Winter Walks

It’s February and the walls feel as if they are closing in. Days are getting longer, but mornings are still dark and evening comes much too soon. Many of us are beginning to feel edgy, ready to break out of winter’s cocoon and to get back outdoors for some bracing activity.

Skiing is fun but often expensive. Increasingly, skating has become an indoor event on manicured ice, but walking is accessible to all and often comes with the added benefit of peaceful communion with the countryside.

Fortunately, we live in a region that offers a plethora of opportunities to explore nature in quiet contemplation. There are many public lands with well-established trails that can be accessed either alone or on a guided tour. So grab your dog, if you have one, and hit the trails.

In Berkshire County, Field Farm in Williamstown MA, lying in the valley between Greylock Range and the Taconics, offers an easy four-season destination. The 2.9-mile-long main trail passes by a pond, caves and the former home of Lawrence and Eleanor Bloedel, well-known art collectors—he served as Trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art. The house is now a swanky guest house where, with reservations, weary walkers can find a haven from their perambulations. Visit thetrustees.org for more information.

Another way to combine an appreciation of art and the beauty of nature is to visit the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. The Clark offers world-class, classical art exhibitions, as well as trails that explore the adjacent woodland.

Even those who don’t care about art, are welcome to walk the trails that meander through meadows and woods. There are several easy trails, crisscrossing 140 acres. Visit clarkart.edu about visiting.

The southern Berkshires are rich in resources for hikers. Stevens Glen in West Stockbridge provides a 1.25-mile loop that takes hikers through a deep hemlock forest, across two footbridges, and eventually, through a birch forest to Stevens Glen, a very narrow gorge with its 40-foot cascade. Follow the spur trail to a viewing platform with a bench for relaxing. The loop is flat and easy but the spur trail to the glen is uphill. The trailhead is located on Lenox Branch Road.

The highest single-drop waterfall in the Berkshires is found at Bash Bish Falls. Visitors can either park at the base of the falls in New York or the top of the falls in Massachusetts. The falls are located in Bash Bish Falls State Park in Massachusetts, but close to the border. The hike down to the base of the falls from the Massachusetts lot is a very steep but parking on the New York side yields an easy ascent over two-third of a mile, with an elevation gain of only 150 feet.

Detailed information and a trail map can be found on the Bash Bish Falls State Park webpage located on www.Mass.gov.

Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Sheffield has two miles of well-kept trails, including a 40-foot-tall 1909 kiln where limestone was once turned into lime. In the summer there are more than 500 species of plants along the trails that hikers will not see in winter and winter walkers won’t get to enjoy the more than 50 species of butterflies attracted to the area in warmer months, but they might catch sight of a pileated woodpecker or a red fox and there is a splendid view of Mount Everett to be enjoyed any time of the year. For directions visit massaudubon.org.

In Sheffield, also with lovely vistas, is Bartholmew’s Cobble. Hikers pass through hardwood forests and over peaceful meadows above the meandering Housatonic River. Bartholomew’s Cobble became a National Natural Landmark in 1971 and encompasses 329 acres that comprise many different ecosystems, as well as five miles of well-marked hiking trails.

The Ledges Trail is a .5-mile loop that takes visitors around the “cobbles” and past several caves, while hiking to the top of Hulbert’s Hill provides stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

There is a $5 fee for parking. Bartholomew’s Cobble is maintained by The Trustees of Reservation — visit their website, www.thetrustees.org for a detailed trail map.

Passing down into Connecticut, there are just as many possibilities for exploring the landscape. There are several trails up to Bear Mountain in Salisbury, the tallest point in Connecticut at 2,316 feet. All are categorized as strenuous. The Undermountain Trail, accessible about three miles north of Salisbury off of Route 41, rises straight up for two miles and then meets the Appalachian Trial. When hikers reach the large wooden trail sign where the Undermountain and Appalachian trails meet, they turn right onto the Appalachian Trail. Another mile along the trail there is a short, steep rise for the last few 100 yards to the summit.

The Sharon Audubon Center at 325 Cornwall Bridge Road offers nature trails that meander through gardens, woods and around ponds. The grounds are home to a wide variety of plants, birds, bobcats, beavers, river otters and deer. Many migratory birds use the property as a lay-over point.

The center is open year-round, Tuesday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM and Sunday, 1-5PM. Admission to the trails and most programs is $3 for adults; $1.50 for seniors and children. Information can be found at sharon.audubon.org.

In Litchfield, White Memorial Foundation, located at 80 Whitehall Road, has 40 miles of trails that cover various habitats. The trails are open to the public, free of charge for non-motorized passive recreation including hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Many are open to biking and horseback riding. With more than 50 entrances, visitors can access the trail system from many locations. Most of the trails are less than 2 miles long.

Travel over to Barkhamsted’s American Legion and Peoples State Forests and you will find two adjacent state forests with extensive hiking trails, rated as easy to difficult. They include the Henry Buck Trail (.3 mile with an overlook from high cliffs); the Turkey Vultures Ledges Trail (easy hike to scenic views; .4 mile); the Agnes Bowen Trail (a 1930s ski trail; 2.5 miles); the Charles Pack Trail (1.9 miles); Elliot Bronson Trail (a rugged climb over Ragged Mountain; 1.5 miles); Jessie Gerard Trail (passes an old Indian settlement, a lighthouse, and offers some of the best views in the state; Robert Ross Trail (2 miles); and the Walt Landgraf trail (leads to an area of rock ledges known as the Indian Caves; 0.2 miles).

The Friends of the American Legion and Peoples State Forests offers frequent guided hikes. In South County, Bull's Covered Bridge River Walk in Kent, at the intersection of routes 341 and 7, covers a scenic portion of the Appalachian Trail. Hikers can enjoy the Bull's Bridge Scenic Trail loop, featuring views of waterfalls and gorges below on the Housatonic River. The covered bridge was built in 1842.

The trail follows the Housatonic River to Ten Mile River Gorge, and then up to the top of Ten Mile Hill. For information visit www.discoverlitchfieldhills.com.