Created by geologic upheavals, this 1,000-foot-high bedrock is a rugged, exotic landscape with sweeping mountain vistas.
Bartholomew’s Cobble is named for its two rocky knolls—or “cobbles”—rising above the Housatonic River. Hurlburt’s Hill, the property’s highest point, rises 1,000 feet to a 20-acre upland field on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border that offers panoramic views northward up the Housatonic River Valley. Boasting an enormous variety of woodland flowers and fern species, the Cobble’s amazingly diverse flora earned it a National Natural Landmark designation in 1971.
Explore five miles of trails and discover the diversity of this landscape—open fields, transitional forests, freshwater marshes, a pair of small caves, and more. Along the way, you’ll find one of North America’s greatest diversities of fern species as well as one of the largest Cottonwood trees in the state. Paddle the Housatonic River, tour the on-site natural history museum, and make sure you return between mid-April and the end of May, when the wildflowers reach peak bloom across the property’s 329 acres.
Join local naturalist and artist, Nanci Worthington on her long term citizen science project at Bartholomew’s Cobble. The last Saturday of each month (weather dependent) she will lead a 2 hour guided course on nature journaling where she will focus on different sections of the property each month and document the changes in landscape, flora and fauna throughout the year for hopefully years to come! Register for the class and find more information here.
Admission: $5 per person for nonmembers; $1 per nonmember child (6-12); FREE for members
Open for hiking year round, visitors’ center and facilities open seasonally. Call 413.229.8600 for current hours. Allow a minimum of 2 hours or 3 hours if also visiting the Ashley House.
105 Weatogue Road
Sheffield, MA 01257
Telephone: 413.298.3239
From Mass Turnpike (I-90), Exit 10 for Rt. 20 East. Follow 4.6 mi., then take 1st right onto Rt. 102 West/Pleasant St. Go 6.6 mi. Turn left onto Rt. 7 South. After 8.5 mi., turn right onto Rt. 7A and follow for 0.5 mi. Turn right onto Rannapo Rd. and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn right onto Weatogue Rd. to entrance and parking (30 cars) on left.
Visitors’ Center and facilities are open seasonally, call 413.229.8600 for current hours. Two picnic tables are available for use outside the Visitors’ Center.
Free trail map distributed from bulletin board in the parking area. Please understand that supplies periodically run out.
We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.
The reservation is named for George Bartholomew, a farmer who purchased the fields and uplands in the late 19th Century. But more than a hundred years earlier, Col. John Ashley had gathered together a sprawling estate of which the current reservation was only a part. The Trustees acquired the Cobble in 1946. Ashley’s home, also owned by The Trustees, still stands on nearby Cooper Hill Rd.
I love to hike the 6.5 miles of trails, walking up the Hill, down to the Housatonic River, via The Spero trail, circling back on Bailey and then to Ledges. Get on one of their full moon canoe trips, the best of the best!
– Thad, Trip Advisor Review