Article by Dave Read

The best time to visit New England in the fall is when there are special events and cultural activities scheduled in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. With climate change and local weather conditions making it impossible to predict with much precision when leaf colors will be at their peak, the fall foliage season in towns popular with tourists and visitors, including Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, North Adams, Hancock, and Pittsfield features a variety of Autumn celebrations and events.

Bullard Woods

We had an encounter with four black bears during a hike in Bullard Woods near Tanglewood on Sept. 28 and got some video that shows them scampering up a tree. Bullard Woods, just a couple miles from the center of Lenox, is an ideal place to hike during October when the fall foliage around the shore of Stockbridge Bowl reaches the peak of colorful brilliance. Video and photos: Bullard Woods hike

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Bartholomew’s Cobble is a great place to visit any time of year; if you are planning a fall hike in the Berkshires, this property of the Trustees of Reservations, located just south of Sheffield, offers a wonderful variety things to see and discover along 5 miles of trails on 60 acres that contain the greatest concentration of biodiversity in the country. Video and photos: Bartholomew’s Cobble hike.

September 2013 Berkshires Fall Foliage events

• Jazz concert – The Parker/Byrd Trio – Fri., Sept. 6, 2013, 8PM – Pittsfield, MA
• North Adams – Berkshire Food Festival — September 15, 2013 – 12-4pm
• Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Friday, Sept. 20, 2013
• Pittsfield – HSV Trail Races – Sept. 21, 2013
• Lenox – Tub Parade — Noon – Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013
• Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013
• Lee – Founders’ Weekend — Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013
• Lenox – Apple Squeeze — All day – Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
• Lenox – Apple Squeeze — All day – Saturday, Sept. 29, 2013
• Pittsfield – Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village – Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013
• Pittsfield – Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013
• Lenox – Brock Trot — 7AM registration – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013
• Adams – Annual Fall Run to Charlemont — 11AM – Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013

October 2013 Berkshires Fall Foliages events

• Stockbridge – Berkshire Harvest Festival — 10AM – 5PM – Sat. Oct. 5, 2013
• Stockbridge – Berkshire Harvest Festival — 10AM – 5PM – Sun. Oct. 6, 2013
• North Adams – Fall Foliage Parade – 1PM – Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013
• Pittsfield – Pittsfield CityJazz Festival – Oct. 11 – 20, 2013

Bicycle rides, walks, and hiking in the Berkshires

Besides the organized and/or scheduled events listed below, those interested in hiking on their own may find the following post useful for maps and camping information for the Berkshires section of the Appalachian Trail.

• Berkshire to Boston Cycling Tour September 19 – 22, 2013; Berkshire Bike Path Council
• Heritage Walks, Upper Housatonic Valley.
  • Saturday & Sunday – September 21 & 22, 2013
  • Saturday & Sunday – October 5 & 6, 2013

Fall theatre in the Berkshires

• The Beauty Queen of Leenane runs through Sept. 15, 2013 at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox.
• Accomplice – Sept. 21 – Nov. 10, 2013 -at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox.
• Barrington Stage Co. presents Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah , World Premier by Mark St. Germain, through Sep 29, 2013.
• Berkshire Theatre Festival schedules Mary and Edith: Musings by Women a Century Apart for a fall run at the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge – Oct. 4 – 20, 2013.

WordFest 2013 at The Mount

The Mount, in Lenox, has scheduled a series of free readings on Thursdays: September 5, 12, and 19; then Friday September 20 – Literary Death Match!, Saturday, September 21 reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand.