Mount Greylock via Bellows Pipe and Gould Trails Loop

The 6.5-mile loop hike of Mount Greylock via the Bellows Pipe Trail and Gould Trail offers great summit views along a pleasant and uncrowded trail. The hike begins at the Bellows South Trailhead on Gould Road, which has space for roughly a dozen cars. The route then follows the Bellows Pipe Trail, which begins as a crushed gravel path at a slight uphill that steepens steadily. The path transitions to a dirt trail around 0.5 miles and continues uphill until the junction with the Thunderbolt ski trail at 1.1 miles. At this point the trail shallows out slightly and takes a few long switchbacks as it approaches the Mount Greylock Summit Road. The trail crosses the road, then continues uphill past the Thunderbolt Warming Hut, before finally gaining the summit at about 3.0 miles. The summit features the Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial, a stone tower originally built in 1932, condemned in the 1960s, and rebuilt and rededicated in 1975. The summit also offers great views of the surrounding hills and peaks.

To complete the loop hike, continue off the summit on the opposite side as the ascent, following signs for the southbound Appalachian Trail. Soon, where the trail again crosses the summit and notch roads, follow the sign onto the Gould Trail to begin a gradual and pleasant descent through quiet old-growth forest. Around 4.5 miles, the trail forks left, following the signs to stay on the Gould Trail. The trail continues to descend, well-marked, until around 5.7 miles, where the official trail turns right, but this is easy to miss. Hikers can also continue along the trail to the left, which soon becomes difficult to follow as it descends towards Pecks Brook. After crossing Pecks Brook, the route continues down an obvious wide trail for another 0.5 miles back to the trailhead parking.