Berkshires State Parks, Forests & Ponds
The Berkshire Hills boast an abundance of Massachusetts state parks, forests and ponds, as well as nature reserves cared for by other nonprofit organizations.
The gorge at Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams MA. Note the stream at the bottom.
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
This 11.2-mile (18km) paved recreation track follows a former railroad line parallel to MA Route 8 along the eastern base of Mount Greylock through the northern Berkshire towns of Adams, Lanesborough and Cheshire—great for biking or roller-skating. More...
Bash Bish Falls State Park
The highest single-drop waterfall (80 feet/24 meters) in Massachusetts is the centerpiece of this scenic park in the extreme southwest corner of the Berkshires, right next to Mount Washington State Forest. More...
Bartholomew's Cobble
A 100-foot-high bedrock outcrop of quartzite and marble, this reserve just east of US Route 7 north of the Connecticut border boasts an unusual array of flora, including a great array of fern species. Cared for by The Trustees of Reservations, it has a Visitor Center and 5 miles (8 km) of hiking trails. You may also want to visit Tyringham Cobble, 25 miles (40 km) northeast. More...
Beartown State Forest
Beartown's big attraction is Benedict Pond, great for swimming, fishing and boating, but the trails on the 12,000-acre reserve are great for hiking in summer, skiing and snowshoeing in winter. It's 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Stockbridge, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Great Barrington. More...
Clarksburg State Park & Forest
Between Williamstown and North Adams at the northern end of the Berkshires, Clarksburg offers picnicking at Mauserts Pond, 9.5 miles (15 km) of hiking trails, birdwatching, and 45 campsites with indoor showers and toilets. Natural Bridge State Park and Mount Greylock State Reservation are not far away. More...
Monument Mountain Reservation
Maintained by The Trustees of Reservations, Monument Mountain, on the west side of US Route 7 between Stockbridge and Great Barrington, offers a strenuous but satisfying 720-foot (220-meter) vertical-rise climb up a quartzite outcrop to 1642-foot (500-meter) Squaw Peak. Views of the Housatonic River Valley, and indeed all the Berkshires, are fine. More...
Mount Everett State Reservation
At 2624 feet (800 meters) elevation, Mount Everett offers panoramic of the Berkshires, New York and Connecticut from its location in the extreme southwest cormer of Massachusetts, 13 miles (21km) southwest of Great Barrington. The path to the summit is only 3/4 mile (1.2 km). More...
Mount Greylock State Reservation
Home to the highest peak in Massachusetts, this reservation has an auto road to the summit, a Veterans Memorial Tower, hiking trails, and a fine hiker's summit lodge. Natural Bridge State Park is near the base in North Adams. More...
Mount Washington State Forest
Not to be confused with the much-higher Mount Washington in New Hampshire, Massachusetts's Mount Washington is set in a 4169-acre (17-square-km) forest reserve in the extreme southwestern corner of the Berkshires next to Bash Bish Falls. It offers 30 miles (48 km) of rough-terrain hiking trails with wilderness campsites. More...
Natural Bridge State Park
Only 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of North Adams, this small park is great for a picnic and a look at a marble quarry, the only white marble dam in the USA, and a curious gorge cut by a stream through white marble leaving a "natural bridge" above. More...
October Mountain State Forest
Once the estate of President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of the Navy, now Massachusetts' largest state forest (at 16,500 acres/67 square kilometers), October Mountain has 47 campsites just outside of Lee, and hiking trails for all levels of skill and mobility. The Appalachian Trail passes through the forest. More...
Pittsfield State Forest
Just a few miles west of Pittsfield are 65 acres (26 hectares) of wild azalea fields, 30 miles (48 km) of hiking trails, Berry Pond, an auto road up Berry Mountain, a paved 3/4-mile (1.2-km) trail suitable for wheelchairs, and lots of other outdoor possibilities. More...
Savoy Mountain State Forest
Just east of North Adams over the hills, Savoy has 50 miles of hiking trails,waterfalls, two ponds for swimming, 45 campsites and four rental cabins. More...
Tolland State Forest
From Great Barrington, it's 21 miles (34km) east to the centerpiece of the Tolland State Forest: 1065-acre (431-hectare) Otis Reservoir, a lake for boating, fishing, swimming, camping, hiking, mountain biking, off-road vehicles and, in winter, cross-country skiing. More...
Wahconah Falls State Park
Only 8 miles northeast of Pittsfield, Wahconah has a pretty 40-foot (12-meter) waterfall, picnic areas and hiking trails. More...