Great hiking trails, moderately challenging, with exhilarating views at the summits. We did just a…read moreshort hike, going up to Bare Mountain from the Notch, and it was a fun ascent with marvelous views of the countryside, farms, and other hills. The visitor center at the Notch is terrific, with friendly and knowledgeable staff, useful interpretive displays and maps, and clean restrooms. A great place to rest up and refresh after a hike. Just terrific and we plan to return in the fall to see the autumn colors!

Talk about a "Top Notch" place to go hiking!! Complete with a visitor center and everything. The…read moreonly thing I'll say is that I wish the trails would be better marked, but other then that it's a very nice place to stop and walk for a bit in the cool weather; very enjoyable.

Skinner State Park really surprised me. The drive up was beautiful and the view at the top over the…read morePioneer Valley made me stop and just take it in. I also liked reading about the old Mt. Holyoke Summit House and the incline railway that used to bring people up the mountain. I'm a sucker for places with a bit of history mixed in with the views And of course I loved seeing it with our friends we met on a cruise 24 years ago!

Iconic set of rolling wooded hills over looking the Connecticut River and surrounding lowlands…read more Skinner State Park is approximately 3,000 acres once privately owned now overseen by the Mass DCR. There are an intertwining network of trails from the base, along the ridge, and through the wooded parkland. Bring a GPS and trail maps are available at the gates and in the Summit House. This was my first time hiking here. A life long buddy & hiking pal encouraged me to join him. He was excited to try out his new hip on some varying terrain. He drove in from Vermont, me from CT. Both of us aging (gracefully) we each used an adjustable pair hiking sticks, which did come in handy both ascending and descending the hills. We found the trails were all very well maintained and well traveled. There's a system of trail markers and blazes to follow. Keep in mind bikes and horse are allowed, so hikers, keep your eye open and give way to wheels & hooves. The Summit House does have access too by vehicle, but (!) parking is very limited up top and DRC Rangers control traffic flow. We parked very close to Hockanum Road (Rte 47) and hiked up. Views at the Summit House stunning 360 degrees. If the House is open (seasonally) take time to tour the former residence and Lodge. View from the House decks are even better. My foot recently repaired foot & my buddies new hip passed the test!

Lots of options for different hikers, with similar but slightly-different views throughout the…read morerange. Bare Mountain and Hitchcock Mountain are personal favorites and can be made into a 3.5ish-mile loop with the Robert Frost Trail. I did have one weird experience here with a guy who was acting fishy. As a solo female hiker, I find that the further into the backcountry you go, the safer you are, as all the other people out there are committed hikers, too. Since all of these trails are fairly accessible, you can meet just about anybody out there. I'd recommend a personal alarm or hiking with a buddy (which, as a woman, is unfortunately just good practice, anyway).

My friend and I started our 6 mile hike here by climbing up Bare mountain and then making our way…read moreover the 7 sister peaks. We left a car at the other end (bottom of Mt. Holyoke) so that we didn't have to make our way back the same way. This was a great hike because instead of just one peak and view, we got a bunch (not really 7 views). The path is well marked and maintained throughout. We followed the white trail the whole way. It's nice to be able to enjoy the outdoors and not feel like you're going to get lost along the way. Definitely a great long but easy hike.

Nice spot for beginners that want to hike a trail/mountain. It's a very very short journey. Also,…read moreif you want to cool down and take a dip afterwards, there are several points along the falls. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, everyone is looking to go here and it's unusually packed. And to no one's surprise, they will squeeze in and ignore social distancing. Otherwise, it's a nice dip that I'll occasionally come to because of the 2 hr drive.

This is a hike worth driving out to. It's a manicured easy trail to the falls. It's a series of 3…read morewaterfalls found across the street from the small parking area. There is also a summit and rock climbing. Pony mountain. Note: You should stop by the close by Williamsburg General Store for the scratch made fresh baked pastry.

Nice trail to go on with other trails along it if you wanted something longer. It was a simple…read moretrail that's was easy to follow with the marks and enjoyable with friends.

Absolutely beautiful here. Nice and quiet. My only issue is I was charged $20 instead of $5 and I'm…read morea Mass resident.

Great little hike to the cascades which were beautiful. At the peak the pools are deep enough to go…read morein about knee deep. Water is cool and refreshing.

It was a bit difficult to find accurate directions to arrive at the trailhead, which is located at…read morethe end of a residential road. Online sources say to park at the YMCA nearby. The YMCA is permanently closed, and instead we found an elementary school where you can park, alongside which you begin through a short woodsy path and then must walk maybe 1/4 mile through the neighborhood before discovering the trail. The hike is a beautiful gentle up and down through the woods and along a river. It's only about 2 miles in-and-back, mostly very easy, but has a few tricky but fun spots where you may have to navigate over a tree trunk or carefully walk over rocks/uneven terrain at the edge of a shallow point in the river . The waterfall is a nice feature where you can sit and enjoy the sound and vibe before you turn around to head back.

The Fort River Trail here at the wildlife refuge was a very nice loop trail, perfect for a little…read morewalk with great views. It's mainly forested, other than some meadow at the very beginning and end, with some overlooks along the way. A very nice turtle pond provides a great opportunity to look for critters, and we enjoyed seeing a green heron fishing. A very nice area to explore. Parking is located near the trailhead.

Breathtaking views , just the signs are very confusing and you don't know where to turn or what to…read moresee where . They certainly need to work on that . It the views are amazing .

My hiking group hikes here often. It's a lovely 2 mile loop. Low side of moderate and a perfect…read morebeginner hike. There is a very well blazed yellow trail. There are vernal pools, an erratic boulder and lush greenery. It's very close to great eateries and a great jaunt in the woods post breakfast or dinner.

Wrong time of year for this hike as it was icy. Needed some yak tracks on ours shoes. We both fell…read morebut got right back up and kept going. It took almost an hour and 50 min to walk due to icy conditions. Would love to do again after The thaw!!

I seriously love this place. I've been coming to Ashley for the past 12 years to walk and enjoy…read morenature. Great place to go for a run or a nice stroll. Side note--Recently my brother's gotten into bird watching and was able to spot FIFTEEN new (to him) birds which he was hyped about. That being said, there are some spots throughout the year I would avoid as it's where the geese lay their eggs.

From the 1/2 Way to St. Patricks Day road race to Jacks Walk this is truly a great place for any…read moreoccasion. So many people were out and about over the weekend enjoying the first sunny day in a week. Seen a few people bring dogs in which is a no no so leave your loved ones at home if you have never been. There are clearly marked signs so don't be that person who gets fined $300 for your inability to follow instructions. Parking is hit or miss, there is plenty of it but you may need to park in the overflow lot where you enter.

Nice place mainly for dogs I guess saw about 4 dogs without leashes just roaming around minding…read moretheir own business. The trail is well paved but there's extensive damage from the past winter season looks like a bridge that was there has been completely destroyed too. There was no place to sit down and relax.

This is a great easy walk! So beautiful with the bridges. You can even take your dog off leash…read moreearly in the morning!