"In the woods is perpetual youth" - Emerson
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Icy Glen
Trail System.
Each trail is unique and
captivating. The Mary Flynn trail
follows the historic Housatonic
River, Laura’s Tower exhibits
breathtaking views of rolling
hills and small towns, and Ice
Glen cradles old growth within its
rocky bosom.
The trail system is owned and
managed by the oldest town
beautification society in the
United States, the Laurel Hill
Association. Located in downtown
Stockbridge, MA at the dead end of
Park Street—the major trailhead
starts at a stone laden bridge in
sight of the parking lot.
The trail is a relatively new
addition to the property, built and
conserved by the Great Barrington
Land Trust, it acts as a throughway
for neighborhoods and a shady
woodland loop for lakeside
sunbathers. It’s a short walk
through pine and hardwood that isn’t
anything to brag about nevertheless
a fine nicety. It’s one of the
largest open space parcels proximal
to Great Barrington and best when
taken with a quick dip and a hot
dog. This leisurely wide trail is
for all ages and all hiking levels,
impossible to get lost in but very
possible to lose oneself in.
The Mary Flynn Trail
Immediately after crossing the
bridge veer left and take a moment
to read the map and informative
signage. You’ll recognize from the
topographic map that the trail is
flat with a short loop at the end.
At a glance you’ll also recognize
the trail is wide and well
maintained, perfect for an afternoon
stroll, a run, or a bike ride. It
wasn’t always a recreational trail
though. At one time it was the
Berkshire Street Railway Trolley
Line, the first of its kind in the
United States, built by Stockbridge
in 1880.
With a total length of a mile it
shouldn’t take long, shouldn’t make
you sweat, shouldn’t even raise your
heart rate, unless of course, you
see a pterodactyl like apparition
rise and soar, a thick waterlogged
rodent smack its tall and dive, or
dense flocks of small birds move
about the air as if they were of a
single mind. The Blue Heron, the
American Beaver, the Red Winged
Black Birds, are common sights along
the meandering riverbanks of the
Housatonic which makes this trail a
good place to see some wildlife.
Laura’s Tower
After crossing the bridge cross the
railroad tracks and start up the
boulder strewn hillside. A quarter
mile into the old woods you’ll meet
a fork. Laura’s Tower to the left,
Ice Glen to the right. The tower
climb involves a series of
switchbacks that skirt the
mountainside and rise 600 hundred
feet in elevation. It’s a steady
climb from the trailhead with a
difficulty rating bordering between
easy to moderate.
Moss covered boulders and near two
hundred year old shade tolerant
pines define the first hillside. As
you climb higher notice the plant
community transition to younger
hardwoods like beech, birch,
hop-hornbeam, pignut hickory, oak,
and maple. It finishes in fine form
with an accessible fire tower.
The tower’s ladder, however
daunting, is worth the anxiety.
Standing atop the structure much of
Southern Berkshire County pans out
before your eyes. The towns of
Stockbridge, Lenox, and Lee, and the
remarkable landmasses of Monument
Mountain, West Stockbridge Mountain,
Harvey Mountain, and on especially
clear days, the tallest peak in
Massachusetts, Mount Greylock, are
all visible. There’s also a
mountain-teller you can refer to.
Ice Glen Halfway up the boulder
strewn hillside the trail
forks—Laura’s Tower to the left, Ice
Glen to the right. Even in a county
forged under the hammer of
continental pressures this glen
stands out as an oddity. Described
by Nathanial Hawthorne as “the most
curious fissure in the Berkshire” it
begins by the mammoth moss covered
boulder engraved with the name of
the parcel’s benefactor, David
Dudley Field, and from there it all
happens rather quickly. The earth
beneath your feet sinks, the
hillsides encroach upon the trail,
the naked boulders stack with
beautiful asymmetry, the pines grow
to unimaginable heights, and very
soon you find yourself in dank
cavernous place that’s fabled to
harbor icy vaults year round. Long
ago, the glen formed by a patient
stream. Ever since the pines have
benefited from this enclosure,
finding sanctuary in its escape from
inclement weather. Because of this
the pines grow tall and go uncut and
many consider Ice Glen as the most
accessible old growth forest in the
state. It is, for the time being,
the home to the largest Eastern
Hemlock in the state, towering some
132 feet tall, 10.2 feet in girth.
It may even be the largest in New
England. (Fact from nativetreesociety.org)
Click
here if you're interested in
getting a guided hike in this
region.
Directions:
Take RT-7 to Stockbridge. Turn onto
Park Street. Drive to the end of the
dead-end street and park. The stone
laden bridge will be in sight.
If you have any trail updates to
share or have feedback/questions
please click
here to send email. |
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