Outdoor enthusiasts will love Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The popular Berkshires preserve offers seven miles of hiking trails, leading through a variety of habitats, and lots of wildlife, including large, active beaver ponds.

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 472 West Mountain Road in Lenox, MA, less than 15 minutes from our Berkshires bed and breakfast, The Inn at Stockbridge. Lenox has lots of worthy attractions: Ventfort Hall, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, The Kripalu Yoga Center, and more.

With so much to see, it would be easy to spend an entire day in the area. Whether you decide on a short or longer visit, consider adding Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to the day’s itinerary. There are numerous trails and views to enjoy and the natural beauty of the Berkshires is always on full display.

Pleasant Valley’s hiking trails lead visitors through a variety of habitats. Forests, meadows, wetlands, up Lenox Mountain, and more. This variety of landscapes provides a broad range of hiking difficulty, easy-to-strenuous.

Hiking Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

The All Persons Trail/Pike’s Pond Trail Loop is one of the easiest and most popular trails in the sanctuary. The trail is less than a mile (1.6 km) in length, taking an easy and mostly level loop around Pike’s Pond. The trail includes a boardwalk deck with benches for watching the beavers and other wildlife at the pond.

If seeing wildlife is your goal, you’ll also want to try the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) Yokun/Beaver Lodge Trails Loop. This leads around the northern beaver ponds, a good for spot for wild birds. This trail also provides some amazing views of Lenox Mountain.

Speaking of Lenox Mountain, those who aren’t afraid of a workout can follow on of Pleasant Valley’s trails to its summit. The 3 mile (4.8 km) long Trail of the Ledges/Overbrook Loop leads hikers up the slopes of Mount Lenox.

The strenuous hike takes you up 850 vertical feet (259 m) to expansive views from the top of Lenox Mountain. Mount Greylock, the Taconic Range, New York’s Catskills, and more laid out before you in a massive tapestry.

Learn More

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary trails are open every day of the year, dawn to dusk. Download a Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary Trail Map here.

The Sanctuary’s Nature Center and Barn are open daily, 9am to 4pm. Non-members and non-residents pay a small fee to enter the property. Sanctuary facilities include restrooms and a picnic area.

Learn more at the Pleasant Valley website. You can also visit the sanctuary on Facebook.

Let us know what things you like to do or see during your Berkshires getaway and we’ll point you in the right direction. Nothing makes us happier than sharing the area with our guests.

We hope to see you soon!