Sheffield, Massachusetts
Bartholomew's Cobble
Photo: Daderot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two rocky knolls above the Housatonic with one of North America's greatest diversities of ferns, two small caves and a hilltop field. No pets.
Written for ages 4–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
These two rocky lumps are called cobbles, and something about them makes plants happy. One kind of rock here is sour for plants and the other is sweet, so all sorts of ferns and wildflowers can find a spot that suits them. Few places in North America have as many kinds of fern. Climb to the big field at the top of Hurlburt's Hill and the whole valley opens up in front of you, with the river winding away north.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about 2 hours at the park.
- Parking
- Parking for 30 cars at the entrance, 105 Weatogue Road. Admission is $5 a person for nonmembers and $1 per nonmember child 6 to 12; free for Trustees members. Open sunrise to sunset. Bow hunting is allowed Monday to Saturday, October through December.
- Underfoot
- Five miles of trails over two rocky knolls, open fields and marsh. Hurlburt's Hill climbs to a twenty-acre field at the top. The Trustees ask you to allow at least two hours.
- Bathrooms
- Bathrooms, but only in season.
- Food
- Two picnic tables outside the Visitors' Center. Bring your own food.
21 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
5 things to spot, 4 things to work out and 3 things growing.
Every game includes this one
The Top Of The Hill
Climb all the way up to the big open field at the top and look out over the valley.
A few of the others
Natural Pattern
Find a pattern in nature.
Both Cobbles
This place is named after two rocky lumps. Find them both.
Three Different Ferns
Few places in North America have as many kinds of fern as this one. Find three that are clearly different from each other.
The River From Above
Find a spot where you are looking down on the river instead of up at it.
A Very Small Cave
There are two small caves here. Find one and look inside from the outside.
The Squelchy Bit
Find the marsh — the part where the ground stops being properly dry.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around The Berkshires
Monument Mountain
Great Barrington
A pale quartzite peak sacred to the Mohican people, three trails under three miles, and views to Mount Greylock and the Catskills from the 1,642-foot top.
Mount Greylock State Reservation
Lanesborough
The highest point in Massachusetts, 3,491 feet up, with a road to the top from mid-May to late October, a war memorial tower and 90-mile views.
Play this at Bartholomew's Cobble
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.