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Sunderland Caves Hike

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Distance:
3.0 Miles / 4.8 km
Type:
Out-and-Back
Difficulty:
Moderate
Time to Hike:
1 hour, ~30 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
UMass Mt. Toby Forest
Town:
Sunderland, Massachusetts
Directions:
42.503707, -72.530449
Added:
June 17, 2019
Updated:
May 18, 2020
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285'

Total Change
729'

Ascent
673'

Descent

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Sunderland Caves Hike

The Sunderland Caves Hike at the UMass Mt Toby Forest in Sunderland, Massachusetts is a moderate 3-mile out-and-back hike featuring the stunning Sunderland Caves.

This hike starts off at the parking lot and follows the Robert Frost Trail. The trail starts off with a good incline along with loose rocks for a short period of time, but eventually opens up.

After roughly 0.6-miles you'll hit a trail junction - follow the Caves sign to the right (west). Some maps call this the Sugar Farms Trail, others have it unmarked. This trail continues on for another 0.3-miles before you reach another right (west) turn onto the "Trails to Caves" trail. The caves are located roughly 0.3-miles after this turns.

Upon reaching the caves, trail opens up near what appears to be some larger rock formations and a large slope - this is the top of the caves. There is a split in the trees and what looks to be about a 5-foot space between two large rock faces. Upon closer look you can gaze down into a deep chasm. From here you can follow the trail around the chasm to a small overlook area with views of the Connecticut River and the Pocumtuck Ridge, or descend the trail to the entrance of the cave.

This recording follows the continuation of the blue-blazed trail below the cliffs and back up to the top of the caves. Once back on top of the caves, follow the trail back to the parking lot.

Overall the trail should be considered easy-to-moderate. However the trail down to the caves is very steep, but manageable. The trail along the cliffs is narrow but an easy traverse and only has one short scramble back up to the top.

Sunderland Caves: The cave has a large entrance and goes in at least 30 feet. While this recording does not include exploration of the cave, it is possible to go through the cave and out the other side; however, flashlights are required as there are several drops and it's very dark. There's also a sharp temperature drop both in front of the cave as well as inside.

Pets: Dogs are allowed if on leash and their waste must be carried out.
Explore 208 trails near Sunderland, MA
  1. Parking

    42.503707, -72.530449
  2. Main Trailhead

    42.503608, -72.530339
  3. Heading into the northern entrance to sunderland cave

    42.500478, -72.538269
    Heading into the northern entrance to sunderland cave
  4. Southern entrance to sunderland cave on the side of Mt Toby

    42.500422, -72.538789
    Southern entrance to sunderland cave on the side of Mt Toby
  5. View / Overlook / Vista

    42.500144, -72.53885
    View / Overlook / Vista
Explore other routes for this Trail guide, added by the MyHikes' community via Trip Reports. To add your own hike as a Community Route for this Trail guide, leave a Trip Report with an attached GPX file.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)

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Trip Reports

Trail Guide By:
Tocra user profile picture
3.0 miles / 4.8 km
2.6 miles / 4.2 km
August 02, 2019
Hiked through the Mt Toby Forest over to the cave on a Saturday. The parking lot was mostly full with cars parked along the road. The trails were moderately trafficked and the cave itself had a group of people repelling down. We hiked out to the cave, through the cave from the northern entrance, and out to the southern entrance which sits along the edge of the mountain. The inside of the cave is virtually pitch-black with a few scraps of light shining in from above and the side entrances. If you plan to explore the cave, you must bring a headlamp or a powerful flashlight. One side of the cave has a sheer 7-foot drop-off with rock ledges you can use to get up/down, but watch your footing and grip. Also watch your head while inside the cave since the headroom is low. The entire cave itself is roughly 25 to 30-feet long and about 20 feet deep at the center. The hike itself is moderate and you can follow well-marked signs to reach the cave.
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In Sunderland, MA

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