Taconic Skyline Trail

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The Taconic Skyline Trail is a 12.1-mile (19.5 km) multi-use trail in the Taconic Mountains of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It runs along the ridge in Pittsfield State Forest, starting near U.S. Route 20 in Hancock (near the New York border) and ending at Brodie Mountain Road on the Hancock/Lanesborough town line. Today, the trail is mainly used for motorized recreation like ATVs and snowmobiles, but hikers can still use it. If you’re hiking and want a non-motorized option, the nearby Taconic Crest Trail is recommended.

Season and use vary, and hazards include deer ticks, poison ivy, and weather. The highest point is Jiminy Peak at 2,392 feet (729 m); the lowest point is near U.S. Route 20 at about 1,400 feet (430 m).

Forest types along the trail include mixed oak-hickory and northern hardwood, with alkaline-loving plants and higher elevations featuring red spruce and balsam fir. The rocks are thrust faulted metamorphic rock over younger sedimentary rock.

History and highlights: the Civilian Conservation Corps blazed the trail in the 1930s as a 25-mile hiking route from Route 41 in Richmond to Brodie Mountain. In the 1970s the northern part fell into disuse, shortening the trail to 21 miles. In the late 1990s, the southern section was officially closed, though people still use it. In Pittsfield State Forest, the route was split into two parallel paths: a motorized Taconic Skyline Trail, and a non-motorized Taconic Crest Trail that extends the southern end by about 6 miles (9.7 km).

Notable features along the route include Cranberry Pond, Twin Ponds, Doll Mountain, Smith Mountain, Tower Mountain, Berry Pond (at about 2,150 feet elevation, reputed to be the highest pond in Massachusetts), Poppy Mountain, Jiminy Peak, and Widow White’s Peak. There is a state campground at Berry Pond.