Peltoma Woods, Pittsfield

While the trail section that follows the river a short distance is quite pleasant for walking, many of the other trails here appear to be designed for mountain biking. So walking them as they circle and sweep about in a kind of crazy way can be a bit dizzying.

Also, as far as orienting yourself and remaining undizzy, the trail blazes are only intermittent and I found that the map at the trailhead wasn’t terribly helpful (it kind of guiltily admits this, too). I recommend following the river trail and doing a loop around the perimeter of the preserve.

The land here was once the Town Farm Property, and before that, the area was used by Native Americans. You can still see a rock weir in the river used to trap fish. I believe it is one the oldest known weirs in North America, more than 7,000 years old.

There is tons of good information on the trailhead kiosk, including info about the weir, a story about Peltoma— a Native American unlucky in love—and Moses Martin, the town’s first homesteader. You can visit the site of his home, which was a simple cabin before he built a fancier framed house in 1818. The site, accessible via a snowmobile path, is marked by a memorial plaque that was, when I visited, being gracefully overtaken by vegetation.

Directions: From Main Street, turn onto Peltoma Ave. Drive 1.1 miles. You’ll see a small parking area on the left. Park by the trailhead kiosk, on the right of the parking area. Take a minute to read some of the wonderful info on it!