Running

There are lots of great places to run nearby, and you don't have to be on the cross country or ski team to enjoy them. Here is a good mix of both tried-and-true runs and lesser-known runs. All distances depend on where you start on campus; routes can vary in distance by up to a mile depending on whether you start at Carter or Fitch.

Cemetery

Run down Water Street about 100 meters until you see a road to the left. Go past the playground on your right, and continue to the cemetery. There are multiple roads in the cemetery; all eventually lead to the bottom, to Rt. 2. Turn left and return to campus.

Distance: 0.5 miles

River Path

Run down Rt. 2 towards North Adams for about half a mile until you get to a power plant on the left, just before the bridge. Turn left and go around the left side of the power plant; you will find a trail that goes along the river for about 3/4 mile. At the end of the path, go straight down the road in front of you (don't turn left or right onto the street that goes perpendicular to the path). At the end of this road, turn right onto Cole Avenue (or see alternative, below), and then cross the road and about 50 meters later, just before the bridge, and turn left onto Cole Field. Run up Cole Field and return to campus.

Distance: 2.5 miles

Alternatively, at the end of the short road, turn left onto Cole Avenue and run along it until you reach the traffic light on Rt. 2. Turn right and return to campus.

Distance: 2.5 miles

Ide

Clockwise: Run down Water Street for about a mile and a half until you see Ide on the right side of the road. Go up the hill and follow the road until it intersects another road in a T at the bottom of the hill; turn right and go past the edge of the golf course, until it takes you past the Clark and finally to the traffic circle to find you back at campus.

Counter-clockwise: Go to the traffic circle and turn left, towards Garfield and the Clark. Follow this road until you see Ide going up a steep hill on your left, and then when you intersect Rt. 43 at the bottom of a hill in a T, turn left and end up on Water Street.

Distance: 3 miles

Gale

Clockwise: Run down Water Street for about a mile and a half until you see Gale on the right side of the road, about 100 meters after Ide. Go up the hill and follow the road past the edge of the golf course, until it takes you past the Clark and finally to the traffic circle to find you back at campus.

Counter-clockwise: Go to the traffic circle and turn left, towards Garfield and the Clark. Follow this road past the golf course, up a hill and down the other side, and then when you intersect Rt. 43 in a T, turn left and end up on Water Street.

Distance: 3.2 miles

Linear Park

Go down Rt. 2 towards North Adams for about a half mile until you see Linear Park (a road that looks like a driveway) on your left. Turn down this road, which turns to dirt almost immediately, until you find a bunch of trails. Pick whichever trails suit your fancy; they mostly go either through the woods or through fields, and one of them leads to the trailer park with the lions. You can do many loops, or go out and back, so distances vary.

Distance: 2.5-4 miles

Blair

"Forwards": Run down Water Street and continue for about two miles until you see Blair Road on your left. Blair is paved for about 100 meters, then turns into dirt and goes up three hills in a row, culminating in a gorgeous view across fields to the beautiful mountains and the little college in the valley. Then it's all downhill. When you meet Rt. 2 in a T, turn left, which will bring you right back to campus.

"Backwards": Run along Rt. 2 towards North Adams for about half a mile, until you see a road going up to your right, just before the Orchards restaurant. Follow this up, up, up a long hill until the pavement ends and it flattens out. At the top of a gradual hill, look to your right and see the amazing view described above. Then go down three hills, turn right when you hit Rt. 43 in a T, and end up at the top of Water Street.

Distance: 5.6 miles

Stone Hill

Go down Water Street for about two miles until you see a steep road called Scott Hill Road on your right. Go up the hill and after a few hundred meters you will see a road to your right. This turns into dirt and becomes more like a trail. Follow this road until you get to Stone Bench. Then either go straight or turn left; both ways take you down the hill with the cows to the Clark. Remember to latch the gates behind you. Turn left out of the Clark driveway, which will take you to the traffic circle and back to campus.

Distance: 7 miles (?)

Mountain Meadow

Run along Rt. 7 towards Bennington for about two miles. The road curves to the left, with the Chef's Hat restaurant inside the curve. Do not curve to the left; instead, take the dirt road to the right on the outside of the curve. Cross the little parking lot and follow the trail up, up, up through the field and gaze at the gorgeous view. Then follow the path into the woods. Eventually the path turns into more like a road. At intersections, follow the signs that will take you to Vermont. You will go downhill a lot, and eventually end up on North Hoosac Road. When you get to the bridge that is Cole Avenue, turn right and either go up Cole Avenue to campus, or turn right shortly after crossing the bridge and go up Cole Field to campus.

Note: These directions are not very good and you might get lost if you follow them. However, the view at the top of the meadow is worth it.

Distance: 9 miles (?)