Find the top rated hiking trails in Pittsfield, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Northampton part, which is reallly the NORWATTUCK RAIL TRAIL is really 2 stars bc it's so confusing. Needs fundraising and signage. But the rest, Manhan Rail Trail, is really nice. 5 stars. We took photos to illustrate but I unfortunately deleted them by accident.
We had stayed at the Hotel Northampton & nobody could tell us for certain how to find the trail other than to mention the railroad tracks. We found a paved path by the tracks & headed left. We passed a stone that said <- BOS/NHV --> and that's all. (Couldn't imagine how Boston could be to the left or straight ahead.) Within about 20 minutes, that path ended by some really rundown stores. On an aerial Google map, it reads as NORWATTUCK RAIL TRAIL (& shows it as a hiking &rail trail on the east side of the railroad tracks) but there is no signage anywhere to guide you. So when we got to the end, we turned around & headed in the other direction (south). THIS NORWSTTUCK TRAIL definitely needs some help. (Or maybe some day to be extended.)
Back to where we started out & this time heading in the other direction the trail actually becomes nice & very well marked. It seems to become the NEWHAVEN AND NORTH CANAL RAIL TRAIL (BUT there are no signs to this effect).
Where you meet the MANHAN RAIL TRAIL the signage is very clear, even as you are going through a village center or crossing a street or road, & the trail is very nice. You're following the reservoir & get some nice riding in.
We just kept going until we reached Easthampton. There you can even pick up trail maps! Ride on, and by the Municipal Bldg there's a nice park & large pond where you can see Mt. Tom behind it. Lovely, relaxing, scenic.
Then the ride back to Northampton but this time we knew the trail well & just enjoyed it.
North of Ferry St., at Lower Mill Pond, the Manhan Trail branches off and follows the river, eventually reaching the Connecticut River & Mt. Tom State Reservation. Should be a lovely ride! (You can also turn off here when you're riding south from Northampton.
We are casual cyclists (no ebikes) and decided to take a short ride on this trail. We parked at the Nassau Lake Trailhead which has about 13 parking spots. We headed towards East Greenbush and cycled about 8 miles before turning around. The 8 mile section of the trail we cycled was paved and very well maintained. There was a slight elevation gain in this section but made for a nice downhill on the way back. There were no amenities on the 8 mile route. The trail had a couple of easy street crossings but was mostly off-road.
On the way back, we continued pass the TH parking for about 3 miles to the Village of Nassau to have a look. There is another TH in town next to a small park and across the street from an ice cream shop. This section of the trail in the village was flat. If we had the time, we would have gone further.
I would recommend this trail.
Rode Simsbury down to Plainville. Simsbury to Avon was full of tree root bumps, and lots of branches & trail debris. It's almost as if Simsbury wants to keep cyclists out. ¿ However, Avon and Farmington were great rides, as was Plainville.
Rode this trail as an out-and-back from the Oak Street (northwest) trailhead (limited parking, no facilities). Trail is in great condition (all paved). The south/east half of the trail is the more interesting as it includes an active freight railroad crossing (I got caught!), passing adjacent to a busy freight rail yard, and riding in a cage through a golf course!
There is a portable toilet at the Coons Crossing Road trailhead (note: as of 6/2026 construction has closed the road approaching the trailhead from the north, it is open from the south).
A great ride in the Albany area!
I'd ridden this trail a couple years ago, doing it in small sections, and had found it to be a nice ride with a decent surface, quite reasonable for my older hybrid. I only did about 6 miles today, from Keene southward before turning back, and those couple of detours noted in another review are still in place - taking you out onto the road for short stretches likely to avoid power line work being done.
Rode from Avon, CT to Westfield, MA. Mass section in great shape. CT section is awful. Pavement is split, constant 'ka-thunk', pot holes not marked, just horrendous condition. Where is the CT DOT and our tax dollars? Stay away.
Tough to do on a mountain bike, unless you're an expert. not maintained at all. I would say an ok hiking trail. But not all that scenic. Not what it's billed to be by a long shot.
The surface is paved, and in excellent condition.
The trail is ever so slightly down hill from north to south.
Mostly shaded, and while not amazing scenery, it is a lovely trail. In spring, when sunny, watch to LOTS of turtles on the far bank of a swampy section near the cheshire reservoir (on the west side of the trail)!
The Canalside rail trail is fully open and the paved trail is very well maintained. While it is only 7.2 miles round trip, it’s worth it! Plenty of parking at both ends and the town of Turners Falls has a nice selection of restaurants and shops.
Currently there is a couple of sections that are really nice for the work thats been completed, but will be a fantastic trail once they have completed the sections necessary to connect them into one long trail. All the sections completed are mostly all paved and are great for walking/jogging/biking & wheelchair/stroller friendly. The only exception is tgr Naugatuck River Greenway section that starts at the Sullivan Senior Center, which has a paved trail that runs parallel to the the river and ends at the side road which you continue down a one way street that almost zig zags until you reach palmer bridge. Crossing the bridge and crossing to the paved trail that goes behind a condominium and continues until the end of the dirt parking lots (trail is paved) of John Toro Sports Complex, where the pavement ends towards the actual field. Then it transitions to the field with no defined trail. The Trail at that point isnt really distinct. I lived here most of my life and I didnt know until I saw a news article about The Rainbow Bridge and found that the trail in fact extended past where the pavement ends and continues straight past the dog park past both the first baseball field, the soccer field, and then about halfway through the 2nd baseball field there is a wide opening in the forest, where you then see the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge Trail. Which is an amazing small half looped trail, with some of the most beautiful works of art, and tributes to various pets (photos, stepping stones/memorial rock garden, a memorial fence, k-9 officers memorial bulletin board(s), sculptures, poems, signs, chairs, then the rainbow Bridge which is adorned with photos, momentos, stories, collars & tributes to pets of those who came to place their beloved pets memorials. After you find the exits shortly after that you can see the wide open pathway continues for a while on but ends at a fenced off area that currently is a business/underutilized "Sports park" that will eventually be replaced with a connector trail that will connect with other nearby trails.
We started at the marina restaurant at the south end of the trail and rode 3.5 miles on the rail trail section, with another 2 miles on Rice Farm & Quarries roads. Beautiful vistas of the river, rock formations, changing leaves. Esp impressive was the overhead highway bridge built with long tapering multicolored stone supports, representing tree branches. Under the arched stone supports is a picnic table & patio area. A few protruding stones/tree roots need to be managed but biking is very possible on this trail and should be included in the list of options for use.
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