The 10 Best Outdoor Activities in Berkshires, Berkshires

July 3, 2021 Jana Sager

The Berkshires are home to an impressive collection of cultural and historic sights. Get your fill of music, art and theater at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony's summer home, MASS MoCA, the country's largest contemporary art center, the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Recreational opportunities also abound, including snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, rafting, kayaking, fishing and golf. The Berkshires are an easy drive, just two and a half hours from Boston and New York.
Restaurants in Berkshires

1. Berkshire East Canopy Tours

Excellent
92%
Good
6%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 312 reviews

Berkshire East Canopy Tours

Berkshire East Canopy Tours (BECT) has 25 Zip Lines spanning 3 different Tours. Our 4.14 miles of Zip Lines that are constructed with a Passive Gravity Braking system. Each Tour features Dual Racing Zip Lines which allows two rider to Zip at the same time. The Valley Jump Tour has two of the Longest Zip Lines in North America- X1 is 2300' -- X2 is 2600' in length. Riders on these zips fly 187' above the valley floor. The BECT Guides are friendly, informative and trained/certified by the leading Zip Line Design and Building company in the nation, Experience Based Learning.

2. Zoar Outdoor/Deerfield Valley Canopy Tours

Excellent
92%
Good
6%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 538 reviews

Zoar Outdoor/Deerfield Valley Canopy Tours

Since 1989, Zoar Outdoor has offered the best in New England white water rafting trips, zip line canopy tours, kayaking clinics, canoeing instruction, rock climbing classes and bike rentals for adventurers of all abilities, from beginners to experts. Based out of our convenient location in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, Zoar Outdoor river trips, canopy tours and instructional clinics are only 2 hours from Boston and New Haven and just 3 hours from Providence and New York City.

3. Berkshire Whitewater

Excellent
97%
Good
3%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 65 reviews

Berkshire Whitewater

We provide whitewater and scenic rafting trips to all ages and abilities on the Deerfield River as well as other local seasonal runs. The Deerfield river offers something for everybody - Mild to Wild!

4. Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

Adams, MA 4997003 http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/ashuwillticook-rail-trail.html
Excellent
83%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 159 reviews

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

Reviewed By lupaglupa - Albany, United States

The Ashuwillticook rail trail is a well made and well maintained trail that goes by lovely scenery and has good facilities. There are numerous access points with parking, lots of benches and picnic tables, and interesting markers with information along the route. We biked the path and thought it was great. We saw lots of walkers and runners using the trail too. It's nice and wide so passing other people was never a problem. We especially enjoyed the section of the trail north of Cheshire which passes through a wetlands. The southern section, while having pretty views of the Cheshire reservoir, was a bit noisy from the nearby road traffic. Still - a great place to explore.

5. Canterbury Farm

1986 Fred Snow Rd, Becket, MA 01223-9776 +1 413-623-0100 [email protected] http://www.canterbury-farms.com
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 6 reviews

Canterbury Farm

Cross country ski and snow shoe trails groomed and tracked on 160 acres of forest in the Berkshire Hills. Rentals and lessons on site.

Reviewed By kathyyuh1 - New York City, United States

Beautiful place for cross-country skiing! During this pandemic, the owners are doing an excellent job controlling for the # visitors throughout the day, and reminding guests to stay distant when trying on shoes and skis. For first-timers or anyone who needs to brush up, Holly Brouker (M Power Adventures, contact details on Canterbury Farm website) offers lessons. I took it on my first time here, and then came back with a group of friends who took a group lesson with Holly. Highly recommend, as Holly teaches all the basics and techniques to make sure you know what you're doing when you hit the trails. Otherwise, you'll spend the day quite frustrated! The trails here are so lovely. Winter is a magical time here. Saw some people doing snowshoeing. There are specific trails for snowshoes, and they looked fun, too!

6. Ramblewild

Excellent
97%
Good
2%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 425 reviews

Ramblewild

Set on 1,400 acres in the mountains of Berkshire County, Ramblewild is a premier mission-driven Forest Adventure Destination created to inspire learning & conservation through fun activities. Located within a natural hardwood forest, Ramblewild has an award-winning Aerial Adventure Park, nature Trails, Low Ropes Course, Campground & a maple sugarbush. Whether you’re a fitness fan who loves an outdoor workout, a thrill-seeker looking for revitalizing fun, or someone eager to escape from the city for an outdoor adventure, we have something for everyone! Our Aerial Adventure Park, sustainably built in 10 acres of a dramatic forest setting, has 8 tree to tree trails of varying degrees of difficulty. You'll climb & traverse self-guided over a series of 150 elevated elements including ropes, ladders, zip lines, bridges & swings. Soar through the tree canopy & zip across a ravine in a kayak, on a saddle or high zip lines for an exhilarating outdoor experience. Tickets valid for 3.5 hours.

7. Race Brook Falls

Route 41, Sheffield, MA
Excellent
77%
Good
23%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 22 reviews

Race Brook Falls

Reviewed By Flintstone1234 - Simsbury, United States

This is a beautiful hike that includes two awesome waterfalls. There is a tiny parking lot that holds approx. 10 cars. It is at 716 S. Undermountain Rd; Sheffield, MA. The trail starts with an easy 0.2 mile walk from the parking lot to a fork. To the right of the fork is a fairly steep 0.3 mile hike to the "first falls". The last 0.1 mile gets a little confusing since some trees are down. Just keep going in approximately the same direction (or aim for the sound of the waterfall). It's a beautiful view of the waterfall from the bottom, or one can go a bit farther and climb some very difficult boulders to go higher. Starting back at the fork 0.2 miles from the parking lot, the left trail goes to the "upper falls". It is approx. 1.0 miles from the fork to the falls. It is a steep, bumpy hike, crossing the river a few times. After the first river crossing the trail makes a "U" turn to the left immediately after the crossing. After reaching the falls, one can continue approx. 0.5 miles to the campsite, then another 0.2 miles to the intersection with the Appalachian Trail (AT). It's a total of approx. 1.9 miles from the AT to the parking lot.

8. Village Bike Rentals

31 Park St, Adams, MA 01220-2011 +1 413-743-2453 http://villagebikerental.com/
Excellent
98%
Good
2%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 90 reviews

Village Bike Rentals

9. Notchview

Route 9 East, Windsor, MA +1 413-298-3239 http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/notchview.html
Excellent
61%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 18 reviews

Notchview

Renowned for its Nordic skiing, Notchview also entices year-round adventurers for hiking and birdwatching.

Reviewed By O4573KNjohnd - Westfield, United States

Snow conditions here are good even when you may not have any snow out your window! which is the case this year (2020), grass at my house but 15" of snow here. Trails for all abilities and the grooming is top notch. They hold many high school races here.

10. Dry Hill

Old North Road, New Marlborough, MA 01230 [email protected] http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/dry-hill.html
Excellent
50%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
25%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 4 reviews

Dry Hill

Wander across more than 200 acres of forest and through a maze of thickets on a trail that traces a small brook and passes vernal pools and other wetlands.

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.