Monument Mountain

The views at the top of the trail make this a five-star review. That and the condition of the trails.

On a recent visit to the Great Barrington area, a group of us decided to hike Monument Mountain. We were told it was not an exceptionally long hike, but that the views were spectacular. That is true on all accounts!

We started by taking the Hickey Trail up the mountain, which is not very long but definitely gets the blood pumping. It was a nice sunny day and was not buggy which was a pleasant surprise. The trail starts to ascend rather quickly. Our group moved at a pretty healthy clip, so it was a decent workout and took about 30 minutes from base to summit. As you get to the top, you can walk along the range and find a rock to sit on and admire the views. On a clear day, you can see for miles and it is a lush green landscape. You can see Mt. Greylock from the summit, as well as Butternut. On a good day, hawks will be flying above.


We took the longer, more circuitous route down, called the Indian Monument trail. It is a much less steep trail and would be more suitable for beginner hikers, or someone who did not have appropriate footwear. If you're taking the Hickey Trail, you don't need serious hiking boots, but you do want sturdy shoes.

The Trustees of the Reservation maintain the trails, so be kind and leave a donation at the box adjacent to the parking lot.

Good moderately strenuous. Beautiful view from summit. Convenient parking. Trails clearly marked.

Finally came here after having it bookmarked for years. Medium lot fills up quick. Paid parking. 9 bucks. There was a DCR worker there helping people figure out which trail was better for them. He was very polite. There are 2 trails to get to the top. You can take the steep shorter trail or a longer trail that wasn't as steep. I opted for the steep one. Definitely a good little hike. I was out of breath. The top has a phenomenal view. Absolutely breathtaking.
Definitely a place you need to put on your list of things to do.

Great place to hike and enjoy the outdoors!

You have your choice of 3 trails! Starting in the lot, facing the mountain, go to the right, the yellow trail. Yes it is the more difficult path, but its the shortest way to the top. It is great if you're looking for a challenge or a workout. It is great if you want to see nature, including the many playful chipmunks, at its finest!

We took the Red, into the blue trail down. It was longer than the gold/yellow trail. I was bored and just ready to get back. The blue path is super long and it wasn't much of a challenge. Part of this trail was along the main road, so it was a reminder that modern civilization was just beyond a few trees. I think the blue trail was more for people who are looking to take a stroll in the woods, or for people who are less athletic.

Parking is $5 and you can pay at the machine on the lot. There are also a few picnic tables to enjoy a meal!

There are a couple high points and peaks. It just feels great to say that you hiked up a mountain and made it to the top! So "just do it" and "take some time to enjoy the view!"

Finally found the time to do this hike after years whizzing by on Rte 7 wondering what it would be like! Overall a great hike -- quiet forest paths, boulders and caves, and fantastic views at the rocky top looking east and west -- all swathed in the romance of legend and history (a Mohican woman throwing herself off the top for love? Melville and Hawthorne meeting for the first time and hatching the idea for Moby Dick taking shelter in a cave during a storm?? I love places with these stories)

The parking lot is easy to see right off Rte 7. There is a self pay parking kiosk, which costs $5 and there are trail maps and brochures. From the parking lot, there are two trails. The Hickey trail (yellow dot) is steeper and shorter, but definitely the one to take up the mountain if you can. Much more variation in what you can see, and the other trail (blue dot) parallels Rte 7 for the first part so you hear way too much traffic noise on that route (not exactly making for that feel of escape!).

At the top you can link up with the Red trail which has the best views. The first part of it is rocky but totally fine, but the last part of it that connects with the blue dot trail was near these sheer cliffs and would qualify as a small adventure for me...it was even a touch scary actually (unless I'd strayed off path?)

It's managed by the Trustees, which I think always does a good job -- the trails are generally all very easy to follow (which is NOT always the case hiking in MA where dead leaves just cover everything), and no trash anywhere. I spent about 2-3 hours up and down, including some chill time at the top. And I think it's fine for all levels, there were kids at the top and someone had their dog there too.

I love this hike as you can do a loop in less then two hours and that included stopping to enjoy the AMAZING views at the top. They have yellow, blue, and red trails and they can be a bit hard to see -- so you have to look at the tree markings so you don't take the wrong path to nowhere. Must be an East Coast thing -- they don't have these on the West Coast. A bit rocky here and there so I'd say you have to do some scrambling on the way up and down. Lots of rocks on the top but you'll be rewarded with stunning views -- go in the Fall for the leaves. Trails were pretty wide as we went during Covid -- so people mostly were masked up. Dog friendly too --they really love it! During the week we were there, there was a $5.00 fee via machine to park in the lot. Not sure if you can avoid this though.

Great hike - medium difficulty, some surprising moments and scenic panoramic vistas of New York and Massachusetts.

Personally, I was pleasantly surprised how varied the hike was - it encompassed steep incline, spring waterfalls, rock climbing and some pretty slippery dirt roads. My advice to you is wear comfortable shoes with traction. Can get pretty muddy in certain areas. Definitely a must while visiting Stockbridge/Great Barrington.

Beautiful and somewhat challenging. I have lovely memories of hiking this mountain as a younger person .

Great hike! Not too long and just hard enough to make it a hike rather than a walk. Amazing views from the summit, if a bit crowded on an autumn Saturday afternoon. Make sure you go up to Devil's Pulpit, we saw many people pass by it, they missed out. Worth the $5 parking.

Let's just put it all out there: I don't hike, I've never hiked, I don't know the first thing about hiking. So if I can do it, can't be bad right? Right! Monument Mountain was a great intro to hiking 101!

Thank goodness for fellow yelpers who wrote about this spot, otherwise I don't think we would've found out about it. We were in the area and wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather and these trails did not disappoint.

The ranger on duty that day was eager to help and walked up to pretty much anyone who approaches the map to make sure their well acquainted and equipped with a map and an environmentally friendly bug repellent.

There are 3 main trails 2 which lead you up and down the mountain. Hickey Trail is a bit of a steep ascent which gets you to Squawk Peak Trail relatively quickly so you can get to the breathtaking views! Luckily we started with Hickey which sets you up for a relatively smooth descent down Indian Monument Trail in your way back. We skipped over Devil's Pulpit for time purposes but we enjoyed the panoramic views of the Berkshires along Squaw Peak Trail. We spent a total of an hr and change on the trail but you can definitely extend your route.

Keep in mind there is a $5 "parking" fee for the entire day unless you're a member. Small price to pay for a well manicured and well marked trail.

An awesome view and a nice hike. Two ways to get on the top, the easy and longest, the short but toughest.
Also a nice hiking for pets and kids. Go check the trees during the fall!