Greylock Glen

Greylock Glen is a town-run outdoor recreation area on Gould Road in Adams, at the eastern foot of Mount Greylock. Its centerpiece is the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center, a net-zero building the town of Adams opened on October 11, 2024, with an exhibit, café space and classrooms. From the Glen, trails lead straight into Mount Greylock State Reservation, including the Thunderbolt Ski Trail and the Gould Trail to the summit.

The town runs it, not DCR's park staff, but the two share a trail map, and DCR's fall guide lists the Glen under the reservation as a free foliage stop.

Who Runs Greylock Glen

The town of Adams runs the Glen. Local news coverage of the opening describes the town signing an agreement with the state about 18 years earlier to develop the site, after private plans failed. For information, the Glen's own website lists the Glen Center at 413-398-4044 or Adams Town Hall at 413-743-8300.

DCR runs the state reservation around it. DCR's trail map is titled "Mt. Greylock State Reservation & Greylock Glen" and covers both.

The Outdoor Center

The Greylock Glen Center houses classrooms, space for a café and event rentals, and an environmental education exhibit. Coverage of the 2024 opening describes a lobby with a glass wall facing the summit, an exhibit on the Glen's ecology and the building's construction, and a back patio that leads to the trails. The classrooms are meant for future Mass Audubon programs.

Trails at the Glen

The Glen's trail network is built for walking, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Motor vehicles aren't allowed, except snowmobiles on designated trails in winter. Some picks from the Glen's trail list:

• Glen Meadow Loop, 1.57 miles: mostly flat, gravel, 10 feet wide.
• Peck's Falls, 0.07 miles: a short, steep path down to the falls on Peck's Brook.
• Ribbon Falls Trail: a steep spur along the brook past small waterfalls.
• Moser Farm Loop: mostly flat double track with views of Mount Greylock.
• Wolf Tree and South Side Connector: smooth single track built for mountain bikes, easy for hikers too.

Hiking Mount Greylock From the Glen

• Bellows Pipe and Ragged Mountain (DCR hike 7), from 175 Gould Road: 5 miles, about 4 hours, 1,288 feet, moderate to strenuous. Follows part of the Thunderbolt Ski Trail to a view on Ragged Mountain.
• Gould Trail, from Gould Road: 2.3 miles to Peck's Brook shelter and 3.4 miles to the summit via the Appalachian Trail. Strenuous.
• Thunderbolt Trail, lower section, from Thiel Road: 0.9 miles to the Bellows Pipe Trail. The upper section is closed to hiking to control erosion.
• Cheshire Harbor Trail: its lower 0.3 miles runs through the Glen, so the Glen's trails connect to it.

Fall at the Glen

DCR's fall guide lists Greylock Glen as a free place to drive to and view foliage, and an alternative to the crowded summit roads on peak October weekends. More on our fall foliage page.

In Winter

The Glen stays reachable when the summit road closes. Its trails are open for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The Thunderbolt Trail is ski-and-skin only when it's covered in snow; no hiking up or down.

What's Planned

The Outdoor Center was the first step in a larger plan. At the 2024 opening, officials described a future lodge and campground, and the town had picked a developer for the campground. Check the Glen's website for what's open now. For camping inside the reservation today, see Sperry Road Campground.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

• Good for: easy walks, mountain biking, a winter ski day, families, and a quieter fall view.
• Maybe skip if: you want to drive to the summit. Use the auto road instead.

For anything inside the state reservation, the DCR park page is the source of record.