Summits, Waterfalls and Trails

At 3,491 feet, Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts. On clear days, the view from the summit stretches up to 90 miles. Trails in Mount Greylock State Reservation range from easy to extremely challenging.

Bash Bish Falls offers a different kind of experience: it is the highest waterfall in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The final stretch of Bash Bish Brook plunges about 60 feet into an emerald-green plunge pool. From a parking area on the Massachusetts side, a challenging hike of about 0.6 miles round trip leads to the falls. Unlike the wide range of difficulty levels at Mount Greylock, this trail is described as a challenging route with a specific distance. Trail conditions can change, so check route information before your visit.

Bash Bish is connected to Mount Washington State Forest and other protected areas. Together, they form a biodiverse habitat for many protected species and include areas of old-growth forest. Here, water, forests and protected habitats come together as nature highlights.

Mount Greylock State Reservation is home to Sperry Road Campground. It offers primitive campsites that are accessible only on foot and are located two miles from the summit. Camping may be seasonal. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail offers a different kind of route: the paved, ten-foot-wide trail follows a former railroad line for 12.7 miles through Cheshire, Lanesborough and Adams.

For information on accessible trails, the brochure “Berkshire County Trails for All” offers general guidance. It introduces residents and visitors to some accessible trails in Berkshire County.

Culture with Different Rhythms

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival is the longest-running international dance festival in the United States and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Jacob's Pillow also offers year-round programs for artists and audiences; schedules change. Tanglewood, by contrast, has a calendar shaped by summer: in a typical summer, performances, recitals and seminars take place across 500 acres between Lenox and Stockbridge. Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center and the Boston Pops. The Tanglewood Learning Institute is also based there year-round.

Naumkeag also hosts seasonal outdoor events, including the Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show, Winterlights and the Daffodil & Tulip Festival. Their seasonal focus makes these events a distinct part of the cultural calendar, alongside Jacob's Pillow's year-round programs for artists and audiences.

Hancock Shaker Village comprises 20 original Shaker buildings and is a National Historic Landmark. The village also includes a working farm with livestock, as well as historic medicinal and culinary herb gardens. Demonstrations of Shaker crafts and displays of historic livestock breeds add to the insights into the buildings, agriculture and crafts.

Museums, Houses and Railroad History

MASS MoCA presents large-scale, immersive installations in galleries totaling 300,000 square feet; the area figure may change. Its year-round program includes more than 75 performances, though the number may vary. The aquarium at the Berkshire Museum is home to hundreds of specimens, including native and exotic fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Other collection items include fossils, a 143-pound meteorite, an Egyptian mummy and other artifacts from ancient history.

Ventfort Hall is a Jacobean Revival-style mansion built for Sarah Morgan in 1893 and is home to the Museum of the Gilded Age. Through lectures, exhibitions, theater performances and other events, the museum explores changes in American life, industry and society in the 19th century. The mansion at The Mount was designed by Edith Wharton in 1902.

The W.E.B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite is a National Historic Landmark located about two miles west of Great Barrington. It is not open to the public. W.E.B. Du Bois lived in a house at this site during his childhood; the house has since been demolished.

The Lenox Station Museum offers walking tours of its collection of historic railroad equipment. From Lenox Station, visitors can ride the Lenox Jitney to the railway yard; for a small fee, they can also ride in the locomotive cab. Another railroad experience is the ten-mile, one-hour Hoosac Valley Train Ride. It travels through the Hoosac Valley region in northern Berkshire County and includes onboard information about local industrial history.

The Greater Berkshires Context

Across the greater Berkshires, mountain views, lush forests and clear blue lakes shape the landscape. The culinary scene is also part of the region's character: it focuses on fresh farm produce and showcases local, award-winning chefs.

Discover More Destinations

Pittsfield, Lenox, Drury, Williamstown, Lee, North Adams, Great Barrington, West Stockbridge, Lanesboro, New Marlborough, Egremont, Otis

For the main travel overview: Massachusetts.