A summer hike at Savoy Mountain State Forest

By Anthony Fyden12:00AM / Friday, June 21, 2002Print Story | Email Story

The Hoosac Mountain Range, an extension of Vermontâ€™s Green Mountains, sets North Berkshire County apart from the rest of the state. These mountains discouraged early settlement in the region andâ€š until workers built the Hoosac Tunnel, limited commerce. When settlers and entrepreneurs did move in, they took advantage of the fast-moving rivers, abundant trees and rich farmlandâ€“ until the resources were tapped out. Today, the Hoosac Mountain Range inspires awe in tourists as they crest the Mohawk Trail, one of the best-known scenic drives in the nation. Savoy Mountain State Park sits atop the Hoosac Range, offering 11,400 sprawling acres of forest, wetlands and trails. On the first weekend in June, as a birthday present to myself, I packed a tent, sleeping bag and a few other provisions and headed to Savoy for some hiking. The park is located just off the Mohawk Trail, only 20 minutes from North Adams center. Yet it still offers a sense of seclusion and separation from the day-to-day world: the very reason one heads to the woods in the first place. The parkâ€™s best-known centerpiece is Tannery Falls, a 180-foot waterfall which cascades down the mountain, sometimes shooting through narrow gorges, sometimes resting in pools. But the falls are just the beginning; the park also offers a camping area set in an old orchard (with log cabins available for rent year round), several ponds, a swimming area and a wealth of hiking trails. For a $10 nightly fee, I rented a small plot of ground, surrounded by a grove of trees (I drove around the park twice to get the best spot), with a campfire/stove. I shared the site with a small brown snake, who basked on the stove and slithered away every time I got near. I donâ€™t know a thing about snakes but this one did not look venomous or big enough to strangle me, so I didnâ€™t mind sharing. To Tannery Falls After setting up, I drove to the Tannery Falls trailhead, just a few miles up the road from the campground. Itâ€™s a nice little trail, less than one mile, with easy inclines. The only difficulty was caused by heavy rains on the two previous days; I slipped, slid and sloshed through mud and water a lot of the time. The reward for this quick hike (or you can drive right up if you want) is Tannery Falls. A sign at the top said, â€œdangerous fallsâ€šâ€ but I donâ€™t really think theyâ€™re all that dangerous, unless you are inclined to walking off obvious ledges and cliffs. The falls are beautiful, and the cascades offer great spots for sitting and listening to the rushing water, which is what I did for most of the afternoon. Iâ€™m not sure of the specific â€š tannery history here, but leather-making and leather product manufacturingâ€š â€œeverything from shoes to buggy whips,â€ was big business here in bygone days. Entrepreneurs harnessed the power of rivers throughout the county to drive their factories. The wind picked up as the evening wore on, blowing through the trees with a rush. I imagined my tent in shambles, or blowing across the mountain, but when I returned to check on it, everything was fine. The sun was beginning to set, but I couldnâ€™t resist hiking a little more. Just outside the entrance to the campground is Haskins Trail, named after a farmer who once owned a big chunk of the land that is now the state park. Sunset at Bog Pond Itâ€™s a great trail, with open woods and quiet walking. The Bog Pond Trail branches off Haskins, just a few minutes into the walk. Bog Pond is real treat, especially at nightfall. Floating bogs cut into the pond, which is surrounded by woods. The water is a deep brown, but not murky. I could see sunken logs several yards from the shore. On this day, I had the pond to myself: I was the only human out there. A beaver startled me by slapping his flat tail on the water, then swimming in circles. He kept this up, slapping his tail periodically. At first, I thought he was doing it to warn other beavers, but I think he just liked to watch me jump. It was fun at first, but it got annoying after awhile. And I was surprised to see that the buck-toothed varmint wasnâ€™t the least bit frightened of me; in fact, nothing at Savoy seemed afraid. Chipmunks chattered at me, birds squawked and a couple of squirrels, well they were downright indecent, forcing me to avert my eyes as I trudged by. Animals. I just think a little respect is in order. I am at the top of the food chain, after all. The Bog Pond Trail doesn't circle the whole pond, but covers most of it. After the first section, the trail gets thick and overgrown, becoming just a path, really. It makes for a fun trek, but when I realized that I had been wading in poison ivy for ten minutes, I decided to go to camp and wash up. Staying in a campground is not as earthy as camping in the wilderness, but it does offer benefits, such as running water and restrooms. The Savoy campground was nice, although if you are at all susceptible to allergies, take a pill. The former orchard is now mostly grassy field. I do not typically get bad hay fever, but I got hit pretty hard. The campground â€“ about 10 of the 45 sites were occupiedâ€“ quieted down early. I enjoyed a nice campfire (my snake had split) and had an illegal beer (a pamphlet informed me that â€œfor the safety and enjoyment of all campersâ€šâ€ alcohol is forbidden). Birthday reflection Iâ€™m not overly sentimental about these things, but it was my birthday. A beautiful starlit night in the woods seemed like a good time to reflect, so I set aside five minutes. After about two-and-one-half minutes, I decided Iâ€™d had enough. I might reflect again next year. Before going home the next morning, I hiked sections of Carpenterâ€™s Trail and the South Pond Loop. As it turns out, I spent my time at Savoy on easy trails, more like walks, really. But hiking doesnâ€™t have to be hard. And, if youâ€™re feeling intrepid, Savoy trails such as Spruce Hill (which peaks at an elevation of 2,566 feet) are challenging. The trails are mixed use, some are open to snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles; there are even some bridle trails. A mountain range with a past A century ago, much of the Savoy Park land hosted farms, homes and businesses. The mountain range and fear of Indian attacks had discouraged settlement of the area until the late 1700s but a little more than a century later the land had been largely deforested and farmed out. The owners were glad to get rid of the land, selling out to state for a few dollars an acre. Most of the land was acquired from 1917 to 1934, the final acreage from farmer Dennis Haskins. During the Great Depression, Civilian Conservation Corps workers built roads, dams and trails at the park, and little has changed since then, other than the addition of the campground. This was my third visit to Savoy; Iâ€™d done some winter and early spring hiking there. Whatever the season, itâ€™s a gem, close to home but worlds away, atop the Hoosac Range mountains that separate Western Massachusetts from the rest of the state. Not a bad place to spend a birthday. Getting there: From the Mohawk Trail, take Central Shaft Road, about four miles to State Park. Trail maps available.

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RFP Ready for North County High School Study

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Tuesday, December 16, 2025

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The working group for the Northern Berkshire Educational Collaborative last week approved a request for proposals to study secondary education regional models.

The members on Tuesday fine-tuned the RFP and set a date of Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. to submit bids. The bids must be paper documents and will be accepted at the Northern Berkshire School Union offices on Union Street.

Some members had penned in the first week of January but Timothy Callahan, superintendent for the North Adams schools, thought that wasn't enough time, especially over the holidays.

"I think that's too short of a window if you really want bids," he said. "This is a pretty substantial topic."

That topic is to look at the high school education models in North County and make recommendations to a collaboration between Hoosac Valley Regional and Mount Greylock Regional School Districts, the North Adams Public Schools and the town school districts making up the Northern Berkshire School Union.

The study is being driven by rising costs and dropping enrollment among the three high schools. NBSU's elementary schools go up to Grade 6 or 8 and tuition their students into the local high schools.

The feasibility study of a possible consolidation or collaboration in Grades 7 through 12 is being funded through a $100,000 earmark from the Fair Share Act and is expected to look at academics, faculty, transportation, legal and governance issues, and finances, among other areas.

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