A Springtime Hike

EXPLORE THE RICHLY BIODIVERSE LANDSCAPE OF BARTHOLOMEW’S COBBLE WITH ITS FIVE MILES OF TRAILS

By Russell Patton // Photos By Olivia Douhan

Springtime is more than the Berkshire landscape greening up. It’s an invitation to explore the breathtaking landscape with its emerging woodland wildflowers and other reawakening plantlife. Our ancient mountains will be carpeted with a colorful display, and the trails at Bartholomew’s Cobble are the perfect place to enjoy this outdoor exhibition. 

Drive south on US 7 from Great Barrington into Sheffield on a soft spring day in April or May. Bear right onto Route 7A and another right on Rannapo Road. You’ll find Weatogue Road on the right and immediately see the parking lot for Bartholomew’s Cobble on the left, in the village of Ashley Falls abutting Canaan, Connecticut. In no time, you’ll be walking on a forested trail approaching the peaceful Housatonic River.

Bartholomew’s Cobble is owned by the Trustees of Reservations and is a collection of bent, twisted, and uplifted rock (lime-stone and marble) from the continental collision of Europe and North America a half-billion years ago. The preserve includes two rocky knolls—cobbles—that rise from the Housatonic River.

This location is a National Natural Landmark because it contains more than 800 plant species, including North America’s greatest diversity of ferns and their allies, and the greatest overall biodiversity in Berkshire County. One of the largest cottonwood trees in the state—125 in height—is located here, in a floodplain along the Housatonic River. Bartholomew’s Cobble is also an important migratory bird habitat, where more than 250 species of birds have been documented. An interpretive center and museum are located on the preserve. Rangers and staff lead guided canoe trips on the Housatonic River in season.

The property was originally occupied by the Mahican tribe and then settled by New England colonial revolutionary Colonel John Ashley. Ashley built a house near the cobbles—the Colonel John Ashley House—that is a historic site also managed by The Trustees.

The name “Bartholomew’s Cobble” comes from a series of Bartholomews who owned the property after Colonel Ashley. In 1838, Wyllis Bartholomew purchased the Ashley house and 5 ¼ acres from the Ashley family. It is said he used it for farm laborer housing and owned it until his death in 1846, when Wyllis’ son Hiram inherited it. In 1852, Hiram sold it to his son George, who farmed it for many years. It didn’t become known as Bartholomew’s Cobble until George owned it.

The property came into the hands of The Trustees in 1946, and additional acreage was acquired through more than ten purchases and donations from 1963 to 2000 to reach its current 357 acres.

By foot, it is one of the best places around in the Berkshires to enjoy springtime wildflowers. There are a handful of trails there, including the Ledges, Cedar Hill, Craggy Knoll, Eaton, Bailey, and Spero Trails, and the Boulder, Hal Borland, Tulip Tree, and Tractor Path Trails across Weatogue Road in the meadow known as Ashley Field. The hike up Hurlbert Hill reaches 1,000 feet to a 20-acre upland field on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border with fantastic panorama views northward up the Housatonic River Valley—a view spanning Mount Everett on the left all the way across the Housatonic Valley to East Mountain on the right.

When I was there last, I chose the Ledges TraiI, set out on the .5-mile loop, and was surrounded by the budding greenness of springtime. The trail had several short ups and downs, and I was immediately treated to a few wild geraniums. Their deep purple color was so pleasing to the eye. Next I came upon a small Herb Robert with its pink-and-red-striped petals open wide.

Finally, a few steps nearer to the Housatonic River were the stars of the show. They were lovely clusters of columbines. They were a beautiful saturated red in color and they were absolutely the scene-stealers. Then I came out on a small tree-lined bluff overlooking the meandering Housatonic. How peaceful!

On the way back, I spotted a couple of interesting things. First, there was a small outcrop of pure marble. It was formed deep in the bedrock by heat, folding, and pressure from that continental collision so long ago. It was so pretty with its white crystalline rock. Second, there was a little cave on the hillside to my left, formed over the ages by water dripping through limestone.

I wasn’t finished yet, though. Across Weatogue Road, the property includes a large meadow with wide-open Berkshire views that is also great bobolink habitat. A couple of trails wind through it, and I loved being in a breezy sea of grasses, asters, and buttercups.

If you’re here earlier in the spring, you may see other flowers in the park, too, including trillium, Dutchman’s Breeches, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and violets. They emerge when sunlight warms the forest floor, before the trees open their leaves to shade the undergrowth. It is during that time (and in early fall) that migrating birds pass through; the ferns peak in June.

Adjacent to the property is the historic Colonel John Ashley House, which is also on the African American Trail in the Berkshires. Enslaved Elizabeth Freeman left Ashley house and sued for her freedom, setting the stage for abolishing slavery in Massachusetts. The house is the beginning of the African American Heritage Trail in the Housatonic Valley.

Go to thetrustees.org for a trail map and more information on Bartholomew’s Cobble. The Trustees boasts a number of other locations in the Berkshires that are good for seeing wildflowers. The Mountain Meadow Preserve in Williamstown features fringed gentian, asters, and bluestem. You can also check out The Trustees’ Questing property in New Marlborough, Tyringham Cobble in Tyringham, Beartown State Forest in Monterey, and Field Farm in Williamstown.

Visit Lime Kiln Farm in Sheffield, a Mass Audubon property include two miles of well-marked walking trails that include two loop trails and a short spur. (Go to massaudubon.org for more info, a map, more trails, and more properties.) 

Hollow Fields in Richmond features open fields and scenic views great for bird watching and picnicking. At more than 660 acres, the property includes Fields Trail (two miles) and Perry’s Peak Loop (3.7 miles). For more on Hollow Fields, including trail maps, as well as other top hiking locations managed by Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC), go to bnrc.org/top-berkshire-trails. 

The Clark Art Institute (clarkart.edu) is surrounded by 140 acres of expansive lawns, meadows, and walking trails that traverse the property, including trails up historic Stone Hill, whose summit offers a spectacular view of Williamstown and the Green Mountains of Vermont. 

Hiking in late May to mid-June in Pittsfield and Mount Washington state forests is a great time to take in the acres of wild azalea and mountain laurel. Mount Greylock via Bellows Pipe Trail is another lovely hike with beautiful spring wildflowers along the way. The trail starts from the Gould Road/Bellows South parking area. Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet and is located in Mount Greylock State Reservation. (For maps and more information, go to mass.gov/visit-massachusetts-state-parks.)