Dry Hill(Southern Berkshires)

Headed east after work to do a small hike in the Berkshires at The Trustees of Reservations 206 acre Dry Hill property located in the town of New Marlborough.  The trailhead is located off of Old North Road, a very quiet dead end gravel road.  Starting elevation was quite high, at 1500 feet.

Although the valleys are snow free, there was a thin coating of snow up in these hills.  From the parking lot, a level trail runs NW through open hardwoods, with a very remote feeling.

After about 7/10 of a mile on a foot trail, the trail turns sharply left and begins following Hitchcock Road, an old woods road, that passes through dense patches of mountain laurel.

Less than 2/10 of a mile from the summit, the trail leaves the old road, and for the first time, climbs steeply up.  Within a minute or two, you will clearly begin to see the open area of Dry Hill's summit.

From the 1740 foot summit, there are terrific south facing views from an open rock.

A zoom view of the nearby hills and ridgelines to the south, where a brief snow shower was passing through.

Although the views are nice, a fall from this open ledge would not be as nice.  A sheer drop of about 25 feet could really do some damage, so watch your footing.

After enjoying the summit views, I turned back, enjoying the solitude of these vast woods.  I decided to make it a full loop hike by continuing along the old road, where a rerouted section is marked with rock cairns.

The woods road emerging back at Old North Road,

The last 2/10 of a mile was a quiet walk back to the car, along serene Old North Road.

Hiked about 2.7 miles RT, with just under 300 feet of ascent.
Stopped by to check out the Old Inn on the Green, which dates back to 1760, at the heart of New Marlborough on my way back.  The tranquil area feels as if it is a step back in time to a slower pace of life.

Just across from the Inn, sits the stately Town Meeting House.