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Sledding Destinations in Berkshire County

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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The snow is perfectly packed for a day of sledding. Head for the hills before the winter season ends. Here is out list of sledding destinations: 
 
Have a sledding destination that we missed? Email info@iberkshires.com and we will add it.
 
Clapp Park
Pittsfield
 
Every year Berkshire County residents can be seen flocking to Clapp Park, sleds in hand, to experience the thrill of sliding down the hill. 
 
It’s no surprise children drift to this park in the winter. Many can be seen sliding down the hill with cardboard during the other seasons. 
 
The packing snow adds the perfect amount of slippery to slide down the bumpy hill and the right amount of soft to catch riders when they inevitably roll into the snow. 
 
The hill has a few sliding areas varying in bumpiness and height, so it is a great destination for parents looking for a place to take their youngsters. 
 
Don't have a sled? No worries, the park has a sled library so visitors can borrow one. 
 
After spending an hour or so sledding, warm up and have a cup of hot chocolate at one of the money restaurants in downtown Pittsfield. 
 
Sheep's Hill 
Williamstown
 
Enjoy a ride down a hill while overlooking Mount Greylock. Sheep's Hill at Williamstown Rural Lands is one of Williamstown's most spectacular properties open for passive recreation and has community programming on natural history and rural heritage.
 
The entrance is on Cold Spring Road, about 1.2 miles south of Williamstown center. Parking is available off Route 7. 
 
Monument Mountain Regional High School 
Great Barrington
 
Berkshire County has many mountains and hills, it is no surprise that even our schools have magnificent hills to sled down. One of the most noteworthy hills is Monument Mountain Regional High School. 
 
Trails made by eager children and teens can be seen in the hill in front of the schools and as soon as those schools bells ring students can be seen racing for a chance to experience the hill's thrill.
 
Reid Middle School
Pittsfield 
 
Reid Middle School mimics this joyous scene with the tracks from the sleds being seen on the side of the school greeting the children. 
 
The hill is mildly steep and open making it an amazing sledding destination. Students bundle up head to toe and release their stress with joyful screams as they speed down the hill.  
 
Osceola Park
Pittsfield
 
The weather is lovely for a sleigh ride together through the steep hill at Osceola Park, located at 41 Osceola St. Children can be heard yelling woohoo as they zoom down with their friends and family. 
 
Wahconah Country Club 
Dalton
 
Wahconah Country Club is used for golf in the spring and fall but in the winter the landscape is perfect for sledding. 
 
The bright screen grass becomes a winter wonderland filled with screams and laughter as kids and their families slide down the hills, some brave enough to make jumps. 
 
More information on the country club here

Bas Ridge Golf Course
Hinsdale
 
Bas Ridge Golf Course is a family run public golf course in the heart of the Berkshires with some of the best views of the Berkshire Mountains. 
 
In the winter the 18-hole course becomes a winter wonderland of snow. The hills of the grounds makes it one of the best destinations in the area to make lasting memories with your family this winter season.
More information on the golf course here
 
Forest Park Country Club  
Adams
 
Forest Park Country Club is yet another golf course that is transformed into a land of joyous screams and snowy trails for the excited children eager for a thrill.
 
The nine hole golf course is located at the base of Mount Greylock provides a scenic view of the mountains as you bolt down the hill.  
 
More information on the country club here
 
Commercial Tubing Options
 
The county also has commercial tubing options at local ski resorts including Bousquet Mountain and Ski Butternut. 
 
Bousquet Mountain
Pittsfield 
 
Bousquet has a dedicated tubing hill for ages 5 and up with a magic carpet, making your thrill seeking a little easier. Tickets are $30 each for an hour and a half of tubing. More information here
 
Ski Butternut
Great Barrington
 
Ski Butternut features a 7-lane tubing park for family fun. The Tubing Center is located on the  far-left side of its main parking lot with its own ticketing building. It now offers hundreds of tubes, and a magic carpet lift,
 
Tickets are $30 each for an hour and a half of tubing. Children must be able to ride in tube alone. More information here
 
Honorable Mention Outside the County:
 
William Cullen Bryant Homestead
Cummington 
 
The Trustees of Reservations serene vista William Cullen Bryant Homestead is a wonderful sledding destination that has pastures, fields, and woodlands to explore. 
 
The two-story-farmhouse-turned-three-story Victorian cottage served as lifelong inspiration for editor and publisher of the New York Evening Post William Cullen Bryant who summered there during his childhood. 
 
From its iconic red barn to an elegant allée of maples, this lovely home is testament to the celebrated poet's ideal of living mindfully on the land.
 
More information here

Tags: sledding,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Council OKs Underground Fiber Network

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More underground fiber internet cables will be installed in Pittsfield. 

On Tuesday, the City Council approved Gateway Fiber's request to install an underground fiber network infrastructure within the city's right-of-way.  

The company was given the go-ahead for an aerial network last year alongside Archtop Fiber, marking the beginning of construction with a ribbon-cutting at the Colonial Theatre. Gateway Fiber will offer subscription plans ranging from $65 to $150 per month, depending on speed. 

Wards 3 and 4 will see the most work in the first phase, according to an underground fiber deployment plan.  Fourteen streets in Ward 4 will see underground fiber deployment; 13 streets in Ward 3.  

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant voted in opposition for personal reasons, as he signed up for Gateway Fiber briefly last year and said he had poor service and poor communication from the company. 

Some councilors and community members appreciated bringing competition to Spectrum internet services. Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey pointed out that it costs about $90 per month for 500 megabytes per second with Spectrum, and that all three fiber services that have come to Pittsfield are cheaper. 

Operations Manager Jennifer Sharick explained that they were seeking approval for underground fiber deployment as part of the next phase in Pittsfield. The city was found to be a "very" viable community for underground fiber. 

Gateway Fiber, she said, originally served a community of 250 residents outside of St. Louis, Mo. 

"Following the pandemic, we saw the need, and what people need for fiber and reliable internet service to bring residents and businesses the opportunity for connectivity," Sharick said. 

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