Mount Greylock Road Re-opens

Finally, after a two-year hiatus, the paved road to the peak of Mount Greylock has been reopened 

“It’s been totally rebuilt from the ground up,” quips Alec Gillman, program committee coordinator for the Department of Conservation and Recreation Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

He’s the friendly guy behind the desk in the Visitor Center on a sunny afternoon in April, fielding a flood of phone calls about the unveiling of the state-designated scenic byway to the top of the tallest peak (3,941 feet) in Massachusetts.

“The funny thing,” Gillman adds, “is a lot of the construction you can’t even see because it’s underneath or beside the actual road.”

Aside from the silky smooth blacktop snaking toward the iconic Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit, most noticeable are the redesigned pull-offs—about half a dozen of them—and new “rustic” guardrails made of steel-reinforced wood, which replace the old, industrial concrete bollards. The 200,000 or so sightseers expected each summer will surely appreciate the natural aesthetic.

“Especially Fitch Vista on Notch Road,” Gillman says of the once-collapsed observation spot, restructured with a view toward the Hopper—the geological basin to the northwest of Mount Greylock proper, named by local farmers due to its uncanny resemblance to the funnel-shaped grain dispensers. “It mimics the restoration work done in the 1930s by the CCC.”

The excitement is palpable, and Gillman’s desk phone refuses to stay silent. “You’re looking to drive up?” he responds to yet another caller. “Yes, it’s reopening in late May….” He sets the receiver back into its cradle and grins. “Case in point!” (JUNE 2009)

THE GOODS

Mount Greylock State Reservation
Rockwell Road
Lanesborough, Mass.
413.499.4262