Mohawk Trail (page 2 of 4)

Points 4-6

4. Charlemont
"There is no lovelier place on earth," once opined Archibald MacLeish, America's late poet laureate and sometime resident of Franklin County, "nothing more human in scale and prospect than our hills." He was opening the summer chamber music season at Charlemont's prim white clapboard Federated Church, perched above the Deerfield River. In summer the concerts and -- more ruggedly active -- white-water canoeing are the attractions here; in winter skiing is the draw. The Berkshire East Ski Area offers short, steep runs and a Grandma Moses view of town from atop the slopes.

Charlemont also is the center of a renewed Mohawk presence along the trail. Tribal groups from all over the Northeast gather at Indian Plaza, east of town, to swap stories, perform native dances, and sell handicrafts. In a small park to the west, a statue of a Mohawk brave, Hail to the Sunrise, celebrates the trail's Indian heritage.

5. Mohawk Trail State Forest
Beyond Charlemont the trail rises steeply, reaching an abruptly wild terrain of gorges, tumbling brooks, sudden ridges, and rocky outcrops, all enveloped in a densely mixed forest made up of hardwoods and evergreens. The air, perfumed by pines and hemlocks, grows cooler here in Mohawk Trail State Forest. Hikers can sample trails that range from gentle to moderately ambitious. Anglers can try their luck for trout. And wildlife watchers will find that the woods are alive with wonders: even from the campground parking area, you might glimpse a deer, a porcupine, or a black bear.

6. Whitcomb Summit
Experienced leaf peepers, as they're known in these parts, pray for three things in early autumn: cool nights, warm days -- and not too much wind. But in almost any year, the transformation is breathtaking. At the town of Florida, the trail reaches its loftiest point, and from the 2,200-foot-high overlook at Whitcomb Summit, the hills and valleys below unfurl in all their autumn glory: the orange and scarlet of maples, the bright gold of birch, the purple of ash, and the deep green punctuation marks of hemlock and spruce.

The prospect calls out for a closer look, and you should take it. Just east of Whitcomb Summit, turn onto Whitcomb Hill Road and head down to the Deerfield River. As the road descends into the gorge, each switchback reveals new views. Hills shift and disappear; a stream gurgles past; the river glistens.

Once at the bottom you'll find an imposing historical landmark. A left onto River Road takes you to the Hoosac Tunnel, a five-mile-long railroad route through the granite spine of the Berkshires that was hailed as the engineering marvel of its day. It took 25 years to build and cost 196 lives -- but it opened the rail link between Boston and Albany and led to the development of the lands between.

• • Road Trips
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• Although Rte. 1 offers its share of eye-catching delights, the twists and turns that characterize the coast in this corner of America are best seen from secondary roads that meander down long peninsulas and across out-of-the-way islands.
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• Adirondack Adventure
• The Adirondack Park, the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi, sprawls far and wide across upstate New York-a rugged, pristine realm where forests and mountains reign supreme.
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• Delaware River Loop
• Astride the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, a narrow notch in the Kittatinny Ridge provides a natural gateway to this pleasantly pastoral river valley.
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• James River Plantations
• Some of time's finest treasures can be found along this drive, which starts in the modern city of Richmond, passes centuries-old plantations, then ends in one of the places where America began.
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• Brandywine Valley
• Cultivated by one family -- the Du Ponts -- and immortalized by another -- the Wyeths -- this lush and lovely landscape seems like a painting come to life.
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