Monument Mountain
The mountain where Hawthorne and Melville first met on an outing in 1850. Quartzite cliffs on the summit overlook the Housatonic River valley.
Monument Mountain is managed by The Trustees. The main loop trail is about 4 km and takes about 2 hours return. It reaches the summit of Squaw Peak and cliff viewpoints beside the 'Devil's Pulpit' rock pillar. In autumn the mountain is covered in red foliage, making it the most popular short hike in the southern Berkshires. In August 1850, Hawthorne and Melville met during a mountain gathering, and their meeting became a famous episode in literary history. There is a paid parking lot beside Route 7. It is about 6 km from Great Barrington and about 8 km from Stockbridge.
Opening hours
Sunrise to sunset
Nearby sights
- Chesterwood
- Great Barrington
- Norman Rockwell Museum
- Stockbridge Main Street & Red Lion Inn
- Naumkeag
- Berkshire Botanical Garden
- The Mount, Edith Wharton's Home
- Tanglewood