Hidden in the forested slopes of Massachusetts’ Southern Berkshires are dozens of waterfalls, mighty and meek. Reaching some of the most photogenic requires driving along 55 miles of winding state roads and hiking often rugged trails. The falls and their surroundings are especially impressive in the autumn, when the Berkshires are in full color.
The Zigzag Falls
- Berkshire County's Campbell Falls, about 12 minutes south of New Marlborough, sits 100 feet from the Connecticut state line. The only way to reach the falls is to follow Campbell Falls Road into Connecticut until it swings north again into Massachusetts. Grab your camera and hike the gently sloping 1/5-mile trail to where the Whiting River cascades nearly 50 feet through a narrow gorge, horsetailing right and then left into a shaded pool. While the Campbell Falls State Park Reserve is open all year, the waterfall's power peaks when melting snow raises the river's level in early spring.
Falls for Fall
- Otis Falls, located off Route 23 in Tolland State Forest, about eight minutes southwest of Otis, springs to life between fall and early spring when water is released from the reservoir to reduce the risk of flooding from snow melt. It's most impressive during the October release when it plunges 50 feet and fans out over a staircase of rocks. For the best view -- and a close encounter with the Berkshires' autumn finery -- take the parking lot trail towards the woods and follow the Fall River about 100 yards downstream to the base of the waterfall.
Five Falls in One
- Visit Race Brook Falls in late May, after early spring's mud has firmed and before summer’s crowds arrive. Reach the lowest part of the falls, a 100-foot drop over hemlock-shrouded granite boulders, via a 10-minute hike from the Race Brook trailhead along Route 41 in Sheffield. From there, the trail ascends steeply to a shallow, sun-dappled pool fed by the falls' second section. Above it are three more sections, each a dance of plunging, cascading and fanning water. Hiking the second through fifth sections takes about an hour, if you don't stop to catch your breath at the 900-foot altitude gain. Mount Everett State Reservation, where the falls are located, closes in the winter.
The Pride of the Berkshires
- Ignore the cartoon character name: Bash Bish Falls draws so many tourists to the Southern Berkshires each year that it's become the centerpiece of a state park bearing its name. As Bish Bash Brook plunges down a vertical 60-foot drop into a deep and inviting pool, an enormous granite outcrop cleaves its water in two. Come to Bash Bish in early spring when the snow-fed brook is high. To access the falls, descend a marked, short but steep trail and cross a pair of narrow streams. Plan on a 25-minute hike from the trailhead at the Falls Road parking lot at the northern tip of the park, off Route 41, 10 miles southwest of South Egremont. The trail continues west to the New York border, less than a mile beyond the falls.
