Mt Greylock · Notch & Rockwell Roads

The climb to the roof of Massachusetts: from North Adams you take Notch Road to the summit of Mt Greylock, come down Rockwell Road to Lanesborough and return on US-7 through Williamstown to North Adams. It's 39 miles, with mountain hairpins up and down and an easy valley ride back. At the top there's a tower, a lodge and paid parking. It's seasonal: the summit road closes from October 30 to mid-May. Expect hikers crossing and fog that rolls in fast.

At 3,491 feet, Mt Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts, and the reservation around it was the state's first, created in 1898. On the summit stand the Veterans War Memorial Tower and Bascom Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and on a clear day the view reaches into Vermont, New York and New Hampshire. The Appalachian Trail crosses the summit, and the reservation holds 11.5 miles of it.

The summit roads are open only in season: they close from October 30 to mid-May, so check the DCR page before you plan the ride. Vehicles over 22 feet aren't allowed, and there's a parking fee at the top. Fuel up in North Adams or Williamstown, since there's nothing on the mountain across the reservation's 12,500 acres, and the return through Williamstown passes the Clark Art Institute and Williams College.