Wild Acres Pittsfield
August 23rd at 10:00 am
Parking: 500 South Mountain Road, Pittsfield, MA
Directions: Take South Mountain Road from South Street, at the fork in the road bear left and continue to the large parking lot with the pavilions.
Hike Rating: Fun! Easy 2 miles, several loops
Join us for a fun hike at Pittsfield’s hidden oasis, Wild Acres. A large parking lot with pavilions for events makes this a great family friendly destination for a day out and a place to picnic lunch and there is so much more….Short and easy hiking loops great for dog walking and children, wetlands and ponds for wildlife viewing in all seasons all with many benches. There is a surprise around every bend here including a lookout tower that overlooks a marsh with wide views of the Yokun Ridge. Probably the most fun here is getting up close to the Pittsfield Municipal Airport where you can watch the planes take off and land, watch from the ground or from the tower all with an excellent view of the Berkshires.
The History:
Wild Acres was once an 83-acre piece of land owned by the Shakers, who built its pond. After the 80-year tenure with the Shakers, it was sold to successful shoemaker, C. Dudley Holman. Avid birders, Holman and his wife Clementine added log cabins to the property, concrete dams to the pond, and cordoned off a white-sand spring with water temperatures of 42 degrees. After her husband’s death in 1929, Clementine sold the property and it was opened as a private outdoors recreation and sportsman’s club under the Walton League. The endeavors of the Walton Sanctuary were fraught with financial difficulties and eventually, the property was given to the city of Pittsfield in 1965. It was during this time that 12-acres were whittled off for an airport runway extension. With the help of the YACC in the ’70s, the Conservation Commission oversaw extensive construction of buildings, recreational amenities, and picnic areas. In 2007, 21-acres was again lost to the airport for expansion, this time replaced by an additional 84-acres of undeveloped forest and farmland acquired by eminent domain. courtesy Berkshire Family Hikes.
Bring the family and a picnic lunch let’s go have some fun!
Please Register per car load on
https://westernmasshilltownhikers.ticketleap.com Maps and bottled water provided. Well behaved dogs allowed. Event is volunteer lead. Suggested donation is $15. More details are on www.hilltownhikers.com . Please email
d2VzdGVybm1hc3NoaWxsdG93bmhpa2VycyB8IGFvbCAhIGNvbQ== or call/text 413-302-0312 if you have any questions. As always be prepared for rocks, mud and roots, bring trekking poles!
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GROUP HIKES AND TOURS SINCE 2010
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