WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation completed a reroute of the Berlin Pass Trail's lower section in early October.

 

Assistance was provided by the Student Conservation Association and funding made possible by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's MassTrails Grant program, a state-level administration of the US Department of Transportation's Recreational Trails Program. 

 

The new trail project includes the construction of approximately 1,000 feet of trail, 30 rock steps, 10 stepping stones, and a boardwalk at the trail's start.

 

The route is a scenic bypass of the trail's original lower section, which was an old woods road dating back centuries. Over time, the road became badly eroded, its surface lying multiple feet below grade in some places: an invitation for water runoff and mud. 

The trail leaves the parking lot at the end of Berlin Road in Williamstown and crosses two short boardwalks before entering the forest. The boardwalks were built in August by a group of Williamstown Rural Lands volunteers as part of our summer series of trail stewardship workdays, and they lead directly to 10 newly placed stepping stones. From there, a carefully crafted retaining wall shores up the slope as the trail ducks into the woods and up the first of five rock staircases. The path follows a climbing turn through a small group of paper birch trees before ascending gently uphill. A few short staircases make the grade and come to the crowning achievement: a 10-stone stairway that brings you back onto the original Berlin Pass Trail. More importantly, hikers are deposited onto the trail well above the mud and water that had become the hallmark of this classic Williamstown trail

The new section of trail is sustainably built, a model of modern trail-building practices. The bench-cut surface sheds water easily, and the rock staircases allow hikers to head uphill without risking erosion. 

 

The completion of this project marks the end of a years-long push to upgrade the quality of existing trails at the Berlin Mountain Recreation Area, a year-round multi-use recreation area encompassing more than 600-acres and multiple landowners: Williamstown Rural Lands, town of Williamstown, Williams College, and the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.