Spring has sprung! The afternoon found temperatures in the low 70's and I was more than glad to get out for a post work hike to 2818 foot Berlin Mountain near the NY/ Mass state line. I've approached Berlin Mountain from several different routes already, but wanted to try something a little different this time, so opted to hike the Old Williams College Ski Area off Berlin Road. The last section of Berlin Road is owned by Williams College, so is not maintained, and is extremely muddy in spring. Due to this, I parked at the WRLF Class of '33 trailhead on Berlin Road and walked the rest of the way. The road walk is actually quite pleasant, heading west for about 1/3 of a mile to the end. Elevation to start is just under 1600 feet.
At the end of the road, I turned left(south) and immediately came face to face with the old ski run...and boy is it steep. Just what I was looking for though!
The slopes on the old ski run are EXTREMELY steep. This was a lot of fun to climb, but I was getting winded so took my time.
As I climbed, the views north began to quickly unfold. Through the stately birch trees rises a SE ridge of Mount Raimer.
The ridge to the north towers above you, even as you gain elevation. A glance down shows you the slopes that you have already ascended.
The grade doesn't seem to lessen even above 2000 feet.
The ski slope eventually turns SW, but still remains steep.
Once over 2100 feet, views east-northeast into the northern Berkshires begin to open up.
To the east is the Hoosac Range, which spreads north into southern Vermont.
The first signs of snow I encountered were at just about 2300 feet, and it was patchy at best. Still, seeing snow when the temperature is in the 70's is definitely worth noting.
As you near the top of the mountain, the slopes become much less steep, but still climb steadily toward the top. Spring melt is turning the higher terrain into a muddy drainage.
Just after crossing over the NY state line, I arrived at Berlin Mountain's open summit.
The views are good from the open summit, but not great. The view east towards Mount Greylockand the Hopper is particularly good though.
Checking out the small spruce stand near the summit clearing.
After enjoying the summit for a few minutes, I continued on, north along the muddy Taconic Crest Trail.
I decided to leave the trail for a few moments, exploring state land just west of the trail in search of views. I found some filtered views down into Green Hollow in NY before heading back to the Taconic Crest Trail.
As I dropped down the north slopes of Berlin Mountain towards Berlin Pass, I hit a couple of areas of rotten spring snow.
Near Berlin Pass, the low point between Berlin Mountain and Mount Raimer, the clouds began to take over. Seen here is white birch and ATV tracks near the Pass.
I had spotted one small clearing just off the trail, north of the Pass, which I wanted to check out so I headed there and found great views SW. One of the long west ridges coming off Berlin Mountain is visible here.
Directly to the south is a dramatic view of Berlin Mountain.
I headed back down to the Berlin Pass Trail, which dropped me back steeply down to Berlin Road an my waiting car. BNRC has recently acquired 210 acres on the north side of Berlin Road leading partially up the SE ridge of Mount Raimer. I decided to check it out, exploring some of the old woods road on the steep slopes. Mixed hardwoods and filtered views made for nice wandering, before I dropped back down to the car.
Hiked about 5 miles total with over 1700 feet of ascent.
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