High Ledges is managed by Mass Audubon and offers 5 miles of trails with beautiful vistas of the Deerfield River Valley. Follow the Waterthrush trail to see abundant painted trillium in mid to late May.
The sanctuary is located off Patten Road in Shelburne. At the junction of Rt 2 and Rt I-91 continue west on Rt 2 toward Shelburne for 6 miles. Take a right onto Little Mohawk Rd and bear left at the next junction onto Patten Rd. Continuing on Patten Rd, bear left at the next junction and then bear right. The sanctuary entrance is the second left at approximately 0.8 miles. A small parking area is located a few hundred yards down the sanctuary road on the left; an overflow parking area is also on the left, just as you turn onto the sanctuary road. Parking areas may be inaccessible from December to May due to snow and mud.
This 329-acre nature preserve is located in southwest Massachusetts. Five miles of trails include two rocky knolls, a river floodplain, pastures and meadows, and a 1,000ft hill offering a majestic view of the Berkshires and Taconic Mountains. Its unique location at the edge of two distinct bioregions provides diverse soil chemistry, creating an abundance of over 800 different flower species!
This is a Trustees property, see their website for detailed visitor information.
From Mass Turnpike (I-90), Exit 10 for Rt. 20 East. Follow 4.6 mi., then take 1st right onto Rt. 102 West/Pleasant St. Go 6.6 mi. Turn left onto Rt. 7 South. After 8.5 mi., turn right onto Rt. 7A and follow for 0.5 mi. Turn right onto Rannapo Rd. and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn right onto Weatogue Rd. to entrance and parking (30 cars) on left. (From Trustees of Reservations).
Located on the southside of MA-141 in Holyoke, East Mountain WMA is a series of parcels connecting the Whiting Reservoir and Ashley Reservoir watersheds. There are about 4 miles of public trails here, with formal parking located on Old East Mountain Road. The area has wetlands, peaks with views to Barnes Airport and the reservoirs, vernal pools, brooks and streams. And you may even run into a bear!
A well-marked trail featuring a series of stone arch bridges built for the railroad in 1840. An easy hike, about 5 miles round trip. There is an abundance of Trout Lily all along the path!
Parking is in the lot at the top of Hebert Cross Road at the Walnut Hill Conservation Area off Middlefield Road (off Route 20) in Chester. Please note parking is very limited.
This is an example of a floodplain forest. Floodplain forests typically have a canopy layer (tall trees) and very little shrub layer–you’ll see here it’s all tall trees and then a ton of ferns. Very surreal looking! Because it’s a floodplain, all the flowers that grow here have to be capable of living in standing water.
If you park around the nexus of Rt 47 and Mitch’s Way, you can walk down the dirt road/path and you’ll find yourself between a slope on the right (toward 47) and the floodplain of the CT River on the left. The spring ephemerals will mostly be located on the slope between the path and Rt 47.
This network of trails links several properties with a wildly varied habitat! Interconnected trails make it easy to explore different areas of the property, and such exploration will be rewarded. Old stone walls, beaver pond, wetlands, and bog bridges are just a few of the highlights from our first walk. Visit the Rattlesnake Gutter Trust for more information.
From the Leverett Town Hall turn left/south and then bear left on Shutesbury Road. The 4-H sign and the parking lot just beyond it are on your right about 0.5 miles from the Town Hall.
There are many fun flowers here because the soils are very nutrient dense from all of the bedrock. For the best ephemerals, you’ll want to go on the east side of the range along Route 63, not Route 47. They have very different ecologies!
The entrance along 63 is shared with UMass Geology, there might not be any signage. Head North on 63 and after you pass the turn for Long Hill Road on your right, the entrance to the parking area is another 2 miles or so north. Be on the lookout for a tiny cemetery on your left. Just beyond this, look for a black mailbox and a yellow house tucked back from the road. The entrance to the parking area is here. If you get to the right turn for Montague Road, you’ve gone too far.
According to Wikipedia, Mt. Toby is one of the most biodiverse areas of New England, with an abundance of native ferns and rare orchids. Keep your eyes to the forest floor on these trails! There are five waterfalls and a pond, a fire tower at the top, and caves overlooking Sunderland on the west side of the range.