Pine Cobble and Tannery Falls

While a hike may not be the best idea on a hot and humid day, I'm not here to make the best of choices, I'm here to explore. Haze and heat will not deter me, and through it all, my dad and I were still capable of finding amazing locations in western Massachusetts. We were to venture to the rocky summit of Pine Cobble, and that was the plan, but because of the immense heat, we chose to visited the towering cascade known as Tannery Falls.

Looking east from Pine Cobble.

We started with Pine Cobble, and used the Pine Cobble Trail. The peak itself is part of East Mountain, which is the sight of the Appalachian Trail and the southern terminus of the Long Trail, which can be found just over the border in Vermont. The trail up to Pine Cobble is decently flat, and well maintained. Not much of anything can be found on the trail, besides the junction with the Class of '98 Trail. The path easily brought us to the spur trail that heads out to the summit, and it didn't take long for some far-reaching views.

Looking over Williamstown and out to the Taconic Crest.

The views to the west included the Taconic Crest, which includes Mt.Raimier, Dutch Hill, and Mt.Berlin. It also offers a good overlook of Williamstown. A better view can be found to the east, viewing North Adams and the Hoosac Range, which included Spruce Hill.

The flat summit to the right of the tree is Mt.Berlin. The peak to the right is Mt.Raimier.

There were some more ledges to explore, but it was so humid that we headed back down. We then drove over to Tannery Falls, in Savoy Mountain State Forest. The falls are right off of Black Brook Road, which is on the Mohawk Trail. Tannery Falls itself is 80 feet tall, and they are very impressive. On the way down, we passed by a few falls on the brook.

One of the unnamed falls on Parker Brook.

The trail soon passes just outside of a deep ravine that Parker Brook flows through. The falls at the end of the ravine are known as Parker Brook Falls, and they're pretty okay. The water in this stream is very warm, likely due to it flowing from a pond.

Parker Brook Falls

We came across the amazing cascades of Tannery Falls soon after. The unique thing about these falls is that a large pool sits at the very bottom of the falls, but a secret pool sits halfway up the falls in a hidden pothole. This makes for a great, high up swimming pool. Tannery Falls is also great to just look at.

The 80 foot cascade of Tannery Falls.

The swimming pool sits right in the very middle of the falls, and it offers a good view looking back down to the pool at the bottom. The water was also pretty comfortable and easy to adjust to. A steep trail ascends to the pool.

GALLERY

Another waterfall on Parker Brook.

Looking down the ravine.

Another angle of Tannery Falls.

Overall it was a delight and easy day. I wish we could've explored Pine Cobble more, but it was very hot. If you find yourself on the Mohawk Trail on a hot day, then visit the falls, there are multiple nice swimming areas. Next hike I do in western Massachusetts, I will probably find myself relaxing back at Tannery Falls.

Abandoned Motels of the Mohawk Trail

Have you ever had something planned that you were very excited for, but it ended up not going to plan? Has the same thing happened to you, but you decided to do something else that turned out to be better then the original plan? Well, this is a good example of that. Me and my uncle were going to do Mt.Holyoke but the skies in the area were not clear. We then decided to just drive the Mohawk Trail, but we also found some abandoned motels.

The row of rooms in front of Motel Two.

These motels were plentiful along the road. I can only imagine how busy these places must have been when they were functional. I do want to say, I didn't go close to any building with "No Trespassing" signs or go inside any building. If you visit these motels I also advise you not to go into any of them. These places will be mentioned east to west on Route 2.

MOTEL ONE
The first abandoned motel you encounter driving east to west is gray and mostly roofless, with a white building in front along with a red sign. We visited this one last, but found it to be pretty cool. We didn't get close to this one, as there are multiple "No Trespassing" signs displayed on it. 

Notice the torn roof.

When approaching, I noticed a tree with a blue border around it. I looked closer and realized it was a filled pool with a diving board. I would really have liked to see this place when it was up and running. If anyone has anymore info on any of these, please leave a comment or email me. I want to know when these were functional.

The old pool with the diving board to the right.

MOTEL TWO
This one is the most interesting of all. First, there were no "No Trespassing" signs anywhere on the property but we still didn't go inside any buildings. We began at the gift shop, and all we were doing was enjoying the fantastic vista. From here, Negus Mtn. and Mt.Clark are visible. I wanted to photograph the gift shop from higher up so we crossed the road and saw some shacks in the woods. I was of course intrigued and we explored them.

The sturdiest shack.

The shacks were extremely dilapidated. Some old signs advertising Mountain Dew and Cocoa Cola were stood up in the buildings. There was another small building up the hill we went to. If anyone has any idea what this was I'd like to know. A ruler was on the wall, along with a small compartment with what looked like chicken bones.

The building up the hill.

We continued down slope to the roadside motel. It's basically a line of yellow motel rooms. The room farthest to the left was labeled with a five. This means the other buildings, which I assume are cottages, were running at the same time, as there were four of them. I couldn't help but peek through one of the windows. This one room was stuffed with decorations and furniture from the other rooms. It must have been nice when these were functioning to walk out of your room and have a great view of the Deerfield River.

The roadside portion.

MOTEL THREE
This next one isn't really a motel. This place has several wigwams and a great view looking into Vermont. You can also see Mt.Greylock and Mt.Berlin from the old viewing deck. Much like the last motel, people stop here even today for the views.

Looking into Vermont.

Again, we didn't go up to the wigwams due to the several "No Trespassing" signs. This place is above the infamous "Hairpin Turn" and Golden Eagle Restaurant. My uncle actually stayed here once when it was operational. He was able to identify which hut he stayed in.

Gallery

The view from the second motel. The gift shop is to the right.

The second cottage.

Likely a bathroom.

One of the old signs. Likely taken from the gift shop.

Mt.Greylock from the viewpoint at the Wigwam Gift Shop.

Sign in front of the first motel.

The garage and torn roof.

Likely the restaurant.

The pool, taken from the diving board.

This isn't really a hike, so I can't say I recommend it if you're into hiking. If you like old places and history, I would recommend this. Once again, if anyone has any information on any of these places, I would love to here it. Either leave a comment, or email me. Sorry if this didn't have much personality in it. It's more of a report and less of a blog on a hike. I'm trying to introduce variety to my blog. Hope you enjoyed!