This lovely state park is centered on Benedict Pond, a perfect spot for swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. There are miles of hiking trails, including a piece of the Appalachian Trail. The furthest reaches of this forest are home to deer, bears, bobcats and fishers. Less ambitious hikers can stroll the 1.5-mile Benedict Pond Loop.
Beartown State Forest
The Berkshires
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
12.04 MILES
In the very southwest corner of the state, near the New York state line, is Bash Bish Falls, the largest waterfall in Massachusetts. The water feeding the…
6.36 MILES
Born in New York City, Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) sold his first magazine cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1916. In the following half…
27.74 MILES
This is one of the finest of the Hudson Valley mansions, as its owner, celebrated landscape painter Frederic Church, designed every detail, inspired by…
6.55 MILES
This pastoral 122-acre plot was 'heaven' to its owner Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), the sculptor best known for his great seated statue of Abraham…
8.87 MILES
Almost 50 years after Nathaniel Hawthorne left his home in Lenox, another writer found inspiration in the Berkshires. Edith Wharton (1862–1937) came to…
15.92 MILES
This evocative museum illustrates the lives of the religious sect that founded the village in 1783. The Shakers believed in communal ownership, the…
6.17 MILES
Designed by the renowned architect Stanford White in 1885, this 44-room Gilded Age 'cottage' was the summer retreat of Joseph Hodges Choate, a former US…
19.28 MILES
Since 1879 every single American bill has been printed on paper made by the Crane Company, based in the small mill town of Dalton. The Crane Museum of…
Nearby The Berkshires attractions
4.15 MILES
If you hop in the car and drive, you're bound to find several farms where you can pick seasonal produce at harvest times. The setting can be…
2. Tyringham Gingerbread House
5.25 MILES
This architectural fantasy was designed at the beginning of the 20th century by sculptor Henry Hudson Kitson, whose best-known work – a statue of Captain…
5.74 MILES
Swing by this classic 1739 Colonial home, a National Historic Landmark, if just to view it from the outside. It was home to John Sergeant, the first…
6.17 MILES
Designed by the renowned architect Stanford White in 1885, this 44-room Gilded Age 'cottage' was the summer retreat of Joseph Hodges Choate, a former US…
6.36 MILES
Born in New York City, Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) sold his first magazine cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1916. In the following half…
6.55 MILES
This pastoral 122-acre plot was 'heaven' to its owner Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), the sculptor best known for his great seated statue of Abraham…
8.87 MILES
Almost 50 years after Nathaniel Hawthorne left his home in Lenox, another writer found inspiration in the Berkshires. Edith Wharton (1862–1937) came to…
8. October Mountain State Forest
10.25 MILES
Most out-of-towners head to Mt Greylock, and leave October Mountain State Forest to the locals. This 16,500-acre state park is the largest tract of green…