The Berkshires are home to some of the most accesible cross country skiing in the northeast, especially for those who live in Boston, Hartford and New York City, where the drive to the trails is between two to three hours. Indeed, there are four cross country skiing centers in Berkshire County, most easily reached via Interstate 90 [the Massachusetts Turnpike]. Add in Maple Corner Farm, which is located in Hampden County, and the Weston Ski Track, which is located in Middlesex County, and you can figuratively ski the "Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston."

Our first stop is Hilltop Orchards, in Richmond, at Exit 1 of the Mass. Pike. The name says it all. The place is primarily an apple orchard and winery, where you can stock up on award-winning vintages, hard and soft cider handcrafted from estate-grown apples and a variety of homemade baked products. There is also an inviting lodge, where you can sip Merlot while watching the Patriots on a wide-screen, high-definition television mounted over an even wider fireplace.

The skiing at Hilltop Orchards is actually ancillary to the lodge and the store, although that is something they are trying to change. He has a seven-time Olympian who now designs nordic trails, to develop two new beginner/intermediate trails. The new trails, which opened last January, wind through the woods for 2.7 kilometers, and are named the Johnny Mash I and the Johnny Mash II. They added another trail, the Macintosh, at the end of the season to connect the intermediate Furnace Brook Trail with the much more difficult Perry's Peak ~ one mean piece of earth that is hard to climb up and even harder to ski down.

For a fuller cross country experience, try Canterbury Farms, which is located at Turnpike Exit 2 in Beckett. The farm has been operated by the current owners since 1984 under the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Program, which encourages owners of woodlands to protect, preserve and manage their property in exchange for tax credits. The trail system is about 24 kilometers and includes 11 trails. About one-third of the trails are for beginners with the rest for intermediates and experts. There are two or three killer hills on the Outer Limits and Bear Run Trails, which can take you out if you don't know what you are doing. Indeed, they can take you out even if you do know what you are doing.

There is also a small pond at the head of the trails near the lodge and an even larger one, named Rudd Pond, at the other end. You can skate ski on both. Ice skates are available for rental, as is cross-country equipment. In fact, if you get tired of skiing, you can trade in your poles and skis for a pair of skates at no additional charge. That is just one of the many perks about cross country skiing at Canterbury Farms, where you can stay overnight in one of three guest rooms. If you do decide to spend the night, they will waive the $15 trail fee.

For skate skiing and additional classical skiing, head north of the Turnpike, to Windsor and the Notchview Reservation. Notchview is owned by the Trustees of Reservations, a public land trust that, according to the superintendent of the Windsor management unit, is the oldest such trust in the United States, having been founded in 1891. The trust was formed to "preserve for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic and ecological value in Massachusetts." It is a mission that the trustees take seriously.

The Notchview Reservation covers 3,208 acres. It is a highly popular cross country skiing center that now hosts 10,000 visitors per season. On any given weekend, you will find local ski clubs holding races and barbequing bratwurst on gas grills outside of the Arthur D. Budd Visitors Center [there are no food services at the Reservation, bring your lunch]. 

Notchview boasts 40km of trails, with 10-12km groomed for skating. Shaw Road traverses the Reservation from east to west for 2.9km, serving as a grand concourse for both classical and skate skiers. It is a wide-open thoroughfare that is both fun and easy to ski. Then there is Bates Road, an intermediate trail that runs from north to south for 3.4 km and culminates in Bates Field, one of two large, open fields on the Reservation. Each field has its own shelter and picnic tables, and gives skiers an opportunity to break tracks on fresh powder.

If skiing on large, open fields is your thing, then check out the Cross Country Ski and Touring Center at the Cranwell Resort and Spa, located on Route 20 via Exit 2 in Lenox. Cranwell offers 10 km of gentle, rolling, and groomed trails on the resort's 18-hole championship golf course. The course is not particularly difficult. It seems more of an accommodation for the resort's winter guests rather than a dedicated cross country skiing destination.

More challenging is Maple Corner Farm, located at Exit 3 in Granville. This is a working family farm just west of Springfield. The farm has 20 km of groomed trails, most of which is geared for intermediate and advanced skiers. To reach the trails from the lodge, you have to walk across Beech Hill Road then ski across an open pasture and down one of two hills. Once at the bottom, there are about 20 tracks to try. Try the Brookside Trail, which is a beginner's loop that meanders along a small, quiet stream and leads to a large meadow. From there, you can access the more-difficult Sugarbush and Sugarhouse trails ~ the latter a short, narrow, winding, intermediate trail that runs past a 19th century sugarhouse. Sandy Hill ~ a wide, semi-steep slope ~ is a particular favorite among beginners who frequent the Farm and a good place to practice your downhill technique. 

The last Nordic Center on the I-95 corridor between Stockbridge and Boston [from the James Taylor song "Sweet Baby James"] is the Weston Ski Track on the Leo J. Martin Golf Course, about a 15-minute drive from Boston. Weston Ski Track is the only cross country center in Massachusetts that makes its own snow. Five snow guns are employed to create a two-kilometer loop that is lit for night skiing. There are 15 km of trails groomed for both classical and skate skiing. Rentals and lessons are also available. Other nordic centers to try well north of the Berkshires are the Stump Sprouts in Hawley, Northfield Mountain in Northfield, and the Great Brook Ski Touring Center in Carlisle.  

If you desire to cross country ski in the Berkshires, there are more that enough good Nordic centers from which to choose.

Courtesy of Cross Country Skier Magazine