A Nice Little Hike in the Berkshires




I grew up in central and western Mass., but we didn't venture all the way out to the Berkshires that often when I was a kid. I'm not quite sure why, but I can say as an adult my semi-aversion to the Berkshires has continued. It's not that the area isn't picturesque and charming and all that. It's just that I've never quite figured out how much there is to DO there. I don't ski. I'm never quite sure if I will find anything that doesn't involve walking around a stuffy art gallery with a sweater tied across my shoulders.

Having kids in the equation only heightens that sense of, "What can we do in the Berkshires even though we're not 70 and driving a Porsche?" I could (and very may well) talk about the Norman Rockwell Museum or Tangelwood another day, but this time around I'm just going to share about a nice little hike that (shock!) the entire family enjoyed.

You'll find this spot in Stockbridge, MA off route 7. If you're in Connecticut heading up in that direction, I recommend taking route 7 off of 44 (plus I think it's the shortest way). But beyond that, it's a beautiful drive in the middle of nowhere. We did this as a Labor Day hike, but I'm sure a month later there is gorgeous fall foliage.

This little jaunt is actually three trails, all maintained by the Laurel Hill Association. They are formally called the Ice Glenn Trails, but we didn't take the ice glen trail, which apparently leads to caves with year-round ice. What kid doesn't love that?

We chose the Laura's Tower trail, because what kid doesn't love climbing a tower, too? I wonder who Laura is/was? Moving on: to start you park at the end of a dead-end street where the trailhead begins.

Let's talk about what makes hiking with kids more enjoyable. How about difficulty level (not too strenuous), length (not too long) and distractions (is there anything to look at?). This trail has it all. My kiddos were 13, 9 and 3 at the time and tackled it just fine. You enter through a cool stone entryway, there's a neat bridge, river to cross over, railroad tracks, and giant boulders.

The actual tower is pretty steep. Good news is -- it has actual (albeit narrow and steep) stairs up rather than those metal, grate-like, rusty excuses for stairs (I just almost wrote scares -- must be a Freudian slip) that we've found on similar towers. It's a cool view down from the top.

I have to be clear -- the view itself of the surrounding hills is, well, okay. It's not a stunning vista. I'm sure in fall or even winter it's super pretty. But you won't be inspired by soaring peaks. It's kind of pleasant. But your kids will probably be more impressed with looking down on the heads of the people just coming through the bushes on the trail and approaching the tower.

We parents enjoyed a fairly peaceful walk in the woods without too many "how much further?"s. I'd like to say that after that we hit up some galleries or stopped in one of the cute little cafes in the middle of Stockbridge, but again. Kids. And even if we didn't have them along, Dan and I would be more likely to hunt down a used bookshop. I don't remember where we ate, but I'm guessing it wasn't in Stockbridge, and it might have started with "F" as in Friendly's.

Check out this trail if you're so inclined...and if you go to the ice caves, let me know how they were. Someday we'll get back up there.





For more info on the trails here.

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