Rockwell Road is the way up Mount Greylock from the south, a paved lane that leaves Lanesborough, in the Berkshires, and climbs into the highest ground in Massachusetts. At the top, the summit stands a little over a thousand metres above sea level, which is not high by Western standards, but it feels like a real mountain here, because the forest changes as you climb, from northern hardwoods to red spruce and balsam fir, the dark, cold woods of the far north. The air at the summit can be ten degrees colder than at the base, and often shrouded in cloud.
The road was built and improved in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Depression-era work programme that employed young men to build trails, roads and lodges across the country, and the stonework, the guard walls and the craftsmanship of the work show it. It rises through the forest in broad curves and tighter bends, with a continuous steady grade, and no barriers in places, though the edges are well marked. It is narrow, so you meet cars and cyclists at close quarters, and the surface can be wet and covered in leaves. A cloud can drop in without warning, reducing visibility to a few metres, so go slowly.
In the nineteenth century Greylock was already a destination. Thoreau climbed it in 1844, camping on the summit, and Herman Melville, who lived at the foot of the mountain in Pittsfield and wrote Moby-Dick there, was said to have seen the whale in the long, humped shape of the ridge from his study window. The mountain's reputation for inspiring writers is as strong as its reputation for hikers, and the Appalachian Trail passes over the top.
Rockwell Road is closed in winter, usually from late autumn through spring, when the summit is deep in snow, so check the dates before planning. A few facilities at the top, including a lodge, are open in the season. The best time is early autumn, when the maples on the lower slopes turn red and the sky is clear, though even on a hot day in July the summit is a cool relief.