Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,489 feet. Located in the northwest region of the state, it is part of the Taconic Mountains, a geologically distinct range from the nearby Berkshires and Green Mountains. Expansive views and a small area of sub-alpine forest characterize its upper reaches. A seasonal automobile road crosses the summit area near three structures from the 1930s; these together constitute a small National Historic District. Various hiking paths including the Appalachian Trail traverse the area, which is part of the larger Mount Greylock State Reservation.
The Berkshires are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers. Highlands of northwest Connecticut may be seen as part of the Berkshires and sometimes called the Northwest Hills or Litchfield Hills. The segment of the Taconic Mountains in Massachusetts is often considered a part of the Berkshires, although they are geologically separate and are a comparatively narrow range along New York's eastern border.
Bear Mountain is a peak of the southern Taconic Mountains in Salisbury, Connecticut. At 2,316 feet (706 m), Bear Mountain is the highest mountain that lies wholly within Connecticut. However, it is not the state highpoint: in the 1940s, the United States Geological Survey determined that the highest elevation in the state, at 2,380 feet (725 m), was actually on the nearby Connecticut-Massachusetts border, on the southern slope of Massachusetts’ Mount Frissell. There is a stone monument on the Bear Mountain summit. The Appalachian Trail crosses the mountain in a generally north-south direction.
The Taconic Mountains are a 150-mile-long sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains lying on the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England. The range, which played a role in the history of geological science, is separated from the Berkshires and Green Mountains to the east by a series of valleys, principally those of the Housatonic River, Battenkill River and Otter Creek. The Taconics' highest point is Mount Equinox in Vermont at 3,840 feet (1,170 m); among many other summits are Dorset Mountain, Mount Greylock and Mount Everett.
Mount Frissell, 2,454 feet (748 m), which straddles the border of southwest Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut, is part of the Taconic Range. Frissell's south slopes include the highest point in Connecticut, a popular destination for highpointers.
Bash Bish Falls, a waterfall in Bash Bish Falls State Park in the Taconic Mountains of southwestern Massachusetts, is the highest waterfall in the state. The falls are made up of a series of cascades, nearly 200 feet (61 m) in total. The final cascade is split into twin falls by a jutting rock, dropping in a 59-foot (18 m) "V" over boulders to a serene pool below.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail spans 14 U.S. states over its roughly 2,200 miles (3,500 km): Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The southern end is at Springer Mountain, Georgia, and it follows the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains, crossing many of its highest peaks and running almost continuously through wilderness before reaching the northern end at Mount Katahdin, Maine.
Gridley Mountain, 2,211 feet (674 m), is the third highest elevation in the state of Connecticut. The mountain, part of the Taconic Range, has no official trail and is located on private property. The Mount Washington Road passes the mountain from the west.
The South Taconic Trail is a 21.3 mi (34.3 km) hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains of southwest Massachusetts and adjacent New York. The trail extends from Shagroy Road in Millerton, New York, north along the ridgecrest of the southern Taconic Range and the border of New York and Massachusetts, and ends north of the Catamount Ski Area on Massachusetts Route 23 700 feet (210 m) east of the New York border in Egremont, Massachusetts. The Appalachian Trail, which traverses an adjacent ridgeline in the same mountain range, parallels the South Taconic Trail 3 mi (4.8 km) to the east. The trails are connected to one another via shorter trails.
Berlin Mountain is a 2,818-foot-tall (859 m) prominent peak in the Taconic Mountains of western New England and is located adjacent to Massachusetts's border with New York State. It is the highest point in Rensselaer County. The summit and west side of the mountain are located in New York; the east side lies within Williamstown, Massachusetts. The mountain is a bald, notable for its grassy summit and expansive views of the Hudson River Valley to the west. The 37-mile (60 km) Taconic Crest Trail traverses the mountain. Several other hiking trails approach the summit from the east. Much of the upper slopes and summit are within protected conservation land. Historically the lower slopes of the mountain were farmed heavily throughout the 19th Century. In addition to agriculture, there are several remnants of charcoal kilns located on the mountain that produced fuel for iron smelting.
Brodie Mountain, 2,621 feet (799 m), is a prominent 5.5-mile (8.9 km) long ridgeline in the Taconic Mountains of western Massachusetts, known for the former Brodie Mountain ski area, which closed in 2002. The ridge has eight well defined summits, three of which have names: Sheep's Heaven Mountain, 2,530 feet (770 m), the ridge's southern prominatory; Beoadic Mountain, the ridge high point, just north of Sheep's Heaven; and East Mountain, 2,613 feet (796 m) located at the top of the former ski area at the center of the ridge. A northern summit, 2,170 feet (660 m), is shown as "Brodie Mountain" on maps that predate the Brodie Mountain ski area.
Brace Mountain is the peak of a ridge in the southern Taconic Mountains, near the tripoint of the U.S. states of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Its 2,311-foot (704 m) main summit is located in New York; it is the highest point in that state's Dutchess County.
Alander Mountain is a 2,241-foot-tall (683 m) part of the south Taconic Mountains in southwest Massachusetts and adjacent to New York. The summit is grassy and covered with scrub oak and shrubs; the sides of the mountain are heavily forested. Several trails traverse Alander Mountain, most notably is the 15.7 mi (25.3 km) South Taconic Trail, which passes just beneath the summit.
Mount Fray, 1,893 feet (577 m), also known as Catamount because of the Catamount Ski Area located on its north slope, is a prominent peak of the south Taconic Mountains, located in southwest Massachusetts and adjacent New York. The summit is open and covered in scrub oak; it offers views west over the Hudson River Valley. The sides of the mountain are wooded with northern hardwood tree species. The 15.7 mi (25.3 km) South Taconic Trail passes over the summit of Mount Fray.
Mount Race, 2,365 feet (721 m), is a mountain in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It shares many characteristics with the slightly higher Mount Everett about a mile to the north. Part of the Taconic Mountains, Race is known for its waterfalls, an eastern escarpment of nearly 2,000 feet, and expansive views. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, which has an open forest of dwarf pitch pine and scrub oak.
Round Mountain, 2,296 feet (700 m), located on the border of southwest Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut, is a prominent peak of the Taconic Range. The peak and southern slopes of the mountain are within Connecticut; the northern slope lies within Massachusetts.
Holy Mount, 1,968 feet (600 m), is a prominent peak in the Taconic Mountains of western Massachusetts, formerly used as the location of religious ceremonies by a nearby Shaker community.
Located in Berkshire County, Saddle Ball Mountain is the 2nd highest peak in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Monument Mountain is the name of a popular 503-acre (204 ha) open space reservation located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on the southeast side of Monument Mountain. The reservation is centered on the 1,642 feet (500 m) subordinate summit of Peeskawso Peak. It is managed by The Trustees of Reservations, a non-profit conservation organization and is notable for its expansive views of the Housatonic River Valley, the Berkshires, the Taconic Mountains, and the Catskill Mountains of New York from the knife-edge summit of Peeskawso Peak. Monument Mountain, composed of erosion resistant quartzite, is of The Berkshires geology. The reservation receives more than 20,000 visitors a year. The mountain was logged for charcoal to fuel a furnace in Vandusenville at the corner of Division Street and Route 41 in Great Barrington. Remnants of the furnace can be seen if one stands on the Route 41 bridge and looks upstream on the Williams River.
Monument Mountain is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) long quartzite ridgeline located in Great Barrington and Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the Berkshires geology. Beside the high point, 1,739 feet (530 m), the mountain has several distinct features, most notably the open, knife-edge Peeskawso Peak, 1,642 feet (500 m) located on the southeast side of the mountain within the 503-acre (204 ha) Monument Mountain reservation managed by The Trustees of Reservations. The mountain receives over 20,000 visitors per year.
