The New York herald., 1922-06-04
THE GATEWAYS TO
THE BERKSHIRES
Just How to Reach New Eng
lands Famous Automobile
Touring Section.
by LEON A. DICKINSON.


.Manager Touring and Transportation
Bureau, Amerjcdm Automobile Assn
No motor tour through New England
can hardly be considered complete that
does rot comprise at some stage Of its
progress a visit to that scenic gem of
western Massachusetts,, the famous
Berkshire Hills. Just wherein lies the
peculiar charm of this region Is some
what difficult to state with any degree
OF accuracy. because there Is nothing In
its Topographic conformation that is
unique or in any sense remarkable. In
altitude these hills are as dwarfs beside
the lofty grandeur of the White Noun
tains, the Adirondacks> and the Blue
Ridge, while there is an almost utter
absence of breath taking cliffs, beetling
crags and roaring waterfalls such as
kindle the eye and deafen the ear In
that marvellous scenic wonderland of the
Far West. Nevertheless the lure is there
and its potency is attested every season
by the never ceasing flood of motor
lists from all sections of the East who
find in the Berkshires an air of peace
and restfulness not duplicated in any
other section of the country.
: Here. in truth. is a realm OF contrasts,
some portions being almost primitive
wilderness, while others, like Aenox and
Stocl<brfdge consist entirely of the mag
nifcent estate of multi-millionaires. In
recent years these wealthy landowners
andtheir guests have acquired the habit
of prolonging their country residence
season far Into the autumn. thus giving
rise to the custom of designating Lenox
and its environs by the apt title,of ''The
Autumn Newport" To those who are
unfamiliar with the charm Of the Berk
shires 1t often comes as q great surprise
to find so close to the great Eastern
certers of population an exceedingly
lovely highland region, replete with
charming vistas and roadside scenery,
yet crisscrossed with superbly paved
highways and plentifully sprinkled with
excellent hotels.
Without doubt. the feature that COM
mends itself most strongly to the aver
age motorist is the extreme accessibility
of this region from every point of the
compass. It's natural beauty. combined
with the powerful influence of wealthy
population, was instrumental in securing
the construction of a series Of excellent
paved highways leading directly to the
heart of the Berkshires from the Harlem
Valley and the Litchfield Hills to the
south. the Hudson Valley on the west.
the Connecticut Valley few miles to
the east and the Green Mountains. which
form a continuation of the highlands In
a northerly direction.
The most direct and hence most popu-
lar route leading into the Berkshires
from New York city and all points in
that vicinity is that which follows very
closely the Harlem division of the New
York Central Railroad. Beginning at
point about two miles south of the viii
lage of Armonk, in lower Westchester
county, and extending through the pic,
>turesque villages of Bedford, Brewster
and Pawling to Armenia, In the verv
foothills of the Berkshires, this road is
we'll marked by distinctive blue bands
painted on the poles at all doubtful
4 points. Between Brewster and Armenia
the highway runs almost exactly PARA
lei to the western border of Connecticut.
only about three or four miles away
then turns square right at Armenia and
proceeds almost due east across the State
line into Sharon, Conn. From this point
another set of blue bands is followed in
A. general northerly direction through
Lakeville into Salisbury, changing here
to yellow bands which mark the next
five mile stretch to Canaan. From this
latter point still another series of blue
bands points the way along the main
road running north across the State line
into Massachusetts and thence through
the exclusive and wonderfully attractive
villages of Great harrington, Stock
bridge and the far famed Lenox. straight
to that combined center of industry and
touring, the busy little city of Pittsfield.
The total distance from New York to
Pittsfield along this highway is almost
exactly $50 miles.
Scarcely second in Importance to the
Harlem Valley Route" just described,
and one much Travelled by tourists be-
cause of its fine roads and excellent
scenery, is the route of the well known
Ideal Tour" from Waterbury. Those
headed this way from New York will
find two available options. one through
Bedford and Danbury, and the other fol-
lowing the Boston Post road to Strait
ford Gust beyond Bridgeport), and then
almost due north along the valley of the.
Naugatuck River. Both of these trunk