Hidalcy Farm Preserve - Marple, PA

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge - Essington, PA

Newlin Grist Mill - Glen Mills, PA

Mount Greylock Summit - Adams, MA

Sunset Rock Trail - Copake Falls, NY

Taconic State Park

Bish Bash Falls State Park - Copake Falls, NY

This trail is part of the Taconic State Park system and we entered on the New York side but the falls themselves are in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has closed the road leading in from that side so be aware of that before you set out. The trail from the parking lot to the falls is only 3/4 mile in length and is fairly easy with a moderate slope but the day we were there we saw lots of families with children so should be accessible for most people. The falls are spectacular and offer lots of "viewing platforms" from the rocks at the base of the falls. There is a trail that goes to an area above the falls but this is for experienced climbers and is very steep and we were told could be dangerous. There is an overlook a short drive farther up the road to another parking area, but this is also a steep climb with steel guard wire to help you, and although the view of the valley is very nice once your at the top, you cannot actually see the falls because of the tree cover, so unless you enjoy climbing I would skip this.

Distance traveled: approximately 2 miles

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary - Lenox, MA

We decided to stop at Pleasant Valley after our walk at Canoe Meadows. The sanctuary has seven miles of trails that wind through forest, meadows, and wetlands and the trails range from easy with some small slopes to steeper slopes. Be sure to take a trail map with you on your hike. Trails are well marked but .. a couple of the trails loop back on themselves so can be confusing and it can be hard to see where the path is in some of the older forest where there isn't a lot of understory growth to mark a trail and if its a darker day it can be difficult to see the next blue marker for the trail. We did see turkey and beavers on our hike and would have loved to have had more time to explore. but it was fully dark when we got back to the entrance area so we'll have to leave it for another visit.

Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary - Pittsfield, MA

Canoe Meadow, is a bird sanctuary managed by Mass Audubon. Trails are well marked and easy to navigate. The day we were at Canoe Meadow, the Sacred Way trail was closed due to damage and flooding from this past summer's storms, and a portion of the Carriage Road trail along the brook was flooded and not passable. Nonetheless, We did have a great walk following the Wolf Pine and Owl trails and most of the Carriage trail. We met up with two older gentleman along the top of the Carriage trail who were very excited about the bag of mushrooms that they had picked and were going to cook for dinner (something I would be very leery of doing unless I was absolutely sure of what I was picking). If you are a birder plan to spend some time at the wildlife observation building. We saw a green heron perched in the middle of the pond, and a small turtle sunning himself on a log not far off the walkway.  This was an easy and enjoyable walk.

Distance traveled: approx 2.25 miles

Hancock Shaker Village - Hancock, MA

I'd really recommend that you leave a whole day to visit the village as we were a little rushed trying to see everything in just under five hours and we weren't able to hike the trails as we just ran out of time. Be sure to get a mike for the self guided tour at the reception desk. A number of the original buildings have been restored so that visitors can see what life must have been like and how the Shakers lived. The round barn itself was beautiful and shouldn't be missed. There are demonstrations and talks throughout the village and there's a cafe and an ice cream shop on site. We had a great day and would recommend a stop here for anyone in the Berkshires!

Norman Rockwell Museum - Stockbridge, MA

The Museum

The Studio

Although not the original site of Norman Rockwell's studio, the building seems as though this is where it's always been. The studio is open and is set up as it would have been when Rockwell was working.
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View from the back of the studio

The museum itself has a revolving exhibition of Rockwell's paintings as well as a collection of Saturday Evening Post covers in a room downstairs where you can also watch a short film on his life and work.



After visiting the museum we walked around the grounds to the studio as well as other buildings on the grounds that now serve as administrative offices.

Chesterwood - Glendale, MA

A view of the studio from the house

Chesterwood is the home and studio of sculptor Daniel French who created the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the  Lincoln Memorial and is a National Trust Historic Site. We toured the museum, studio and home the day we were there and would highly recommend a stop here if you are in the area.

Sculpture along the woodland trail

French also designed and added a woodland walk to his property that begins near the barn and loops around a portion of the property and includes contemporary sculptures all along the trail. The trail is well maintained and an easy walk. The day we were there we were the only ones on the trail and it was quite beautiful and serene.

Sanderson Brook Falls - Chester, MA

Sometimes a wrong turn leads to something better...

We were heading for Chesterbrook and ended up in Chester. We were on our way and had driven for a good bit and I thought we should have already seen our turn come up. So we pulled over to look at the map and decided we had used the wrong exit leaving a parking lot and had ended up making a wrong turn.  Just after we turned around to go back we saw a sign for Sanderson Brook Falls and decided to stop.

Sanderson Falls is part of The Chester-Blandford State Forest. From the parking area on Route 20 there's about a 20 minute walk on a mostly flat gravel trail to reach the falls. At the start of the trailhead we could hear the brook roaring just through the trees to our left.

     
Given the August and September rains this year the brook was really running fast and we did see some damage to both the trail and the hills surrounding. There are three bridges crossing the trail as you hike. After the third bridge there is a bit of a hill to reach the actual falls. After the falls you can continue up the trail but on the day we visited the trail was washed away in places and there were a lot of downed trees so we decided not to continue the climb.

What was left of the trail

 Just before you reach the falls there is a narrow pathway that will take you down to the base of the falls.

The pool at the bottom of the fall was littered with tree trunks that had been washed down in the summer storms, but the spot was quite beautiful. We spent about an hour watching the water tumble over the rocks before we headed back.

Distance traveled: Approximately 2 Miles

Vacation Village at the Berkshires - Hancock, MA

Although the resort we stayed at has a "nature trail" on the property it was really quite short and led to a small loop around a "wetland". You could then follow the culvert that ran behind the buildings but that really didn't appeal to us at all.

Luckily the trail also abutted a woods so we decided to follow one of the deer trails and see where that might lead. We had a great walk through the trees, leaves are just beginning to turn but the rich colors under the trees was wonderful. The deer trail eventually came out into an open field with a leaf covered track leading down the side of the hill.

The trail ended at the top end of a farmers field so we didn't cross the field but turned around and went back up the hill.

Given the disappointing beginning, our walk was a great start to our vacation!



Distance traveled: Approximately 1.5 Miles