October 2024
Visiting Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary – The Berkshires, Massachusetts
Nestled in the middle of the Berkshires is Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. For bird watchers and nature lovers, this is a great place to enjoy a peaceful walk and if the time of year is right, the fall foliage. With Lenox Mountain in the background, there are over 1000 acres to explore through various landscapes including forest, meadows, and wetlands. What we found most unique about this wildlife life sanctuary is the active beaver community that resides at Pleasant Valley.
There is a $5 entry fee for adults which is a very reasonable fee that gives you access to all the trails and boardwalks to explore. They even had binoculars you can borrow for your walk in limited quantities, first come first serve. They also offer programs and activities so definitely check out the even calendar if you are local or get lucky during your visiting. There are three suggested trails but you can create and choose your own adventure as well:
- All Persons Trail / Pike’s Pond Trail – An easy 20 to 30 minute walk that totals less than a mile that takes guests around Pike Pone where you see evidence of beavers, and if you are lucky, even the beavers themselves at dusk.
- Yokun/Beaver Lodge Trail Loop – Another easy walk but for if you have more time for your visit. This trail totals about 1.5 miles and takes around an hour to complete. This trail goes through the forest which is ideal for spotting birds but also takes guests by the pond for beaver viewing opportunities as well.
- Trail of the Ledges / Overbrook Loop – If you have lots of time a up for a challenge, tackle this hike up to the top of Lenox Mountain for an 850ft elevation gain for a journey that will take 2 hours to complete and total 3 miles round trip. In exchange, you get scenic views of Mount Greylock and the surrounding area which sounds perfect for fall foliage spotting.
We arrived around 9:30AM and it was an extremely windy day. While we knew our odds of spotting good birding would be low due to the intense wind, we still wanted to check out the sanctuary. After speaking to the welcoming staff, they gave us some recommendations on what to see and do. I really wanted to do the Trail of the Ledges / Overbrook Loop but we did not have enough time during our visit so instead we ventured on the Yokun/Beaver Lodge Trail Loop.
The walk was peaceful and relaxing with a few interruptions when the wind would gust and acorns would plummet to our heads. The trail started through the forest and as we approached the pond, I spotted a Great Blue Heron flying overhead – so I would already count the morning as a win on the bird watching front.
The boardwalk took up through wetland and around the pond where we started to get our first clues of beaver activity. I always though the beaver portrayal of carving through a log in a circular fashion until both sides came to a point was a cartoon representation and boy was I wrong! Throughout our walk of the pond, we spotted many down trees victim to the beaver bite and I just could not get over how perfect their carving skill are.
The trail then took us back through the forest where the fall colors really shined – we were able to spot some beautiful leaves that survived the intense wind. The rest of the walk was so relaxing and enjoyable.
We really enjoyed our time here! I wish we were able to get here a bit earlier in the morning and have no wind in order to have better odds of bird watching. I did not know ahead of time that the beavers come up around dusk but that would also be another good time to visit. Overall, I would definitely add a stop to the Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary on your Berkshires trip if this interests you! I think it is a great alternative for someone that does not want to hike the trails but get a good chance of seeing fall foliage, as well as wildlife enthusiasts.