**Grafton Lake State Park, pic by M Waldman**

HIKING AND WALKING WITH THE ARTS

**Clark Art Institute Sculpture Trail - pic by K Ross**

While hiking in the woods certainly creates opportunities for creative thinking and amazement, there are places to go after lacing up your boots that offer some interesting and often exceptionally unusual artistic expressions. Check out the sculpture parks below. They might make you smile; they might make you think; they might make you shake your head in wonder or dismay. Either way, they offer some alternatives to traditional trails and are located in our favorite place—outdoors!

**Clark Art Institute Sculpture Trail - pic by Sharon Bonk**

Edith Wharton’s The Mount in Lenox, MA: www.edithwharton.org

Besides the beautiful formal gardens and restored mansion with its terraces and vistas, this historic site offers a variety of walking trails for visitors to enjoy. Here are some of the notable trails and features at The Mount: The Ledge Walk—provides breathtaking views of the Berkshire Hills, making it perfect for a reflective walk—and The Maple Walk—a path lined with towering maple trees, especially beautiful in the fall.

Chesterwood in Stockbridge, MA: https://www.chesterwood.org/

Located on 122 acres of forest and woodland trails, this historic home and studio of Daniel Chester French, who designed the Lincoln Memorial in DC, offers lovely paths in deep woods that often display the creations of some of the artists who work here. Heading out beyond the ordered gardens, the woodland trails were the sculptor’s celebration of the estate’s wild beauty. Spaces such as the Circle, the Glade and the Overlook are linked by paths which are sprinkled with vistas that expose unique outcroppings. The recently restored Ledges Trail offers a vigorous uphill climb over rocky ledges and past pines, oaks, and mountain laurel, to a commanding view of the Berkshires at about 1200 feet above sea level. There are also small caves!

The Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, MA: https://www.clarkart.edu/Trail-Map

These trails are popular with both residents and tourists and are known for their good footing, seasonal art displays, and gorgeous views. Known as the Stone Hill Trails, you can start either at the Museum or the Lunder Center and follow blazed trails for several miles. The Clark is a jumping off point to a network of trails working their way over and around Stone Hill, a small woods-covered promontory overlooking Williamstown’s town center. Most of the land is Town Conservation land, but the Clark and Buxton School own important pieces of the land in this area as well.

Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, NY: https://welcome.stormking.org/

With over 500 acres of land and a landscape of incredibly huge and creative sculptures, one can spend a whole day here and walk many miles. You can also hike Storm King Mountain in the morning and visit the Art Center for the afternoon. This stays open until the end of November. The permanent collection of monumental works is situated throughout the grounds in four main areas: the North Woods, a wooded section in the northeast corner of the property; Museum Hill, an elevated portion on the east edge of the property along the Moodna Creek with views of the surrounding land and its sculptures; the Meadows, which includes the western edge of the park and its entrance; and the South Fields, an open expanse in the southwest portion of the center.

TurnPark in West Stockbridge, MA: www.turnpark.com

TurnPark Art Space, is an open-air museum, sculpture park, and performance space. The 16 acre site is located on the grounds of a former lime and marble quarry. Taconic Sculpture Park in Spencertown, NY: www.taconic.net

This is the sculpture park you can see from the Taconic Thruway! You may have been surprised by the big white head on its side that looks down over the valley. All three acres of mythology-inspired sculptures are visible from the highway.

OMI International Arts Center: www.artomi.org

Art Omi is an arts center located in Ghent, NY, offering a diverse range of contemporary art and architecture experiences. With its expansive 120-acre grounds, visitors can explore the Sculpture Architecture Park, featuring over 60 large-scale installations in a natural landscape, as well as the Benenson Visitors Center. OMI is open year-round, and dogs can visit after registering.

Seven Springs Garden and Sculpture Park, Manchester, VT:
sevenspringsgarden.com

Seven Springs welcomes summer and fall visitors to enjoy a curated collection of sculptures on 20 acres of gardens, fields, and orchards in the Green Mountains.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP for 2026 now!

You may renew online or by mail. Be sure to update changes in your contact information: email, phone, or address.

To renew a membership by credit card or PayPal, go to the membership page of the Taconic Hiking Club website, or click here https://taconichikingclub.org/membership

To renew by mail, make out a check payable to the “Taconic Hiking Club” in the amount of $10. (per person). Send completed check to:

Taconic Hiking Club, c/o Sue Jordan - Membership Chair, 2381 Algonquin Rd, Niskayuna, NY 12309

ROBINSON HOLLOW WAY REPAIRS The neighbors on Robinson Hollow Way hired a contractor to make repairs to the road. The work was completed in October. Many thanks to them for pushing for these repairs, they communicated with the local town and DEC to get the project started before winter. This road is also used to reach the Robinson Hollow Access trail.

**Flag Rock Mtn Peak, pic by M Waldman**

OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.