How to get to the Berkshires
Here are inks for local and regional public transportation depots and stops, plus where to get Peter Pan bus and Amtrak train schedules and tickets: how to get to the Berkshires.
The Berkshires town of Otis is made up of a mix of young families, retirees, and a large number of second home owners and vacationers. Large tracts of public forest lands are open for campers, hikers and passive recreation as well as for snowmobiling, cross country skiing and hunting in season and the Farmington River offers exceptional trout fishing. Of historical significance, the Knox Trail passes through Otis, marking the route of Col. Henry Knox delivering commandeered British cannon from Ft. Ticonderoga to relieve the British seige of Boston in January 1779. (Photo credit:Wikipedia User:ToddC4176)
Tolland State Forest offers a variety of recreational activities centered around Otis Reservoir, including a boat launch ramp. “Otis is a composite of two older settlements, Loudon, which at its incorporation in 1773 took the name of Lord Loudon, Commander-in-Chief of the American forces in the French and Indian War of 1756, and Bethlehem, incorporated in 1789. On June 13, 1810, by consent of the General Court, the inhabitants changed the name to Otis in honor of Harrison G. Otis, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Perpesentatives.” (The Berkshire Hills, by Federal Writers’ Project, © 1939, Berkshire Hills Conference, Inc.)
Otis, MA facts:
- Town Hall: PO Box 237
- Phone: (413) 269-0104
- Population: 1,365
- Settled/Inc’d: 1735
- Named for: see note below
- Elevation: 1,240′
- Town website: townofotisma.com