The Falling Leaves

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The New York Sun

While children collect red, gold, and orange leaves and press them in the pages of their schoolbooks, adults can find more elaborate ways to enjoy fall foliage. From hiking up mountainsides lit by leaves to visiting museums and historic homes offering scenic interior and exterior vistas, a typical fall weekend in the Berkshires offers intellectual and material pleasures (well, of the organic, farm-fresh variety) with a surfeit of natural beauty.

“Color is taking hold in the northernmost part of Berkshire County; branches and entire trees have changed,” the author of “Hikes and Walks in the Berkshire Hills” (Berkshire House), Lauren Stevens, said Friday, referring to the far-western section of Massachusetts. “Farther south, particularly along water areas, red maples are turning a brilliant scarlet color. It’s worth coming up now and it’s only going to get better.”

Leaf-peeping season will peak in the northern part of the county around Columbus Day weekend, and extends to the end of October in the area’s southernmost section.

Having a car is essential, but the drive will be almost traffic-free heading up the Taconic or Route 22 (via I-684), then taking Route 23 east to Route 7, the main artery for almost all one’s getting around. Great Barrington, the first town you’ll reach, is an ideal first stop, particularly the East Mountain Café at the Berkshire Coop Market (42 Bridge Street, Great Barrington, 413-528-9697), where one can dine on healthy fare and stock up on water and snacks for a hike at the restaurant’s grocery.

To get on the ground quickly, visitors should head north on Route 7 to Monument Mountain, which offers an easy hike with a few steep sections on wonderful stone stairways. The hike follows in the footsteps of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who walked the mountain together in 1850. The name “Monument Mountain,” though, is from a poem by another hiker, William Cullen Bryant. A similar climb without the high inclines is Tyringham Cobble.

It’s about a 15-minute drive from Monument Mountain through Stockbridge to Edith Wharton’s home (2 Plunkett St., Lenox, 413-551-5111), the Mount, pristine from a recent renovation to the interior and grounds. The Norman Rockwell Museum (9 Glendale Road, Route 183, Stockbridge) is also nearby, with an exhibit of Al Parker’s mid-century illustrations for women’s magazines. After the dose of culture, travelers can grab lunch at Dish in downtown Lenox, for a fresh falafel wrap (37 Church St., 413-637-1800).

For those who venture out this weekend, a Saturday evening spent in Williamstown or North Adams is a good bet. On Sunday, September 30, the floats go by during the 52nd Fall Foliage Festival Parade in North Adams. This is also museum territory. The Clark Art Institute has recently donated Constables on view (225 South St., Williamstown, 413-458-2303), and an exhibit about the art and style of the American expatriates and friends of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gerald and Sara Murphy, is on view at Williams College Museum of Art (15 Lawrence Hall Dr., Williamstown, 413-597-2429). On October 20, photographer Gregory Crewdson speaks on a panel at the contemporary art mecca the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (87 Marshall St., 413-662-2111); a federal judge ruled Friday that the museum has the right to display an incomplete installation by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel, so this too may be on view.

The main outdoor attraction in these parts is Mount Greylock, which offers both full-day and shorter hikes, and whose summit is the highest point in Massachusetts. The road to the top is under repair, which means hikers won’t be bothered by the noise of cars.

While in the Berkshires, you might start the day with a kayak trip at Stockbridge Bowl or a bicycle trip, with gear and a personal guide supplied by the Arcadian Shop (91 Pittsfield Rd., Lenox, 413-637-3010), which is next to a beautiful and gentle set of trails in Kennedy Park, if you want a warm up. In the afternoon, a visit to Herman Melville’s house, Arrowhead (780 Holmes Rd., Pittsfield, 413-442-1793), provides a view of the hills that Melville looked out on when he wrote Moby Dick (no need to read “Moby-Dick,” though; several of his ancestors at a family reunion in the spring admitted they’ve only enjoyed his earlier, shorter works, “Redburn” and “Typee,” which first made him famous).

Outdoor excursions in mid-county include a 40-minute moderate hike up Lenox Mountain at the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary with wetlands at the base providing beaver-listening if not viewing opportunities, and Canoe Meadows off Holmes Road.

agordon@nysun.com


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