Pine Cobble: Southern Tip of the Green Mountains

View toward North Adams from Pine Cobble

A friend of mine recommended a hike up the Pine Cobble in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, after reading reviews, I had trouble passing it up. It's not a particularly long hike, but I figured it would be a great early-season warm-up for longer hikes I had planned in similar terrain. Combined with a hike on the Old Mohawk Trail (not recommended unless you're really into old roads), it made for a nice late April day.

Pine Cobble Mountain is generally considered the southernmost summit of the Green Mountains, separated from the Taconic Mountains and Berkshire Hills by the Hoosic River's two branches. While not particularly high, the summit (elevation 1,893 feet) is far above upper the Hoosic Valley and provides panoramic views of North Adams and Williamstown. An out-and-back hike along the main trail is 3.6 miles per GPS, 1.8 miles each way, with roughly 1,250 feet of total ascent. The mountain is close to Williams College and, as such, many hikers while classes are in session are students. The parking lot is small, so I'd recommend hiking at off-peak times. The trail has no restroom facilities.

I started up Pine Cobble shortly after 1 PM on a partly cloudy Saturday afternoon. Rain was forecast for late afternoon, so I was hoping to get back to my car before the rain began. There is a small parking lot that can hold 6-7 cars if parked tightly. Don't park on the road.

Follow the signs. Please.

The parking lot

Walk a short distance uphill along the road to reach the well-marked trailhead.

The first bit of trail is relatively flat.

The sign lies. 1.6 miles is to the turnoff for the summit.

As an official spur of the Appalachian Trail, the Pine Cobble Trail has blue blazes.

Lower part of the trail looks like this 

At least the fourth sign showing the trail's name in the first 1/4 mile

After an initial gradual ascent, the trail descends into a ravine to cross a small stream. Once we're across, our climb can begin.

Descending into the ravine

Climbing back up 

Near the 1/2 mile mark, we reach a steep section with several switchbacks. Stairs make the climb a little easier.

Some of the stairs

Yup, those are more stairs

Once the hairpins are passed, the trail levels off again. There is a well-signed turn to the right.

At roughly the 1 mile mark, the Class of '98 Trail departs to the left. This trail connects to the Appalachian Trail and can be used as part of a loop in conjunction with the Pine Cobble Trail

Sign at '98 Trail junction. This distance is correct.

I was thinking it was a really easy hike until I hit this junction. Then the real climbing began. I looked at my phone and realized I still had over 700 vertical feet to climb.

Here we go...

After the initial climb from the '98 junction, we reach another welcome sign, roughly 1.1 miles from the trailhead. At this sign, the trail sharply turns right onto an obvious reroute.

By this point, at least 1.25 miles into the hike, I was surprised at the lack of rocky sections. Well...

You wanted rocks? Here's a steep rocky section!

The next ~0.4 miles alternates between a gradual ascent and a steep, rocky climb.

Just some good ol' New England Hiking

Someone made a cairn

Typical scene along the upper half of the trail

The last steep climb

After the longest steep section along the trail, it levels off and we immediately hit a junction. Left leads to the Appalachian Trail and the other end of the '98 Trail. We want to go RIGHT to Pine Cobble.

The junction

The final bit of the trail is relatively level as we hike along the top of the ridge.

Soon enough, we're at the summit. True summit is marked by a drill hole on the tallest rock outcrop.

The true summit

Beyond the summit is an overlook to the southeast and North Adams, while to the right is an overlook to the southwest and Williamstown. We'll start by looking southeast.

Looking southeast. North Adams is at the left.
The Hoosac Range is in the background, Greylock at the right.

Looking north toward the rest of the Green Mountains

The summit was somewhat busy with students from nearby Williams College, so there wasn't a ton of room to rest up here. That being said, if any of my universities were near hiking like this, I'd probably be spending all my free time enjoying the view as well.

Backtracking out to the other overlook...

Williamstown and the Taconic Mountains

The clouds were beginning to roll in fast, so I figured I should start down the mountain.

Down generally looks like this

It's a pretty easy descent, not too steep to take at a brisk walk.

Approaching the uppermost welcome sign

Junction with the '98 Trail. Left leads to the trailhead.

A few mud patches on the lower part of the trail

Flat section above the stairs

Going down the stairs

Forgot about this climb out of the ravine near the trailhead...

Roughly 2 hours after leaving, I was back at my car. Pine Cobble is great if you want a taste of New England hiking, as a practice for larger mountains, or in combination with attractions or other hikes in the area (still quite a few I need to do).

Getting Here

Pine Cobble is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, roughly 2 miles from the center of Williamstown Village, 4.5 miles from North Adams, 14 miles from Old Bennington, Vermont, and 22 miles from Pittsfield. A full range of services is located in Williamstown and North Adams.