Burnett Hill-Savoy Mountain State Forest(Berkshires)

With a possible shift in the weather pattern towards true springtime warmth, I decided to head east to the northern Berkshires to do some exploring.  I wanted to bushwhack to the the two summit bumps just south of Spruce Hill in the Savoy Mountain State Forest to see what they had to offer.  Spruce Hill is a well known trailed peak with spectacular views, but 2416 foot North Burnett Hill and 2420 foot South Burnett Hill sit off trail and are pretty much unknown.  The easiest access would be to follow Old Florida Road(a very old abandoned town road that is reputed for being in rough shape), which shares the same trailhead as the Busby Trail to Spruce Hill off of Central Shaft Road.  Elevation to start was way up at 1885 feet.

Old Florida Road begins in relatively decent shape(save some very large puddles created by off road vehicles) and heads west around the sprawling but picturesque Tower Swamp.

Where Old Florida Road passes beneath the power lines, I decided to leave the road and begin my bushwhack ascent. 

The ascent was pretty straightforward through open hardwoods and early spring wildflowers.  Spotted this yellow trillium at one point, although many of them were still closed up.

After going up and over a smaller peak, I continued up towards Burnett Hill's north peak, which was guarded by enormous cliff bands.

I managed to find a nice chute up through the middle of the cliffs and was hoping to find a view at the top.

After scrambling around atop the ledges, I did manage to find a couple decent views.  This is a view NE towards the northernmost Berkshire peaks towards Vermont.

The view south-southeast takes in my next goal, Burnett Hill's south peak, as well as other nearby unnamed peaks of the Savoy Mountain State Forest.

The 2416 foot north summit is fully wooded but I did find a large clearing just yards away from the summit and also just yards away from the power line crossing.

Leaving the summit heading south I passed beneath the power line crossing with its amazing views west into the Hoosac Valley and the town of Adams. 

Just before re-entering the woods, I caught this view of Mount Greylock and the Specialty Minerals Lime Quarry.

Once back in the woods, I continued south through a very nice open forest.

Edging my way along the steep east ledges, I searched and searched for an open view.  Most of the views were screened by trees and vegetation but I did find a couple of small framed views.

After a fruitless search for open views, it was a pretty easy climb up to the 2420 summit, marked with a rock cairn.

The summit area was wide open and easy to explore.  Although there were no views, it was very pleasant..almost like a stroll through a meadow.

Wandering around the open summit area was a pure joy, and out of nowhere I was shocked to find a summit sign in jar.  This was probably the last thing I expected!! 

The drop down the east slopes of the summit were very steep, but negotiable.  Using switchbacks I carefully made my way down towards Old Florida Road.

Once back down on Old Florida it was a nice and easy hike out on the rough and rugged road.  I now can see why this old town road is so well known in the off-roading world. 

Back near the area along Tower Swamp the old road has been completely rerouted from a wash out and is literally becoming part of the swamp now.

Hiked about 4.3 miles RT with roughly 1000 feet of ascent.  A nice little adventure on a very pleasant spring day(finally!)
Red=Ascent   Blue=Descent