Mount Williams, MA

The best view is from the overlook two-thirds of the way up.

A reminder about the range.

Hiked On August 16, 2025

If you want to be no fun at parties when the topic of hiking in the Berkshires comes up, you can mention the fun fact that Mount Greylock--the shining star of Berkshire County and the highest point in Massachusetts--is actually part of the Taconic Range  and not in the Berkshires at all. The same can be said for the entire "Greylock Range," including Saddle Ball, Prospect, Fitch and Williams, among others.  The tallest point in the actual Berkshire Range (also the Hoosic Range) is Crum Hill, which is mostly in Franklin County...and you can't climb it because of a wind farm at the top.

There...party buzz killed.  You are welcome.  We went up Mount Williams recently to get in shape for Mount Monadnock after that long hiatus from "serious" hiking which I have mentioned in earlier posts.  It was a fabulous climb.  However, at almost seven miles and around 2,400 feet of elevation gain (as an out-and-back)...we should have reversed the mountains! It may not be as legendary as Monadnock, but Williams hits harder.

In any case, it was a great hike.  The weather was beautiful and--while hot--not as bad as most of the summer has been.  There were a bunch of Appalachian Trail through-hikers heading north which kept us on our toes.  Most of them were friendly.  A few were trying to eat up the miles to Katahdin and shot past as if we were trees in the way.  That was fine, too.  We weren't there to hang out with them either. 

The only thing to say about the start of the hike is that there is a gun range nearby!  The first mile or so is flat...but there can be gunfire...very, very close gunfire. We kept moving, of course, and I suspect that--knowing that they are adjacent to a state park--they have kept the guns pointed away from us.

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I loved this old dead tree. It was probably an ash but I am not sure.

One of the switchbacks going up.

After the gun range, the trail began to climb.  There were a few actual switchbacks which is a rarity in New England but much appreciated both by us and the cruising through-hikers.  The incline was steady and moderately steep with no real scrambles or hazards.  Then, after another mile, the trail opened up to a view of Williamstown and Williams College in the distance. Yes, they are all named after the same person.  Ephraim Williams was a militia colonel and landowner who died during the French and Indian War.  The war was part of a larger series of conflicts somewhat confusingly named the French and Indian Wars (note the "s").  He died in Lake George, New York in 1755 near the close of the entire series.  

Along the way we met a fellow hiker and his dog. He mentioned that while he was researching this hike, a great deal of the reports stopped at the overlook.  We concluded that probably there were a substantial number of people who thought it was the top!  In actuality there is an intersection right at the view.  Straight-on leads to Mount Prospect.  A turn left (and down) leads to the actual peak of Williams still over a mile away.  This final stage is a mixed experience.  The forest is pretty.  However the trail undulates at the moment when our legs were getting tired.  Of course, it undulated on the return trip too! Near the peak, one crosses the access road to Mount Greylock, itself.  It can be a strangely dispiriting experience to be reminded that your six-plus mile hike could have been under one mile.

Still, the "hard way" was the best way this particular day. Mount Williams is worth the time and effort.  Yes, the title of Massachusetts' fourth-tallest is a somewhat unimpressive one.  However, it is a workout and an adventure.  With great nature and good views.

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The partially obscured view from the top of Williams, possibly toward the aforementioned Crum Hill. Whatever we were looking at had many, many windmills...