Golden Hill Forest

Laurel Street/Route 20, Lee, MA

About Golden Hill Forest

The Golden Hill Forest, once owned by the late 19th-century electrical engineer George Westinghouse, is a beautiful 70-acre plot of land filled with diverse ecosystems for visitors to enjoy. This location in Lee, MA, is old farmland that has become forested since it was donated to the Town of Lee in 1939. The Golden Hill Forest contains many short and easy loop trails. These trails will take hikers through meadows filled with wildflowers, old-growth groves of trees native to Western Massachusetts, such as oaks, maples, hemlocks, and pines, by marshes and swamps, and boulder outcrops that will fascinate hikers and geologists alike. Trails here are open to the public year-round, which means that in any season, visitors can enjoy the scenery and views of October Mountain, Highlawn Farm, and Laurel Lake from The Pinnacle, the highest point in Lee at around 1220 feet.

George Westinghouse was at the forefront of electrical invention at his time, his primary competition being the colloquially known inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison. The Golden Hill Forest property was initially purchased as part of his estate, which he called Erskine. Once his son donated the land to the town, it became permanently conserved for visitors. It is a perfect family-friendly destination for outdoor activities in the Berkshires.