Here is a list of self-guided hikes to do with your family or on your own. To support place-based learning, before you head out, conduct an online search about the natural and human history of some of these community-based educational resources. Bring with you field guides, sketchbooks, cameras, and magnifying glasses and spend the afternoon engaged in self-directed, nature-based learning!

Easy Hikes in Western MA:

• Chesterfield Gorge, West Chesterfield
• Dinosaur Footprints, Holyoke
• Field Farm, Williamstown
• Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley, Lenox
• Mass Audubon Arcadia, Easthampton

Moderate Hikes in Western MA:

• Bear Swamp, Ashfield
• Bear’s Den, New Salem
• Bullitt Reservation, Ashfield
• Chapel Brook, Ashfield,
• Land of Providence, Holyoke
• Little Tom Mountain, Holyoke
• Dry Hill, New Marlborough
• McLennan Reservation, Tyringham
• Mt. Warner, Hadley
• Mountain Meadow, Williamstown
• Notchview, Windsor
• Questing, New Marlborough
• Tyringham Cobble, Tyringham
• Bradley Sanctuary, Williamsburg
• Breckenridge Sanctuary, Williamsburg
• William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Cummington
• Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield

Strenuous Hikes in Western MA:

• Glendale Falls, Middlefield
• Monument Mountain, Great Barrington
• Peaked Mountain, Monson
• Petticoat Hill, Williamsburg
• Skinner State Park, Hadley

Excerpt from Hilltown Families publication, Learning Ahead: Cultural Itinerary for Western Massachusetts (Seasons: Sept/Oct), a downloadable resource guide that sheds light on embedded learning opportunities found in cultural resources that exist within the geography, history, and cultural traditions of Western Massachusetts.

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