Mount Greylock State Reservation

About this park

Mount Greylock State Reservation protects Massachusetts' highest point, a 3,491-foot summit visible from as far as 90 miles away on a clear day, and holds the distinction of being the very first land the Commonwealth set aside for forest preservation, established in 1898. The reservation spans roughly 12,500 acres across the towns of Lanesborough, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, Williamstown, and New Ashford in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. A 93-foot granite Veterans War Memorial Tower crowns the summit, offering views across five states on especially clear days, and the historic Bascom Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, still operates as a rustic overnight lodge and dining hall directly at the summit, a rare example of CCC-era mountaintop hospitality still functioning today. A section of the Appalachian Trail runs across the mountain's ridgeline, making Greylock a notable stop for both day hikers and thru-hikers passing through Massachusetts. A hike-in-only primitive campground sits roughly two miles up the mountain from the nearest parking area, offering no on-site staff, running water, or reliable cell service, in keeping with the reservation's emphasis on genuine wilderness experience despite being within driving distance of Boston and Albany. The mountain's eastern slopes are also home to the Thunderbolt ski trail, a historic downhill run dating to the 1930s, and the broader Greylock Range offers extensive hiking across several connected summits beyond the main peak.