As we continued our meandering trip up to Maine, we took the time to explore central Massachusetts a bit. Our Airbnb for this weeklong stay was a beautiful 18th century farmhouse, nestled in the woods of Ashfield. The owner, who shared the property with us, noted that she had spent a good amount of time restoring the property vs renovating, a difference I had never really thought about.
By restoring the property, she and her husband had focused on returning as much of the house to the way it would have been in the late 1700’s. The house does have air conditioning, showers, and indoor plumbing. However, it also features a cool, narrow staircase up the the second floor, large fireplaces, a candle burning chandelier, and very old wooden flooring.
We loved our time at this Airbnb. The host was wonderful, providing fresh baked cookies and bread when we arrived, talking to us a bit about the property and her time on the Camino de Santiago, and giving ideas for where to walk/hike in the area.
We did have a couple rainy days while we were in the area but still had time to get out and explore some of what the area had to offer.
Ashfield Network of Trails
A volunteer group in the town of Ashfield has been building a network of trails for non-motorized use since 2003. The network of trails covers a large portion of the town. with one starting right across the street from our Airbnb. Although the starting points aren’t the easiest to find, the trails themselves are well maintained and offer beautiful, though at times steep, single-track.
Maps are available on the Ashfield Trails website, and on paper at trailheads across the town.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to walk quite as much as we had hoped during our time in Ashfield due to a summer nor’easter. However, we did walk the Ridge Trail one morning, which was quite fun, after we had found the parking (side of the road near mile marker 35). If this trail is any indicator, the Ashfield Trails network is well maintained and well marked.
After our hike we stopped off for an enjoyable lunch just up the road at Ashfield Lake House, a small family affair that looks out over Ashfield Lake. The lake itself was full of swimmers and kayakers to watch while we munched on burgers and drank local beer.
Shelburne Falls Potholes
When I think of potholes in New England, I think of huge, car swallowing holes in pavement that will pop a tire or force a re-alignment.
Shelburne Falls, however, is home to a huge collection of natural potholes, formed by glaciers millions of years ago. It also boasts the largest individual pothole in the world. The potholes are viewed from right downtown, a great spot to walk around this picturesque New England town, see some of the shops, and walk the Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge transformed into a garden over the Deerfield River.
Haystack Mountain & The Hermitage
When I was still in middle and high school my mom was on Ski Patrol at Haystack Ski Area. We would travel to Haystack most weekends during the winter, allowing me to ski more in a season than many people ski in a lifetime.
As it turns out Haystack Ski Area long ago closed down and now is a private ski area called The Hermitage. I had no idea a private ski area was even a thing. Regardless, since we were nearby, we took the opportunity to drive an hour up to Wilmington Vermont so we could hike Haystack Mountain.
The trail itself is quite easy and not very long, only a few miles, and leads to a lookout on the top of Haystack proper. This means you are not at the top of the ski area, but the real peak nearby.
When I was a kid I heard that there was a trail from the top of Haystack over to Mt Snow in nearby Dover. As it turns out this trail appears on Google Maps, making it quite easy to follow. We had time so we made a last minute decision to try to reach the top of Haystack Ski Area (now The Hermitage).
The trail between the two mountains is obviously far less traversed. It’s much narrower and lots of brush has to be pushed aside to walk the trail. Not only that, a large detour is needed around a swamp along the ridgeline about halfway to The Hermitage. In the end, going to the top of the ski area added only about an hour and a half to the otherwise two hour hike.
As a capstone to our hike we visited Snow Republic Brewery where we were able to hang out, talk, and enjoy some local beer (root beer for DJ).
Butterflies and Poison Dart Frogs
Our last tourist activity in the area was to visit Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory. Though relatively small the conservatory was filled with thousands of butterflies. As you walk through, butterflies are zooming past from all directions, landing on myriad orchids and other flowers throughout the facility.
Not only do they have butterflies but they have a large collection of poisonous frogs in about 20 or so tanks as you enter. We had seen a number of these in the wild in Costa Rica and Panama so seeing them again brought back fond memories.
Rounding Things Out
Overall we had a great time in and around Ashfield. Having grown up in New England, I miss the area at times, and loved being back in the area. The windy country roads, the typical New England villages and buildings, the cooler temperatures… I think the area was a bit too slow and remote for Hillary and DJ though, but I get it.
Like Newland North Carolina, this part of Massachusetts does require a fair bit of driving to get anywhere — though not quite as long or windy as Newland. If you visit be sure to check out the trails in Ashfield and visit Porter Family Farm to get fresh eggs, beef, pork, lamb and more — on the honor system and open 24x7x365.
