Issues → November/December 2007 → Travel → Pittsfield, Massachusetts: 10 Reasons to Visit →
What the Locals Know about Pittsfield
Come Back Next Spring
Somehow Pittsfield State Forest on the west side of town has never made a blip on the tourist radar, but local real estate agent Karl Volkman enjoys hiking its trails. "The mountain laurel blooms nonstop there in June," he says. The park offers 65 acres of blooming shrubs of the azalea family, plus a popular swimming beach and more than 30 miles of wooded trails along the Taconic Ridge -- a big payoff for the $5 parking fee. 1041 Cascade St. 413-442-8992; mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/pitt.htm
Reader Comments
Comment from Julie Ann Pelletier on April 15, 2009
As recent transplants to Pittsfield from Southwick, MA, my husband, Jim, and I can attest to all of the riches this city and region have to offer. Not only does the Appalachian Trail run the entire length of Berkshire County (Jim is the Chairman of the Berkshire Chapter of the trail), but state parks, wildlife preserves, beautiful lakes and country farms abound as well as all the cultural and culinary treats one can imagine. The city of Pittsfield also provides many free events to simply stroll through town on Third Thursdays, picnic at the lake with free concerts, and numerous other delights to meet, eat, shop and walk during the warm weather months. One of the best surprises for us was the incredible historical significance of this area - Herman Melville's Arrowhead Museum home, Chesterwood (home of Daniel Chester French, sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial), Edith Wharton's Estate and so many more wonderful homes of history as well as the popular Norman Rockwell Museum in nearby Stockbridge are treats not to be missed.
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