Mount Greylock offers astounding views of the region, especially during the fall. But there's not much time left as the roads to the mountain are closed after Sunday.
The drive along Cold Spring Road in Williamstown is one of the more scenic.
The fabled Mohawk Trail has numerous sites for fall viewing. Popular ones include the Hairpin Turn in Clarksburg and the Wigwam Western Summit just up the road in North Adams.
Apple picking at Gould Farm in Adams includes upward views of Mount Greylock.
Staff writer Sabrina Damms offers her top choices to see the best of the region's fall foliage before it's gone.
To many people, fall is seen as the saddest season. The end of the warm months, the bright flowers, and the heralding of the bone-chilling winter.
To me it is one of the most beautiful and exciting times of the year. Fall means cool nights by the warm fire, apple picking, pumpkin everything, and so much more.
Fall in the Berkshires is a mystical time of year that brings travelers from all over the world seeking the opportunity to see the changing of the leaves.
Here are my five must-see destinations to experience in the final days before the fall foliage season ends.
Mount Greylock
Adams
The site of Mount Greylock is one full of history and beauty. World-renowned authors and artists have been inspired by the sight.
The vibrant yellow, orange, and green gives the hikers an opportunity to experience life as if it were a beautiful painting. Voyagers are lifted from a chaotic world and placed into a calm, colorful atmosphere during their journey up the summit.
As they adventure farther up the summit, the tree's colors fade and are replaced with the prickly pine needles from the array of balsam fir and red spruce. Cones cover the ground and the smell of pine fills the air. Although it is not as colorful, the scene is just as wonderful and is a pleasure to all the senses.
The last day to visit Mount Greylock, the state's highest summit, is Sunday, Oct. 30, before the roads close for the winter.
Wahconah Falls
Dalton
Wahconah Falls is not as known as many of the other Berkshire County destinations but that does not take away from its beauty.
It is a world of its own that stands alone from other sites in the area, especially in the fall.
As I walked down the short trail to the falls, the leaves crunched beneath my feet. The trees around me were bare until I stopped at a most magnificent sight.
I gazed at what seemed to me a portal into a falls lullaby and stood there surrounded by the naked trees and as I listened to a nature-made orchestra perform.
The orange and red leaves dance with the green to the percussion of the rough running water crashing down the rocky uncaring terrain. The joyful chirps from birds act as the strings and the roaring wind dancing with the trees the bass of the forest orchestra.
I step into this song and the farther I walk the percussion gets louder and the string and base soften.
A short time passes and I am standing right in front of the waterfall and experiencing the percussion solo. A truly breathtaking sight and sound to last with me until next year.
Cold Spring Road
Williamstown
It is not hard to find a photogenic view in the Berkshires. The county is surrounded by tall mountains, historic buildings, and diverse vegetation.
A short 30-minute drive can turn into an hour with all the potential stops with a breathtaking view along the way.
One popular stop is along Cold Spring Road in Williamstown. In the five minutes I spent there, three cars slowed and two more pulled over to get a glimpse at the open valley.
After a short few minutes taking in the astonishing sight, and maybe taking a photo or two, hop back in your vehicle for a short drive to one of the many Northern Berkshire county must-see destinations.
Jaeschke's Orchard
23 Gould Road, Adams
What better way to spend a day in the Berkshires than by going apple picking at one of the many apple orchards in the area.
Jaeschke's Orchard, sitting at the base of Mount Greylock, is one of those destinations where the view is just as wonderful as the activities.
The orchard grows apples, peaches, plums and pears, as well as pumpkins, mums, and turnips. One thing that makes this orchard different from others in the area is the 33 varieties of hybrid, standard and heirloom apples.
Not to mention the elevation of the orchard creates a perfect environment for the many standard old-time apple trees and select varieties that can not be grown at that elevation.
The Mohawk Trail has seven scenic byways, three of which run through Berkshire County, as travelers coast through from the Mohawk River Valley in New York to the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts.
The 69-mile scenic byway follows the footpaths of the indigenous Mohicans and runs through deep forests, historic towns, scenic hikes and views, and many more.
The Hairpin Turn and the Wigwam Western Summit are two scenic destinations overlooking North Adams and Clarksburg on the Mohawk Trail where visitors can watch the leaves change.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
North Adams School Finance Panel Reviews Fiscal 2026 Spending Plan
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance & Facilities Committee took a deeper dive this week into next year's school spending plan.
The draft proposal for fiscal 2026 is $21,636,220, up 3.36 percent that will be offset with $940,008 in school choice funds, bringing the total to $20,696,212, or a 2.17 percent increase.
Business and Finance Director Nancy Rauscher said the district's school choice account would be in relatively good shape at the end of fiscal 2026.
As a practice, the district has been to trying not to exceed the prior year's revenue and to maintain a 5 percent surplus for unexpected special education expenses. However, this year's revenue would be about $500,000 so the amount used would be significantly more.
"But given our current balance, we could absorb that in the net result of what we're anticipating in the way of revenue next year," Rauscher said. "Relative to committing $940,000 to school choice spending next year, that would leave us with a projected balance at the end of FY 26 of a little over $1.2 million, and that's about 6 percent of our operating budget."
But committee members expressed concerns about drawing down school choice funds that are projected to decrease in coming years.
"I think mostly we're going to go through this and we're going to see things that this just can't be cut, right? It's just, it is what it is, and if we want to provide, what we can provide," said Richard Alcombright. "How do we prepare for this, this revenue shortfall?"
The draft proposal for fiscal 2026 is $21,636,220, up 3.36 percent that will be offset with $940,008 in school choice funds, bringing the total to $20,696,212, or a 2.17 percent increase.
click for more
Two members of the family, an adult and a minor, sustained serious injuries; two members of the family, an adult and a minor, sustained minor injuries; and one four-year old child died inside the residence. click for more
Mayor Jennifer Macksey had hoped to gain immediate approval on the purchase-and-sale agreement with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation but councilors balked at approving a document they'd had for only a few days.
click for more
Moresi & Associates is moving forward with housing in the former Notre Dame School and the Williamstown Theatre Festival is planning performances in North Adams.
click for more
Dr. Roger Landry served his country from 1973 to 1995 in the Air Force with honor and distinction as a chief flight surgeon, and retiring as a colonel.
click for more