Car Travel in Berkshires

Car Travel

Western Massachusetts is best explored by car. The region is largely without heavy traffic and congestion, and parking is consistently easy to find, even in larger communities, such as Springfield and Pittsfield. Some parts of the area can be reached fairly easily using public transportation, and can be explored on foot, using bicycles, or using local transit and cabs once you arrive. These communities include Great Barrington, Lenox, Pittsfield, Williamstown, and North Adams in the Berkshires. In these areas, it's great to have a car for maximum flexibility and freedom, but if you're not a fan of car travel, you can still enjoy your visit.

The Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) connects Boston with Lee and Stockbridge and continues into New York, where it becomes the New York State Thruway. To reach the Berkshires from New York City take either I-87 or the Taconic State Parkway. The main north-south road within the Berkshires is U.S. 7. Route 23 crosses south county east-west. Route 2 runs from the northern Berkshires to Greenfield at the head of the Pioneer Valley and continues across Massachusetts into Boston. The scenic section of Route 2 known as the Mohawk Trail runs from Williamstown to Orange.

Western Massachusetts does offer quite a few scenic drives, even along certain spans of interstate (notably I-91, once you're north of Northampton, and I-90 west of Springfield to the New York state border). More breathtaking are the many miles of U.S. and state highways that pass through dense forests, by verdant open farmland, and through pastoral historic hamlets. When time permits, it's worth venturing off the interstate system and beholding some of the delightful scenery fringing the state's country roads. Favorite routes include Route 9, from Northampton west to the New York border; Route 2, from Greenfield west to the New York border; U.S. 7, north from the Connecticut to the Vermont borders; and Route 8, north from the Connecticut to the Vermont borders.

Parking

In most of western Massachusetts, parking is not a serious problem -- this is true even for larger cities, such as Springfield, which has a number of parking garages. Amherst, Northampton, Lenox, and some other communities in the region have tight parking in their downtowns during busy weekends, but it's nearly always possible to find a space if you're persistent. Just pack plenty of spare change, as many communities in the area have meter parking.

Rules of the Road

On city streets the speed limit is 30 mph unless otherwise posted; on rural roads, the speed limit ranges from 40 to 50 mph unless otherwise posted. Interstate speeds range from 50 to 65 mph, depending on congestion. Throughout the region, you're permitted to make a right on red except where posted. Be alert for one-way streets in some of the more congested communities, such as Springfield and Northampton.

State law requires that front-seat passengers wear seat belts at all times. Children under 16 must wear seat belts in both the front and back seats. Always strap children under age five into approved child-safety seats.