Monroe State Forest

June 20, 2021 Sunny

This state forest was very remote. From Route 2 near Florida, MA we descended a steep and winding road into a valley and followed the Deerfield River north to a parking area that’s near the border with Vermont.

We pulled over at the Dunbar Brook Trail parking area off River Road to begin the hike. This trail was an out and back 3.2 mile trail, mostly along a wide brook.

We started from the dam and continued under the shade of old-growth eastern hemlocks and northern hardwood trees. The brook is strewn with boulders and looks very wild, with occasional small falls and deeper pools.

Eventually we reached a small wooden bridge and crossed to the north side of the brook, stopping for a break and to feel the cool water.

We then continued a short distance, crossing back over the brook on logs, which the kids really enjoyed.

Just beyond this we found a small shelter complete with a firepit and a few supplies left by other hikers (healthy stuff like Spaghetti-Os and Jiffy popcorn). We stopped for a snack (not those supplies!) and then returned the way we came.

The main attraction of this state forest is the peace and solitude, but be prepared with extra fuel and have printed maps handy, since cell service is non-existent here.

The wide and rugged brook was the highlight of this. It was cool in the shade and surprisingly not buggy. A short and easy hike with a few interesting sights.
A lot of solitude, but not much else.
We did this thing where each person would take turns leading the rest of the group. Guess who led us the slowest (Hint: his name rhymes with “lion” and starts with R)
Just an average walk. There was a shelter at the end.
The brook was cool. The shelter was cool. And the walk was pretty long. Very average.