Route 8 along the Farmington River

The road that links the Berkshires with northwest Connecticut: MA-8 leaves West Becket, passes Otis and Sandisfield, follows the West Branch of the Farmington River through New Boston and enters Connecticut along Colebrook River Lake to Winsted. It's 26 miles of easy curves by the river, good for a mixed pack or for closing a loop with Jacob's Ladder. There are no services between Otis and Winsted, so fuel first. Expect anglers and kayakers parked in the river bends.

The West Branch of the Farmington River starts in the hills of Becket and Otis and runs south along MA-8 through Sandisfield and New Boston, some of the least populated towns in Massachusetts, almost all of it in forest. Sandisfield State Forest is close by, and the river bends are a favorite of fly fishermen.

Across the Connecticut line, the road follows Colebrook River Lake, a flood-control reservoir built by the Army Corps of Engineers and finished in 1969, after the floods of 1955, before reaching Winsted, the end of the route. From there Riverton and the Barkhamsted loop are only a few miles away, so this road is the natural way to tie the Berkshires to a day in northwest Connecticut. Fuel before Otis, because the next station is in Winsted.