Berkshire County unites the natural environment with the industrialized world. Its distinct area combines art, culture, technology, and nature, creating an eclectic range of activities for residents and visitors.

Berkshire County is generally divided into three sections: Northern, Central, and Southern. The Northern Berkshires comprise Williamstown, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, New Ashford, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Savoy and Windsor. Each community has a unique history and offers explorers a variety of activities.

Deciding where to go for the first trip to Northern Berkshires can be difficult. Which trail, farm, museum, or monument should be explored first? There are so many options for hikers, art enthusiasts, and history junkies it can be challenging to decide. Here are some places to take advantage of your first time in Northern Berkshire County.

The Cobbles 
Cheshire, Mass.

The Berkshires is known for its number of hiking trails. The Cobbles, with a trailhead located at 41 Railroad St., off the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, is one hiking location that draws many due to its beautiful views and surroundings. 

Hikers can also access the Appalachian Trail from the Cobbles at the end of Furnace Hill Road or from Gulf Road in Dalton. 

As you hike up the mountain, trees and fauna will surround you, and you will see unique rock formations towering over you. 

A couple hundred feet through the woods near the trailhead is a waterfall along South Brook — the trek up the mountain rewards with views of Cheshire, the Cheshire Reservoir, and Mount Greylock. 

Mass MoCA

North Adams, Mass.

Berkshire County prides itself in being a hotspot for cultivating art and culture. Northern Berkshire County is the home of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which combines art and culture and presents it to their patrons to inspire, impact, and entertain. 

Start your day with coffee from one of the cafes to get energy for your artistic and insightful adventure. Mass MoCA hosts visual exhibits in its 250,000 square-foot open and often naturally lit space through interactive installations, including long-term exhibits such as Martin Puryear's monumental sculpture "Big Bling" (located on Marshall Street), three floors of Sol Lewitt's "A Wall Drawing Retrospective," James Turrell's "Into the Light," and Michael Oatman's "All Utopias Fell."

Robin Frohardt's "The Plastic Bag Store," a separate multimedia immersive experience, runs through Sept. 2 in association with the Williamstown Theatre Festival.  

Mass MoCA also hosts 75 performing art exhibits annually, including outdoor silent films with live music, documentaries, theater, bluegrass, and many more. It's home to three multiday music festivals: Solid Sound, curated by Wilco every other summer in June (including this one), the annual Freshgrass Festival in September and Bang on a Can't "Loud Weekend" every August. The Chalet on the grounds hosts 

There's also a full-service restaurant, microbrewery and a Philly steak house on the campus; downtown North Adams offers a number of restaurants and pubs within walking distance.

The word "museum" in the name is trivial compared to the organization's commitment to cultivating artists, according to the institution, which notes half its programming resources, staffing and "emotional bandwidth" are devoted to the performing arts. This extends to hosting work-in-progress showings, residency workshops, and support of experimental research and development.

The museum is open daily from May 30 through Labor Day from 10 to 6.

Mount Greylock State Reservation

Mount Greylock is mystical and full of history and beauty.  It is the highest point in the state at 3,489 feet, and Massachusetts' first state park. The War Memorial at the peak stands 93 feet. 

The mountain's beauty and supernatural folklore have inspired legendary writers, including Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who summited the mountain several times.  

The sound of the forest surrounds hikers as they ascend the majestic mountain. All the sounds of nature come together to guide the hikers who dare adventure there, from the high-pitch squeaking of the cluster of cedar waxwings, the scuffing of the scavenging red squirrel, and the clashing of the trees.

In the fall, you are surrounded by an array of beautiful colors. The vibrant yellow, orange, and green allow hikers to experience life as if it were a beautiful painting. Voyagers are lifted from a chaotic world and placed into a calm, colorful atmosphere during their journey up the summit.

After hiking along some of the 50 miles of winding trails and reaching the top of the mountain, sit atop the summit and gaze at the magnificent, well-earned view. You can look out 90 miles from the summit on a clear day. 

The park is open to visitors daily from 9 until 4 and the Visitors Center is located on Rockwell Road in Lanesborough. The roads to the summit are closed for the winter season but reopen around May 21 and usually remain open until Oct. 30. Rockwell Road is the main access but travelers can also get there via Notch Road in North Adams or hike off the Appalachian Trail. 

Vehicle license plates determine parking fees, which cost $20 for non-Mass residents and $5 for residents. 

Bascom Lodge on the mountaintop offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, though this is limited through June. Voyagers are welcome to stay at the lodge; rates can be found on its website.

The Sperry Road campsite is currently closed for renovations but the Mount Greylock Campsite Park, a private campground at the foot of the mountain in Lanesborough, offers recreational vehicle and tent camping.