Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7.
Hairpin Turn
At the Western Summit, a popular launching point for hang gliders, the view reaches on
toward the sunset. The trail then zigzags down, turning a full 180 degrees at a dramatic
HairpinTurn.Backwhentheroadfirstopened,carsascendingeastwardfromNorthAdams
tended to overheat, and near this point the radiators of many would boil over. The owners
would get water from the restaurant here—it's still in business—and gaze out over the val-
ley and the mountains beyond.
8.
Mt. Greylock
Rising to 3,491 feet above sea level, Mt. Greylock ranks as the highest peak in Massachu-
setts.Andwhatasplendidvantagepointitforms.Fromtheobservationtoweratitssummit,
you can see the Catskills and Adirondacks in New York, the Green Mountains of Vermont,
the high peaks of New Hampshire, and the entire sweep of the Berkshires. The road to the
top, a 10-mile switchback detour along Notch Road, takes you through a state forest reser-
vation encompassing some 12,000 heavily forested acres, including a 200-year-old stand
ofstatelyredspruces.Wildlifeisplentiful,withbeavers,porcupines,coyotes,foxes,snow-
shoe hares, black bears, and bobcats all lurking in the shadows. Spend time also looking at
the plentiful wildflowers in spring and the shaded glens and moss-banked creeks in sum-
mer.
9.
Williamstown
Somewhere in everyone's mental file cabinet there exists the image of a picture-perfect
New England village. Williamstown comes close to that prototypical ideal. Classic white
clapboard mansions line its tree-shaded streets, along with Gothic stone churches and the
handsomebuildingsofWilliamsCollege,whichhasbeenthrivingheresince1793.Itstown
parksarefinespotsforimpromptu picnics orsunbathing, with achance towinddown—all
in all, an idyllic climax to the varied scenery to be savored along the Mohawk Trail.
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