3 lovely hikes within the Berkshires

New England Journey

Discover these three hikes in Pittsfield, Nice Barrington, and North Adams.

Berkshire County’s pure panorama is “a dream come true” and ideal for hikers of all ranges, in accordance with Mariah Fogg, neighborhood conservation supervisor for the Berkshire Pure Sources Council (BNRC).

Berkshire County is made up of 40% conservation land and the BNRC alone gives greater than 60 miles of mountain climbing trails all through the county, she stated. The paths are situated on 58 BNRC reserves which are free and open to the general public.

“The Berkshires have so many leisure alternatives and particular locations,” Fogg stated. “You may stay right here your entire life and never go to each path, each pond, each side of the Berkshires. We’ve obtained the Taconic Mountains, the Berkshire Highlands, the entire river valleys and particular ponds and lakes. It truly is only a matrix of the pure panorama that’s only a dream come true, actually.”

Forward, Fogg recommends three lovely Berkshire County hikes. Of us can discover much more hikes on the free BNRC Berkshire Trails app.

Animals lovers will love the accessible half-mile Meadow Loop Path within the 267-acre Thomas & Palmer Brook Reserve, Fogg stated.

The trail, conveniently near downtown Nice Barrington, has wonderful wetland and meadow views with benches for resting and taking within the surroundings.

However that’s not all.

“Simply as you go the informational kiosk, which is correct close to the parking space, you cross a 90-foot bridge the place there’s simply tons of energetic beaver exercise,” Fogg stated. “I’ve seen a whole lot of of us that stroll there from their neighborhood each night time simply to look at what the beavers have achieved. You don’t get that near wildlife usually, particularly on an accessible path.”

For many who need to hold mountain climbing, the path connects to the 0.6-mile Woodland Path and 0.3-mile Whale Rock Path, each reasonable. The latter was named for the whale-shaped rock discovered at its vacation spot, she stated.

“It’s well worth the climb,” Fogg stated. “It’s fairly giant. It’s lengthy and linear, and also you get to be on only a portion of it. You get to look virtually type of down the whale’s backbone. It’s very particular.”

These searching for a problem can deal with the two.8-mile roundtrip trek on the Mahanna Cobble Path, which entails climbing a ski slope, Fogg stated.

The path begins at Bosquet Mountain ski space, the place hikers climb a beginner-level ski slope earlier than moving into the forest, she stated. The path is taken into account tough due to the elevation change, she stated.

“It’s well worth the climb as a result of on the high you get fully uninterrupted views searching over a pair completely different conservation items of land,”

Hikers are rewarded with views of Kennedy Park, Mass Audobon’s Nice Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and Yukon Ridge, she stated.

“It might be one of many solely vistas within the space the place you simply don’t see any improvement in any respect,” Fogg stated. “It’s fairly superb.”

The hike can also be the northern terminus of the Yukon Ridge Path, the primary route of BNRC’s Excessive Highway mission and a part of 10-plus miles of trails, Fogg identified.

The Excessive Highway, impressed by the Camino de Santiago and the Coast to Coast Stroll in England, will finally turn into a county-wide path. The primary part, the Yokun Ridge Path, is an eight-mile path that opened in 2021 and connects trails from Pittsfield to Lenox.

Hikers who deal with the straightforward 1.6-mile roundtrip Sundown Rock Path at Hoosic Vary Reserve later within the day are in for an actual deal with, Fogg stated.

“It’s a implausible location to absorb a sundown, therefore the title,” Fogg stated. “And also you’re trying immediately over the Taconic Ridge and the Inexperienced Mountains.”

What’s extra, the BNRC simply put in a brand new bench excellent for sundown gazing, she stated.

For hikers searching for much more nice views within the 944-acre reserve, proceed on for 3 miles alongside the Hoosic Vary Path, Fogg suggested. This path is taken into account tough due to its size, she stated, and the 6 mile roundtrip hike is a gradual climb.

“The ultimate vacation spot is Spruce Hill, which is a really giant rocky outcrop with a few 180-degree view,” Fogg stated.