The Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States, begins at the Massachusetts–Vermont border near Williamstown, MA. This southern terminus is marked by a large wooden sign and lies at the junction where the Appalachian Trail (AT) continues and the Long Trail (LT) begins. The first 105 miles of the LT coincide with the AT before the two trails split at Maine Junction near Killington, VT.
There are two primary approaches to reach the southern terminus: Via the Appalachian Trail from North Adams, MA: This route is approximately 3.8 miles and begins at Route 2 in North Adams, or via the Pine Cobble Trail from Williamstown, MA: This 3.3-mile trail starts at Pine Cobble Road in Williamstown and offers a scenic ascent to the LT's starting point. Both approaches take hikers to the VT/MA border, where the Long Trail officially begins its 272-mile journey northward through Vermont's Green Mountains to the Canadian border.