscoe, of course, had
no problems with any of this…only stopping along the way to enjoy some of the
high vantage points…
Near its end, a portion of the Agawon
Trail follows along Broad Brook. I could
hear the brook getting louder as we approached.
Once we were near, Roscoe took a minute to quench his thirst. Apparently, the water I was carrying for him
wasn’t as good as the fresh mountain spring water…
Eventually, we reached the end
of the Agawon Trail its southern terminus…where it meets up with the blue-blazed Broad
Brook Trail…
Broad Brook Trail (1.4 miles)
Broad Brook Trail (1.4 miles)
Here, at the junction of the
Agawon and Broad Brook trails, the Broad Brook heads left (northeast) and right
(southwest). If I were to turn left, the
Broad Brook would eventually bring me to the Appalachian Trail, and the miles
of it which coincide with Vermont’s Long Trail.
Maybe one day I will return to the area and use the Broad Brook Trail as
a means to access this section of the AT.
For now, I made the right turn and started to follow the trail to the
southwest.
We followed the trail through a hemlock forest. For the most part, this was easy going. But, there was one difficult section where the trail crosses Broad Brook…
We followed the trail through a hemlock forest. For the most part, this was easy going. But, there was one difficult section where the trail crosses Broad Brook…
While doing my research for
this hike, I read the brook crossing would be difficult during times of high
water. The water on this day wasn’t
particularly high, but the crossing was still difficult. After struggling on the slippery rocks for a
bit, I finally decided just to get my feet wet.
I wasn’t too far from my car (where I had change of shoes for the ride
home) and I figured I would rather get my feet wet then fall into the water and
get everything wet.
The very last section of the Broad Brook Trail, just before we reached the parking lot where I had left my car approximately three hours earlier, was basically just a gravel path…
The very last section of the Broad Brook Trail, just before we reached the parking lot where I had left my car approximately three hours earlier, was basically just a gravel path…
I really enjoyed this
hike. I was a little upset that the
views were lacking, but I knew what I was getting when I signed up for
that. The initial climb is challenging
in that it is almost straight uphill for more than 2 miles. The incline isn’t always steep, but it is
almost always heading uphill. And,
beginners might find it difficult. If
you’re looking for a fun yet challenging day hike with a nice drive thrown in
for good measure, you’ll enjoy this one.
I was happy to get out and use the Day Hiker’s Guide to Vermont for the
second time. I hope to use it more in
the near future. Until next time…
For a map of this hike, along with elevation data, please click here.
Total 2014 Distance: 259.02