Peru State Forest OHV Trails

Peru State Forest in Berkshire County is a 2,800-acre DCR-managed state forest in the hill towns of western Massachusetts, approximately 20 miles northeast of Pittsfield on the Berkshire Plateau — the elevated upland that forms the spine of the Berkshires between the Housatonic Valley to the west and the Connecticut River Valley to the east. The forest contains a designated ATV/OHV trail network on existing forest roads and purpose-built trail corridors winding through the northern hardwood and mixed forest that dominates the Berkshire Plateau at 1,800 to 2,200 feet elevation: sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, and white ash on the wetter slopes, with red spruce and white pine in the cooler northeast-facing drainages. At Berkshire Plateau elevation, Peru State Forest offers riding conditions that are meaningfully different from the lower-elevation Massachusetts riding areas: cooler summer temperatures that extend comfortable riding into July and August when lowland areas are hot, and a northern hardwood forest character that distinguishes the riding from the oak-pine woodland typical of eastern Massachusetts OHV areas. The trail system connects with snowmobile corridor routes used by the Berkshire County snowmobile clubs in winter, giving the trails a groomed base that benefits ATV riding in the shoulder seasons. ATVs and registered dirt bikes are the permitted machine classes. The DCR Pittsfield office (413-442-8928) handles current trail status and seasonal access information for the Berkshire region state forest OHV network.

Website

www.mass.gov/locations/peru-state-forest

Phone

413-442-8928

Hours

Open year-round during daylight hours. RI ATV registration or MA equivalent required. No per-day fee beyond registration.