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Berkshire Excursion: Riding the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Adams, MA

Visit This Scenic Gem Of A Rail Trail For An Afternoon Along The Reservoir

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We awoke to a beautiful, sunny morning with just a hint of wispy clouds passing overhead and couldn't wait to get started as we packed up and checked out of the inn.

The northern trail head of the Ashuwillticook is in Adams, right at the Adams Visitor's Center on Hoosac St, which is a modern facility with a large parking lot, bathrooms, and a very friendly and knowledgeable staff. In the center are interactive kiosks and a beautiful display which provide information about the area. Word has it that former Governor Jane Swift — who apparently lives in the Adams area — was behind the funding for the visitor center.

Adams, like many towns in the northern Berkshires was a former mill town, using water from the Hoosic River to power woolen, cotton, lumber, and plastic mills. The suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, and the former mill for Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company, which closed in 1958, is the same company that eventually became a major part of Berkshire Hathaway, controlled by Warren Buffet since 1965.

As a town, Adams is in the midst of a move toward tourism — as is the case in much of the Berkshires — and has a mix of charmingly renovated historical buildings as well as the occasional closed storefront, evidence of a lingering economic slump.

Temps were in the 60's as we pulled into the Visitor's Center parking lot at the trail head. It took us a little while to get organized and suited up but before too long we were on our way.

It was just a bit cool as we rode through the forested part of the trail in the northern section that runs along the Hoosic River. But I would guess that in the heat of summer it would be a welcome respite. It was so pretty in there riding alongside of the river enclosed by a tunnel of green forest with sunbeams shining through to the forest floor, or on the river adjacent to the trail.

We passed a bend in the river where it rushed quietly under us as we crossed over a small wooden bridge at Cheshire Harbor Road. Off to our left the trees gave way to a pretty farm running along the river. Kind of a tranquil scene for us to enjoy.

Not far beyond that the trail opened to a long sunny stretch of open space covered with the small Sumac shrubs and other young trees like maples and oaks — typical of much of Western Massachusetts. The trail itself was wide and clear, letting the warmth of the sun tend to our by then chilled bodies. Though we weren't lucky enough to see any as we rode by, the land and waters adjacent to the Ashuwillticook trail are said to be teeming with wildlife, including Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Great Blue Herons, Mallard Ducks, and other feathered friends, as well as Garter and Green snakes, River Otters, Woodchucks, Salamanders, Snapping Turtles, Beavers, and much more.

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