Southern Taconics Region

State: 
NY/CT/MA
Overview: 
Trails offer sweeping views over the adjacent valleys to Mount Greylock to the north, the Catskill Mountains to the west, and the Hudson Highlands to the southwest.
Facts: 

21 miles of trails are maintained by 14 Trail Conference volunteers and member groups.

Find descriptions of great hikes in this region: click here.

Trail Conference News: Planning initiated for Taconic Ridge Trail extension south to Rudd Pond. 

The Taconic mountains rise from a base of 1000 feet above sea level to well over 2000 feet in elevation, extending from eastern New York and northwestern Connecticut north through western Massachusetts into southwestern Vermont.  Mount Everett (2602 feet) is the highest and most prominent feature in the Southern Taconics.  The highest point in Connecticut (2380 feet) is located at the Connecticut-Massachusetts line on the south slope of Mount Frissell. 

The trail system features two parallel trails running north-south: the 15.6-mile South Taconic trail follows the western range and escarpment, and the 16.5-mile section of the Appalachian Trail follows the eastern range.  Side trails ascend to the highland from the valleys on either side.

The best-known natural site in the area is Bashbish Gorge in Massachusetts, offering towering walls and a cascading brook ending in Bashbish Falls.

Parks in the region include:


Taconic Mountains. Photo by Georgette Weir.