Ashuwillticook Rail Trail – Berkshire Mall Road to the town of Cheshire

The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is a 12.7-mile-long paved trail that used to be a railroad track. The smooth asphalt trail is about ten-feet wide which provides a great surface for walking, running, hiking, biking, and inline skating. In the winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular activities on the trail. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail. The trail passes through the towns of Cheshire, Lanesborough and Adams. There are no fees to use the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. Dogs are allowed on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, but must be on a leash. There are benches and some picnic tables located along the trail.

The trail gets its name from the Native American word Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-WILL-ti-cook) which is the name used for the south branch of the Hoosic River. Its meaning is “the pleasant river in between the hills.”

Visitors can take a 11.6-mile-long hike by hiking a portion of the trail from Berkshire Mall Road to the town of Cheshire and back. Parking is available off Berkshire Mall Road on both sides of the road. There are vault toilets available here. First mile is wooded with wetland habitat visible from the trail. Around the one-mile mark, Berkshire Pond can be viewed to the west.  From just before the three-mile mark until about the five-and-one-half-mile mark, the trail runs close to the Cheshire Reservoir. The Cheshire Reservoir was created by the damming of the Hoosic River. Just before the four-mile mark, there trail crosses Farnams Road. There is parking available here. The turn-around point for this hike is in Cheshire at the parking lot on Railroad Street.

The official website for the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail can be here.