Beartown
State Forest in Monterey,
Massachusetts is nestled in a
beautiful forest gem in the
southern Berkshire Mountains. The
12,000 acre forest seems to have a
little bit of everything for the
outdoor enthusiast and those who
simply want to relax outside.
Monterey is just about halfway
between downtown Great Barrington
and the town of Otis along Route
23. It's not in the middle of
nowhere but it definitely is quite
rural and offers a great "away
from it all spot". Western
Massachusetts is truly underrated
in terms of geological beauty and
Beartown State Forest proves that
point. Many people from New York
City or Boston area who visit
Western Massachusetts for the
first time are surprised at how
mountainous, rugged, rural,
beautiful the region is. Beartown
is right in the heart of the
hardwood forest section of
southern Berkshires and it's
obvious why logging used to be a
huge industry (and still remains
in some small spots). This place
has some trees!
If you intend to hike, it's
important to note that the state
forest is very different in terms
of recreation in winter than
summer. Summer means hiking,
swimming, paddling, and with some
mountain biking available. Winter
means snowshoe, cross country ski,
snowmobiles, and hunting. Winter
hiking near Benedict Pond (Lake
Benedict) and along the
Appalachian Trail is a good choice
but be aware that if the park gets
snow, hikers share other parts of
the state forest with non-hikers.
In summer the beach area receives
plenty of visitors but the park as
a whole is a hiker's dream. Fall
is magical when the leaves change
and Spring is refreshing as only
Spring can be. Miles and miles of
trails to choose from that go far
back into fantastic hardwood
forests. If you bring a compass
you can almost just keep it
pointed north and follow some of
the trails way back and disappear
for hours. The more north you go,
the more remote it is. Or staying
close to the parking lot you can
venture off on easy or moderate
hikes. You've got some nice
choices here. A couple of scenic
views to ramble up not far from
the main parking lot, an
Appalachian Trail section with
some lean-to's for back country
camping, and a gorgeous Benedict
Pond 1.5 mile trail loop. Though
no trail summits Beartown Mountain
(3,247 feet) or Mount Wilcox
(2,755 feet), there are a couple
of nice overlooks on other
mountain spots that are no more
than a mile in from the main
parking lot. Beartown is very
hilly with some wetlands dotted
here and there throughout the
state forest. We're talking
timbered mountains...and lots of
timber (hardwoods and pines)! With
streams, brooks, smaller ponds,
pools of water, it's easy to see
how bobcat, lynx, beaver, fischer,
deer, and of course black bear
(thus the name Beartown) can make
a decent living in this spot. When
you hike back into the northern
section of the forest it might
remind you of Maine or northern
Vermont/New Hampshire. If you get
lucky, you may be part of the rare
few who see bobcat or bear. It's a
lush green forest from floor to
canopy. If you're into botany or
birding, you'll have a field day
here.
A good choice for those looking
to hike Beartown for the first
time is to trek along Benedict
Pond Loop Trail. It's great for
all ages and abilities and would
be a great choice if you were
introducing kids to hiking. It's
an easy, flat, 1.5 mile trail
circling Lake Benedict which
really is just a big pond. The map
says Lake Benedict but the spot is
called Benedict Pond. hmmm? Either
way, it's a beautiful hike in a
spot Thoreau, Emerson, Dickinson,
or Monet would have loved and
appreciated endlessly. On the far
side away from the main beach area
it's really serene and peaceful
nearly any time of year but week
days during school year bring the
best chance of blissful solitude.
Lake Benedict and the lush forest
that surrounds it make for almost
guaranteed spirit refreshment.
Most of the year it won't see many
hikers at all. But this being the
modern world, there is a small
beach/camping section that Homer
Simpson would appreciate! So, keep
in mind that in summer, especially
weekends, the beach area sees a
fair amount of family day visits
and weekend camping. That
shouldn't keep you from hiking the
Benedict Pond loop even that time
of year but you will have to hike
past a short section of family
style camping at the start or
finish of your hike. Hey,
sometimes a modern restroom with
showers, snack bar, pay phone, are
just what a hiker needs so I'm not
knocking it at all! Picnic tables
are dotted around too so have one
before or after your hike. And
perhaps toss a bathing suit in
your back as the water is cool and
refreshing and the beach area
allows for plenty of swimming.
The Applachian Trail runs through
Beartown for a couple of miles.
It's on the southwestern side of
the park running more or less
north/south, on the eastern face
of Mount Wilcox. At the far end of
the Benedict Pond Loop Trail, the
Appalachian Trail meets up with it
so just note that for a short
section the white blazed trail of
Appalachian Trail is the Loop
Trail. There's a cool footbridge
at the Benedict Pond Loop Trail
and Appalachian Trail
intersection. If you're looking
for a moderate hike and the fairly
easy Loop Trail around the lake
won't be enough for you, follow
the A.T. north a bit up and away
from the Benedict Pond Loop Trail.
About a half mile will be a scenic
overview looking out south to the
last of Berkshire Mountains. It's
a really nice spot. Continue on
the A.T. a bit if you want to
check out the back country lean-to
system for camping in the forest.
One lean-to is about a mile beyond
the scenic overview and the second
one is about 3 miles beyond the
overview. The A.T. does allow you
to explore a bit beyond Benedict
Pond so it's an option in addition
to the nice loop.
If you choose to just do the
Benedict Pond loop, the trail at
times can be rocky and filled with
tree stumps. A few sections can be
wet and other spots rise up a bit
over the pond and may cause you to
venture out to look over. Stay
with the trail to prevent trail
erosion but also to prevent
slipping and falling. Benedict
Pond has a bench or two made out
of the very trees that make the
place magestic so use those to
enjoy the pond view.
If you're a hard core hiker you
can disappear all day or even a
few days if you wanted to camp out
and hike all the trails in the
state forest. There are dozens of
miles of trail to choose from. The
best thing to do is visit the
official website for Beartown
State Forest and print out one of
their nice maps. Be sure to choose
"summer" or "winter" map depending
upon the time of year you're
there. Spring/summer/fall you can
safely really on the "summer map".
If you hike in winter be aware
that hunters are allowed in
especially into the back country
and some roadways allow
snowmobiles if there's a few
inches of compacted snow.
The ranger's station is a couple
miles southeast of the
beach/campground and main hiking
parking lot. If you intend to use
the state forest for other
activities than hiking you should
check in at the ranger's station
that is just down the road from
the Route 23 state forest
entrance. Plenty of places that
have maps but the ranger's station
is a good choice to get a
guaranteed one and perhaps check
in for any trail updates or
potential warnings such as recent
bear sightings, etc.
Just taking a ride to Beartown
State Forest is beautiful.
Stepping out and venturing in a
bit, or a lot, is one decision you
should wind up feeling happy
about. Visit the official
website to gather in depth
information and contact info.
Directions:
Beartown State Forest is right off
Route 23 in Monterey about halfway
between downtown Great Barrington
and the town of Otis. For
directions it's best to refer to
the official
website and follow their
driving suggestions to get into
the state forest. You can also use
"69 Blue Hill Road, Monterey, MA
01245" if you like to use online
mapping sites such as Mapquest,
Yahoo, Google.
Printable
version of the Beartown State
Forest page
If you have any trail updates to
share or have feedback/questions
please click
here to send email or call
203.788.7665
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