No, not the beach–the water. About a year ago I purchased a book “Waterfalls of Massachusetts, An Explorer’s Guide to 55 Natural Scenic Wonders” by Joseph Bushee Jr. I bought this book at Trail Head in Orange MA which is a wonderful store for outdoor supplies. So when we finally got a day off last Sunday and we wanted something we could do with the dogs –we choose waterfalls.
There are a couple of lovely ones right near Clamber Hill, Bear’s Den in New Salem, Doane’s Falls on the Athol/Royalston line, Spirit Falls and Royalston Falls both in Royalston. All four of these are Trustees of Reservation properties and also in the book, but we were seeking to explore, so we headed off for Chapel Falls in Ashland. Chapel Falls is lovely, and cool on a hot day. From there we headed to Charlemont to visit Mill Brook, which drops and flows under Bissell Bridge. The best view of this falls was actually from the road before you got to the falls. It’s marked Private Property all around the falls so pretty as it was, this was the most disappointing stop of the day.
Mill Brook and the newly reconsructed Bissell Bridge in Charlemont, MA
Since it was still early in the day, from there we decided to strike out for Glendale Falls in Middlefield. Along the way we discovered that Massachusetts has a less famous but also pretty Skyline Drive. It was quite a trip to get to Middlefield, as it is in the middle of nowhere but the drive was well worth it as the falls were absolutely gorgeous. We had fun hiking up and down alongside the falls with the dogs.
Glendale Falls in Middlefield MA, well worth the drive!
So having tested seven of the 55 waterfalls listed in the book, I would say this book is pretty much “spot on” and a good resource for anyone wanting to explore cool places in the Massachusetts countryside on a hot day.
