Dunbar Brook Trail

Monroe State Forest

522 River Road
Florida, MA 01247

The Dunbar Brook Trail is located in easterly part of the Monroe State Forest.  It runs westerly and northwesterly from River Road in Florida, Massachusetts (near the town line with Monroe, Massachusetts) to Raycroft Road in Monroe (south of the intersection of Raycroft Road and Main Road).  (River Road runs along the Deerfield River.)  There is day-use parking at both ends of the Trail.  Click here for a trail map.

There is a small dam fairly close to the River Road parking lot and a short trail/board walk takes you there.  This short trail is not part of the Dunbar Brook Trail.

The Dunbar Brook Trail starts out running southwesterly from the River Road parking area going up a hill along a grassy road for a short distance.  Then the Trail turns westerly into the forest.  From there on the Trail is pretty obvious and it is marked sporadically with blue blazes.

The Trail pretty much follows Dunbar Brook.  The area is wooded and there are no views.  The  Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management describes the Dunbar Brook Trail as running "through shaded stands of old-growth old-growth Eastern Hemlock and associated northern hardwood trees. This pristine brook tumbles and drops 700 vertical feet in two miles, over huge moss-covered boulders forming entrancing waterfalls, rapids and pools."

A trail leading to the Raycroft Extension Road and the Ridge Shelter heads southwesterly up the hill and away from Dunbar Brook just before the first bridge.

There is a camp site on the north side of the Brook southerly of where Haley Brook joins Dunbar Brook from the north (between the two bridges). 

There is a shelter, with an outhouse, along the Trail westerly of where Haley Brook joins Dunbar Brook, just past the second bridge. 

If you intend to camp, contact the Mohawk Trail State Forest at (413) 339-5504 to be sure that no one else has signed up for the camp site or the shelter.

I hiked this Trail in late August 2008. I only went a bit past the shelter, which was about an hour's walk at a not-very-fast pace.  I found this to be a very pleasant day hike with lots of nice spots to stop and sit near the brook. I would personally judge the hiking difficulty as "moderate."  This is not a level trail by any means.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management notes the following regarding Monroe State Forest generally:

1. The forest is open sunrise to sunset year-round. Access is free. Interior roads are in poor condition.

2.  Be prepared: No services are available. Carry-in, carry-out all your belongings and trash.

3.  Be bear aware: Don't forget you are in Black Bear country. Never physically confront, feed, torment or throw anything at bears. Take appropriate precautions with food so as not to attract bears.

4. Snowmobiling is available conditions permitting (4-inch minimum hard-packed snow base)[Note:  I would not assume that one could snowmobile on the Dunbar Brook Trail, however.].

5. Prohibited: All Terrain Vehicles and alcoholic beverages.

Directions to the Dunbar Brook Trail parking lot on River Road:  From Route 2, traveling east or west, turn north on Zoar Road in Charlemont (2.2 miles west of Charlemont center and just east of the Deerfield River bridge).  Follow Zoar Road (which becomes River Road in Florida) bearing left at the "T" (bearing right takes you to Rowe) for 11 miles to the parking lot on the left. Only day-use parking is permitted here (although this may not be true if you've arranged to camp via the Mohawk Trail State Park ranger).

Text and Photos (c) Will Flanders 2008

Disclaimer:  This page recites the author's personal experience and knowledge of the trail based on one particular day's hike in good, dry weather.  This page is intended for general information and not intended to be a recommendation that any particular person undertake this hike on any particular day.  Anyone considering this hike should use all ordinary and prudent caution and appropriate planning in undertaking this hike based on the particular weather/terrain conditions and the hiker's personal  health and level of physical conditioning.

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