Hinsdale Flats WMA Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Fassell Road Parking Area

Fassell Road, Hinsdale, MA

About Fassell Road Parking Area

The Fassell Road Parking Area provides access to the Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Area. This 1400-acre preserve is generally flat as it surrounds the headwaters of the East Branch of the Housatonic River and multiple smaller tributaries. The forest is expansive, but there are no maintained trails, so it is best suited for hunters, wildlife viewers, and those looking to get off the beaten path and explore the untouched areas of Western Massachusetts. Additionally, the fields by the parking area provide multiple scenic vistas of the rolling landscape of the Berkshires, which creates a serene backdrop for this beautiful preserve.

This parking area is an ideal access point for hunting and wildlife viewing, as it provides direct access to the WMA's meadows, forests, and wetlands teeming with wildlife. Hinsdale Flats contains extensive mammal and bird populations, with game species such as turkeys, deer, bears, waterfowl, ruffed grouse, and ring-necked pheasants. A unique feature of Hinsdale Flats is its rich conifer swamp in the north section, which contains an uncommon natural habitat. Visitors can keep their eyes peeled for plenty of semi-aquatic mammals, songbirds, and wading birds, including many endangered species like American bitterns. Multiple fields by the parking area provide locations in the spring and summer for birding or finding butterflies. One of the fields a few hundred feet from the parking area is managed in a grid-like pattern that creats habitat for game birds and makes them easier to locate and hunt.

The East Branch of the Housatonic River can be accessed by trekking west through the property. These slow and secluded waters provide serene, primitive fishing areas where yellow perch, sunfish, bass, and pickerel can be caught. However, better fishing is found on the southern section of the property by Muddy Pond, which is best accessed from the parking area on Bullards Crossing Road, where there is also a boat launch into the Housatonic.

The Fassell Road Parking Area can be accessed near the intersection of Fassell Road and Middlefield Road. A short dirt path leads to a large field where visitors can park and enter the WMA.