Mount Greylock MA
Massachusetts's highest mountain is great for views and hiking, and Harry Potter author J K Rowling writes that it's where Mayflower Pilgrim Isolt Sayre established the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit
of Mount Greylock.
At 3491 feet (1064 meters), the summit of Mount Greylock in the northwest corner of Massachusetts (map), is no Matterhorn, but it's the highest point in the state and worth a visit for its spectacular views and hiking trails. A small parking fee is charged for those arriving by car.
The Summit
The 92-foot (28-meter) Veterans War Memorial Tower, originally designed to be a lighthouse in Boston's Charles River Estuary, is an observatory with windows at the top.
Explore some of the 40 miles (64 km) of hiking trails (including part of the Appalachian Trail) which thread through the forest of the Mount Greylock State Reservation's 11,000 acres (4452 hectares). Perhaps you'll run across Isolt Sayre's 17th-century stone house (see below).
Getting to the Summit
There is no public transportation from the mountain's base to the summit. Even taxis will usually not take you.
Roads to the summit are open in warm weather (usually late June through October; closed in winter). Access to the summit, its Veterans War Memorial Tower and Bascom Lodge, is from either MA Route 2 in North Adams on the mountain's north side, or from US 7 at New Ashford on its west side, or Lanesborough on its south side. The State Reservation Visitor Center is on Rockwell Road from Lanesborough to the summit.
Driving, please note that your GPS may mislead you! Do not depend on it alone. Follow these directions:
From Williamstown
Four miles east of Williamstown along MA Route 2, just past a Shell fuel station, turn right (south) onto Notch Road, following a sign for Mount Greylock State Reservation.
From North Adams
About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the center of North Adams along MA Route 2, Notch Road is on the left (south) just before a Shell fuel station. A small sign indicates this turn for Mount Greylock State Reservation.
Notch Road
If you have a GPS device, or a smartphone with GPS capability, use it for this ascent, as there are two tricky turns in the road. For your destination, input Mount Greylock State Reservation.
About 1.2 miles (2 km) up the hill, Notch Road makes a sharp turn to the left. There is a sign but the sign is easy to miss. (Pattison Road bears to the right along the shore of the Mt Williams Reservoir. If you see a body of water on your left, you've missed the turn, you're on Pattison Road, and you must turn around and return to Notch Road.)
The distance from MA Route 2 to the summit is about 8.9 miles (14 km). The road is narrow and winding, with an average speed of 20 to 25 miles per hour. The ascent by car takes between 25 and 30 minutes, the descent about the same.
From Lanesborough
Approaching from the south, follow US Route 7 north to Lanesborough. About 2 miles (3.2 km) after crossing the town line into Lanesborough, turn right on North Main Street and follow the signs 9 miles (14.5 km) to the summit along Rockwell Road.
The Mount Greylock Visitor Center is at 30 Rockwell Road (map) just before you enter the gate to the Mount Greylock State Reservation.
From New Ashford
From US Route 7 in New Ashford, turn east onto Greylock Road (there's a sign) and follow it to the summit.
Bascom Lodge
Along with the marvelous views, you'll find Bascom Lodge (tel 413-743-1591), a hikers' hostel and dining room which can provide sleeping accommodations in private rooms or bunkrooms; breakfast of home-made pastries and hearty fare from 8:00 am to 10:00 am; lunch of soups, salads and sandwiches from 11 am to 4:30 pm; a sunset beverage hour of beer, wine and other refreshments from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; dinner Wednesday through Sunday at 7:00 pm (one seating, menus online, reservations required).
The lodge is open from mid-May through mid-October.
Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
According to Harry Potter author J K Rowling, the summit is also the location of the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded in the 1600s by a wizard who came to Massachusetts with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. An Irish orphan, Isolt Sayre, is said to have left Plimoth Plantation with a muggle friend and constructed a stone house on the summit in which to teach witchcraft and wizardry.
