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Cheshire Lake, Berkshire County, MA. This reservoir, also known as the Hoosac Reservoir or Hoosac Lake, is divided into three basins by a pair of causeways. The south basin is extremely shallow, the middle basin has a maximum depth of about six feet, and the north basin has a maximum depth of nine feet. All three basis are choked with submerged aquatic vegetation during the summer months. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

View of the Connecticut River from Mount Tom, Holyoke, MA. Mount Tom (elevation 1,202 feet), is a steep, rugged traprock mountain on the west bank of the Connecticut River. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range and the highest traprock peak of the 100-mile long Metacomet Ridge. Mount Tom is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1,100-foot rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate ecosystems. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

There's a reason they call it Noble View. Elevated at nearly 1,100 feet above the Connecticut River Valley, AMC's Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell, MA provides spectacular views of cities, towns, and countryside. Spend the night in an updated cottage or at a campsite and take in the incredible sunrise from the open hilltop just outside the cottages. Explore miles of trails by foot, snowshoes, or Nordic skis. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.

Mount Greylock State Reservation is a public recreation and nature preserve located on and around Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts. The park covers some 12,000 acres in the towns of Lanesborough, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, Williamstown and New Ashford, MA. It was created in 1898 as Massachusetts' first public land for the purpose of forest preservation. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.

Mountain laurel is an evergreen shrub that grows 10-30 feet high. The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and mountainous forest areas, often grows in large thickets. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

The Seven Sisters, part of the Holyoke Range and located within the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts, are a series of basalt ridgeline knobs between Mount Holyoke and Mount Hitchcock (there are more than seven distinct peaks). The knobs offer scenic clifftop views interspersed with oak savanna woodlands. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

Waterfall at Puffers Pond. Puffers Pond is the largest open water body in Amherst, MA and a prominent recreation area for fishing, birding, nature walking, canoeing, picnicking and swimming. The pond's users and uses have changed over time and today it is the centerpiece of a greenbelt conservation area. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

Ashley Reservoir, Holyoke, MA. To protect this secondary water supply, most areas around the reservoir are publicly accessible only by foot, with limited parking available at some of the surrounding gates. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.

The Deerfield is one of the most heavily dammed rivers in the country, with, on average, a dam almost every 7 miles along its entire length. White water rafting is very popular in Charlemont, a city of about 1,000 in Franklin, MA. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

Ashley Reservoir is the secondary drinking supply for the city of Holyoke, MA. The impoundment was constructed in the 1890s and is home to robust populations of bears, deer, geese, ducks, beavers, and many other animal species. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.

Hampton Ponds State Park. Hampton Ponds consists of a small complex of waterbodies located off Route 202 in Westfield and Southampton, MA. The park offers water-based activities including swimming, motorized and non-motorized boating, and fishing plus facilities for picnicking. Photo credit: Jeanette Pierce.