Massachusetts Waterfall Road Trip
Throughout the summer while we were both working at our internships, it was important to us to find fun weekend adventures. We stumbled upon the idea of going on a two day waterfall road trip in Massachusetts! The route took us to 8 different waterfalls out in Western MA. It was a great way to explore different places in our own backyard!
If you have any questions or would like to learn more please feel free to contact us! Also check out our video of the waterfall road trip here!
This is a map of the route we took! We stay overnight at the Holiday House Motel in Hillsdale, NY. It is 10 minutes away from Bash Bish Falls and a great budget option. There are many campsites in the area but they fill up quick!
DAY 1: Doane Falls -The Cascade - Wahconah Falls
stop 1: dOANE FALLS - ROYALSTON, ma
Our first stop was Doane Falls in Royalston MA. This was a nice first stop because you could see the beginning of the falls right from the road! There is also the option to hike a .6 mile path that takes about 30 minutes to see the series of 5 falls. We only hiked about half way because we were eager to get to our next spot!
stop 2: tHE CASCADE - NORTH ADAMS, MA
These falls are located in the middle of a neighborhood so we learned that the closest parking is the Northern Berkshire YMCA. If you park all the way in the back, there is a .25 mile path that guides you to the start of the Cascade Trail. From there, it is a 1.2 mile, 40 minute round trip hike to the falls. We recommend wearing water shoes because the end gets pretty wet and you can get the best views by getting up close!
stop 3: wAHCONAH FALLS - DALTON, MA
These falls are so powerful that you can hear it from the parking lot! It is just a short walk down to view the falls so we saw many people picnicking on the rocks overlooking the falls. There is also the option to hike the half mile loop trail through the woods where you can see a dam.
DAY 2: Bash Bish Falls - Race Brook Falls - Umpachene Falls - Campbell Falls - Glendale Falls
stop 4: Bash bish FALLS - Mt Washington, MA
It is possible to access these falls from New York or Massachusetts. We chose to go to the New York entrance and from there is it an easy half mile hike to the falls. This route is really special because you get to hike over the MA/NY border! The falls are absolutely beautiful and our favorite of the trip. There are signs that say no swimming, but boy is it temping with the crystal clear water!
stop 5: race brook FALLS - sheffield, MA
These falls are a 1.5 mile roundtrip hike but it is definitely worth it! The moderate hike was straight out of a fairy tale with moist moss and fallen branches all over the falls. We had a blast seeing how far up the falls we could climb- again water shoes or sandals are a must to get the full experience of these falls!
stop 6: umpachene falls - new marlborough, MA
We were really looking forward to these falls because we heard that they were great for swimming! This was a very family friendly location because the falls were a short walk from the parking lot, and there were a lot of flat slabs of rock to sit and enjoy the views. We had a blast sliding down the rocks into the pools of water!
stop 7: campbell falls - new marlborough, MA
Our second to last stop was the most crowded and we definitely understand why! These falls created a unique swirling pattern that was mesmerizing! It was a short .1 mile walk down to the falls and we climbed up far to sit and have a nice lunch.
stop 8: glendale FALLS - middlefield, MA
We were sad when we got to our last falls and the fact that they were so beautiful made it even more difficult to leave! You could see the falls from the top right from the parking lot, but there is a .25 mile path that leads all the way down to the bottom of the falls where you can really see its true beauty.
Note: We got our inspiration for this waterfall road trip from a post on Only in Your State’s Massachusetts page. We’re so glad we did this route (with some modifications)!
As experienced hikers, we always make sure that we are hiking with The Ten Essentials which include navigation, a headlamp, sun protection, first aid, a knife, shelter, extra food, water and clothes. Overtime, we have discovered some items that we always bring on our hikes and consider them to be our personal, expanded ten essentials.