What are some good stops along the Mohawk Trail?

June 21, 2023 7:59 AM

We're heading out to western Massachusetts next week (starting from Boston), and I want to make a day out of the drive. What are some interesting places to stop and check out along the drive?

I've driven the Mohawk Trail quite a lot, but always in service of getting somewhere else so I've never really stopped to enjoy it. I am willing to spend literally the whole day getting to our destination. We're staying in Stockbridge, so the plan is to pick up the Mohawk Trail probably in Athol, drive to Williamstown, and then take Route 7 south. I know this is out of the way; we have the whole day to get there. Things we're already planning on:

-Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls
-The overlook on the hill east of North Adams
-Deerfield? I don't know what's there
-Maybe drive up Mt. Greylock?

I don't know anything about food/drink options along the route, but we like stopping for microbreweries and fun bites.

The only caveat I have is that we will have the dog with us, so anything we do must be dog-friendly.

posted by backseatpilot to Travel & Transportation around Massachusetts (13 answers total)

The Bridge of Flowers is totally worth it, and since you'll be there you should take a look at the falls part of Shelburne Falls. (We had a little trouble finding it at first so you might want to check out a map beforehand.)

My usual faves in that area are The Clark and Mass MOCA, so not super dog friendly, alas. But did you look at Atlas Obscura for the North Adams/Williamstown area?
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:05 AM on June 21, 2023

Do the Gravity Road in Greenfield! Even if you understand the illusion it's still kind of cool.
posted by bondcliff at 8:16 AM on June 21, 2023

Deerfield has a Treehouse now. They have a big outdoor seating area and I saw lots of dogs when I was there a few weeks ago.
posted by catoclock at 8:20 AM on June 21, 2023

Near Athol. You should go check out Doane's falls. Bring a picnic if you want and follow the falls all the way down to the bottom. It's a bit magical and the falls are impressive. Especially with all the rain we've been getting. It's not the highest single drop in Mass, but the combo of falls to pool falls to pool, etc is the highest. You might want bug spray but they usually aren't too bad.

Montague Bookmill. There's coffee and food and a separate, dog friendly restaurant but the big restaurant will likely not be open the hours you are there. "Watershed Restaurant"

The Mount! in Lenox. It's dog friendly and there is a guided house tour that is not. I wouldn't have said the tour itself isn't needed. The grounds are free and amazing and another place I suggest a picnic. They do sell food sometimes.

In Housatonic there is a great place with outdoor seating. It's great. But add that there is a very good chance you will have some chipmunks you can hand feed with peanuts they supply? It's a beautiful, very unusual setting. Pleasant and Main.

When you are in Stockbridge, it's only a 45 minute (and pretty lovely) drive to Hudson, NY. You could pop over there in the am walk around, see cool stuff and be back by lunch. It's a neat little, very different town. Lots of restaurants and shops.
posted by ReluctantViking at 8:51 AM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

It's been many years since I have visited but I always found the Hoosac Tunnel to be a high value, quick visit - especially in the summer. It's an active railroad tunnel through the tail end of the green mountains, made basically by hand in the middle 1800s. To me it has multiple vectors of interest - it's a just mammoth hole underneath and through a mountain, and in the summer when you walk up to it a palpably cool mist belches from it. It's also kind of decrepit (I enjoy that sort of thing - looking at the bones of a declining culture.) The construction of the tunnel cost many lives so there is a slightly somber, "haunted" aspect to it as well.

The east portal is just a minute drive from the Mohawk Trail proper, in Florida MA, and the tunnel itself is very easy to find and a two-minute walk. if you walk/climb around the right-hand side of the mouth of the tunnel there is a bit of a waterfall and some lovely woods. Online scuttlebut makes it seem like the trail is in bad shape these days, but it used to be an easy scamper.
posted by dirtdirt at 8:56 AM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

I remember the maple soft serve ice cream on the trail. Hager's for a stop for maple candy.
posted by brent at 9:04 AM on June 21, 2023

Mass MOCA in North Adams is just about our favorite art museum anywhere. Giant spaces for modern art, associated with the Guggenheim, currently has 2 AMAZING virtual reality pieces by Laurie Anderson (sign up in advance), blah blah blah… argh - never mind- not really dog friendly.
posted by chr1sb0y at 9:18 AM on June 21, 2023

You're just a bit away from Elm Court in Stockbridge/Lenox, and although it's been recently sold I believe you can get on the grounds and see the exterior. It's really spectacularly huge and rambling, and was abandoned for almost fifty years (during which time there were squatters, bat infestations, etc. etc.) so part of the building is polished up nicely for weddings and events, but go behind a door in the bridal suite and there'd be exposed wires, crumbling plaster, guano, the whole thing. It's a fascinating place.
posted by knotty knots at 9:18 AM on June 21, 2023

Instead of going down Route 7 from Williamstown, you could continue on Route 2 over Petersburg Pass into NY, then down Route 22 until you get to Route 102 at the MassPike/Thruway interchange. Route 102 will take you through West Stockbridge into Stockbridge itself. Petersburg Pass is a cool trip over the Taconics and Route 22 has essentially no traffic so it is probably quicker than Route 7.
posted by leaper at 9:24 AM on June 21, 2023

You should stop at the Book Mill in Montague. "Books nobody needs in a place nobody can find" or something like that. A lovely little bookstore and cafe in an old mill building.

If you go to Deerfield, drive or walk up Sugarloaf and enjoy the views from up there - they're terrific.
posted by entropone at 11:55 AM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Just off of Rt. 7 in Williamstown is Cricket Creek Farm. They have a self-service farm shop where they sell their amazing cheese as well as a selection of other locally-made products. Totally worth the stop!
posted by sriracha at 2:30 PM on June 21, 2023

Oh, if you're passing through Charlemont at lunchtime, Wells Provisions is a nice stop right on Rt. 2.
posted by sriracha at 2:38 PM on June 21, 2023

Definitely Montague Book Mill! Deerfield has the Yankee Candle flagship store, if you like candles at all it can be kind of fun to check out (it's huge, you can dip your own candles, and they have kitschy stuff). Deerfield also has a butterfly garden (Magic Wings). Not sure if you'll be veering off towards Northampton or Amherst, but both have super cute downtowns to walk around, window shop, and stop for lunch/snacks.
posted by carlypennylane at 8:29 PM on June 21, 2023 [1 favorite]