Berry Mountain, east peak and west peak , is a prominent mountain in the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...

of western

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. The mountain is located in

Pittsfield State Forest Pittsfield State Forest is an Massachusetts state forest located in the town of Pittsfield and managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth ...

. The west peak is traversed by the Taconic Crest hiking trail and the east peak is traversed by the multi-use Taconic Skyline Trail. The summits are mostly wooded with

northern hardwood forest The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south-central Canada, Ontario, and Quebec, extending south into the United States in northern New England, New York, and Pennsyl ...

species, but also support a field of wild

azalea Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus '' Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections '' Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and '' Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, and Oct ...

s. A microwave tower stands on the east peak. A park loop automobile road and a campground, maintained for summer use, are located just to the north of the summits. Berry Pond, , presumed the highest natural pond in the state of Massachusetts, is located on the ridge between Berry Mountain and Berry Hill to the north. The west side and summits of Berry Mountain are located within

Hancock, Massachusetts Hancock is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 757 at the 2020 census. History Hancock was first settled in 1762 as the Plantati ...

; the east slopes are located within

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield ...

. The ridgeline continues south from Berry Mountain as Pine Mountain and Tower Mountain; it continues north as Berry Hill. Berry Mountain is bordered by West Hill to the west across the Wyomanock Creek valley. The west side of the mountain drains into Berry Pond Creek, then Wyomanock Creek, thence into

Kinderhook Creek Kinderhook Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 tributary to Stockport Creek, an inlet of the Hudson River in the United States. From its source in ...

, the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...

and

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. The east side drains into Lulu Creek and Parker Brook, thence into

Onota Lake Onota Lake is located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is in area, located entirely in the City of Pittsfield and is owned by it. It is divided into north and south basins due to the old roadway that marked to north end with minimal water exch ...

, the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

, and

References

*''Massachusetts Trail Guide'' (2004). Boston:

Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor group in the United States. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Ma ...

.
Commonwealth Connections proposal PDF download
Retrieved March 2, 2008. *''AMC Massachusetts and Rhode Island Trail Guide'' (1989). Boston:

.
"Greenways and Trails"
Massachusetts DCR. Retrieved February 22, 2008.

External links

Pittsfield State Forest map
Massachusetts DCR. Mountains of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Taconic Mountains {{BerkshireCountyMA-geo-stub