One of the things we wanted to do while we were in Great Barrington was to do some hiking. I knew that there were some amazing trails throughout the Berkshires - in fact, the Appalachian Trail runs right through the region.
We ended up doing the hike up Monument Mountain. It was easy to find since it's literally right off Route 7; a few miles north of Great Barrington. We stopped and read the signs before venturing in. This helped us plan our hike better and also pointed out some of the highlights along the way.
There are more than 3 miles of trails which were well maintained and appropriate ages and abilities. The trail system is a large loop that starts out at the parking lot and goes up to the rocky peaks.
We took the 1.51-mile Indian Monument Trail which took us past more than 300 years of history – the remains of ancient Native American trails, stone walls of former sheep pastures, woods roads, cart paths that brought hemlock bark to tanneries, hearths of charcoal makers, horse-and-carriage pleasure roads, recreational foot paths, and roads traveled by Ford Model T’s.
It was the easiest climb of all the trails but even an easy trail up to the summit of a 1642 foot mountain isn't that easy. We were both sweating and puffing like the 'Little Engine That Could' as we made our way to the top.
Of course, elderly folks zipping by us with nary a glimmer of perspiration or a deep breath added insult to injury.
The trail was steep and rugged - climbing through beautiful forest, past surprising rocky outcrops, up natural and human-assisted rock stairs.
From the top of Squaw Peak, we took in the stunning views: the Litchfield Hills to the south. . . to the north we saw Mount Greylock (the tallest peak in Massachusetts and said to be the inspiration for Herman Mellvile's Moby Dick). The valley below was classic southern New England.
On the way down we found a large rock with an inscription:
This ridge and the cliffs of Monument Mountain were conveyed to the Trustees of Public Reservations by deed bearing date October 19 AD 1899 in fulfilment of a wish of Rosalie Butler that such portions of this mountain might be preserved to the people of Berkshire as a place of free enjoyment for all time.
Well, it may only be 113 years later, and thus short of 'all time', but I can confirm that we enjoyed it immensely.
The scenery is stunning! Happy belated Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Susie L | October 11, 2012 at 10:39 AM
What a beautiful spot!
Posted by: sandrac | October 14, 2012 at 01:59 PM
It was a gorgeous spot - even if the climb up almost killed me!
Posted by: JDeQ | October 21, 2012 at 10:09 PM