Old Mill Trail Berkshire Natural Resources Council Old Mill Trail - Dalton Trailhead

Old Dalton Road, Dalton, MA

About Old Mill Trail - Dalton Trailhead

The Old Mill Trail in Hinsdale and Dalton offers a three-mile round trip hike along the East Branch of the Housatonic River. Visitors can park in a small lot off of Route 8 before following the forested trail (and river) north into Dalton, or south towards Hinsdale. Walking along the rushing river provides hikers with beautiful views and calming noise, while the trail and surrounding landscape present prime birding and wildlife viewing opportunities. Additionally, an old dam and penstocks recall the area's textile mills from the 1800s, reminiscent of the area's industrial history. Manufactured remains and nature collaborate to ensure visitors total serenity alongside an appreciation for grit, two characteristics of the rugged outdoors and Western Massachusetts that make The Old Mill Trail a quintessential Berkshires hike.

In 1999, the Old Mill Trail was collaborated on and conceived by the Housatonic Valley Association, Crane and Company - who owned the property, and MassWildlife. Volunteers were essential in the trail construction from 2000-2009, and its 2010 completion was assisted by the Natural Resources Damages Fund and Peter S. Jensen & Associates, LLC. Far before any development upon and surrounding the Housatonic River, Native American peoples of the Mahican tribe gave the river its name, Hoo-es-ton-nuc, or "the place beyond the mountains."

The Berkshire Natural Resources Council acquired the land in 2016. Information regarding the Old Mill Trail trail's status and accessibility can be found on their website linked here.

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