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. 

 

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. 

 

More information here. 

 

The Mohawk Trail 

 

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. 

 

More information on the Mohawk Trail here.