Sunday, August 19, 2007
Savoy Mountain State Forest official site
Savoy Mountain State Forest trail map
photo slideshow
Savoy Mountain State Forest is home to Tannery Falls, the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts. I visited Tannery Falls two years ago, after running the 4.5 mile Savoy trail race.
Anyone who has read my past postings will have no difficulty seeing where this is going... after completing the 20 mile trail race, what else would I do but head to the opposite side of the park and hike down to the falls again?
The trip to the falls parking area was a nerve-wracking adventure in and of itself. The initial roads were in relatively good condition, other than periodic pot-holes that were tough to see coming in the late afternoon sun. But I should have known what was coming when I turned onto Tannery Road and the first thing I saw was a sign proclaiming "This road is not maintained - Travel at your own risk." The road was in mediocre condition two years ago and has only gotten worse... let me just say that taking a Honda Civic along an unmaintained road is not the best plan in the world. I'd guess I averaged between 5 and 10 miles an hour the entire way, and had several points where I had to stop, back up, and pick a new line down the road that seemed less likely to tear out something on the bottom of the car.
Along the way, I passed one of the old cemetaries in the middle of the forest... a reminder that much of this area was probably once cleared and only replanted as a forest in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
It was a real pleasure to finally pull into the parking area and stop the car... even if it meant that I was going to be walking again, on legs well and truly fried from the race. I was the only one there at first, but during the hour or so that I wandered around the area half a dozen other folks showed up.
One of the real pleasures of this spot is the sheer number of waterfalls. The hiking area is between two streams, both of which have cut gorges down the hillside and form a variety of waterfalls both small and large. The paths are mostly shaded, with spots of sunlight breaking through the trees... as long as there aren't too many people around, it's a very peaceful place.
There's a long, steep hike down to the base of the falls, which is a challenge on tired legs, but well worth the journey. Tannery Falls apparently keeps up a reasonably good water flow even in dry weather - I suspect it would be quite spectacular after a heavy rainfall.
After a while of wandering around enjoying the woods and the sound of running water on all sides, I knew it was time to get going, so I reluctantly got back in the car and carefully continued along Tannery Road... I have to admit, I have rarely been so pleased to see pavement again!
JMH
