Berkshire campgrounds earn kudos

By Anthony Fyden12:00AM / Tuesday, April 05, 2005Print Story | Email Story

Several Western Massachusetts campgrounds earned high marks in the Top 100 list

Several Western Massachusetts and Berkshire County recreation areas earned kudos in ReserveAmerica's new listing of "America's Top 100 Campgrounds." The recreation reservation and campground management organization posted its third annual listing on March 31. According to ReserveAmerica, the listing was developed with the help of park rangers, regional park management and campers, who were invited to rate campgrounds and provide testimonials. The organization reviewed nearly 3,000 parks and camping areas and the top 100 were picked based on park amenities such as "stunning outdoor scenery, and educational facilities...Also considered were the quality and availability of hot showers, laundry facilities, hiking trails, family beaches, radio-free zones, visitor centers, educational programs, children's events and location." "Our third annual Top 100 Family Campground award continues our commitment to creating a resource for the camping consumer looking to plan and reserve a camping trip for this spring or summer," said Brendan Ross, President of ReserveAmerica, which is based in Ballston Spa, NY. "We are proud to honor these outstanding public outdoor recreation facilities, that provide such a high level of service and dedication, while protecting our beautiful natural areas for future generations." The Clarksburg State Park in Northern Berkshire County earned a spot on the list, as did the Mohawk Trail State Forest in Charlemont and Tolland State Forest in East Otis. Other Baystate areas to earn honors include Nickerson State Park on Cape Cod and Wells State Park in Sturbridge. ReserveAmerica's 2005 Top 100 Family Campgrounds: Alexander Springs Recreation Area-Ocala National Forest -Altoona, Florida American Legion S F (Hawes) -Pleasant Valley, Connecticut Antelope Island State Park -Syracuse, Utah Bahia Honda State Park -Big Pine Key, Florida Baileys Point Campground-Barren River Lake -Glasgow, Kentucky Bear Lake State Park -Garden City, Utah Big Basin Redwoods State Park -Boulder Creek, California Brannan Island State Recreation Area -Rio Vista, California Brevoort Lake Campground -Hiawartha National Forest, Michigan Buckhorn State Park -Necedah, Wisconsin Calhoun Falls State Recreation Area -Calhoun Falls, South Carolina Chief Timothy Park -Clarkson, Washington Chippokes Plantation State Park -Surry, Virginia Chisos Basin Campground -Big Bend National Park, Texas Clarksburg State Park - North Western Berkshires -Clarksburg, Massachusetts Colorado River State Park -Island Acres, Colorado Cranberry Lake Campground -Cranberry Lake, New York D.A.R. State Forest - Western Berkshires -Goshen, Massachusetts Dead Horse Point State Park -Moab, Utah Defeated Creek Park-Cordell Hull Lake -Carthage, Tennessee Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park -Crescent City, California Dent Acres Campground -Ahsahka, Idaho Devil's Fork State Park -Salem, South Carolina Devil's Lake State Park -Baraboo, Wisconsin Diamond Lake Recreation Area -Umpqua National Forest, Oregon Douthat State Park -Millboro, Virginia Dreher Island Recreation Area -Prosperity, South Carolina Dworshak State Park -Orofino, Idaho Farragut State Park -Lewiston, Idaho Gerald Freeman Campground-Sutton Lakes -Sutton, West Virginia Glimmerglass State Park -Central Region, New York Golden Gate Canyon State Park -Golden, Colorado Greenville Recreation Area-Wappapello Lake -Wappapello, Missouri Hamilton Branch State Recreation Area -Plum Branch, South Carolina Heckscher State Park -Long Island, New York Hells Gate State Park -Lewiston, Idaho Housatonic Meadows State Park -Sharon, Connecticut Humboldt Redwoods State Park -Weott, California Kendall Recreation Area-Wolf Creek Dam Lake Cumberland -Jamestown, Kentucky Kings Mountain State Park -Blacksburg, South Carolina Kiptopeke State Park -Cape Charles, Virginia Kohler-Andrae State Park -Sheboygan, Wisconsin Lake Erie State Park -Allegany Region, New York Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area -Ninety Six, South Carolina Lake Harris Campground -Newcomb, New York Lake Hartwell State Recreation Area -Fair Play, South Carolina Lake Taghkanic State Park -Taconic, New York Lakeside Beach State Park -Genesee, New York Lepage Park Recreational Area -John Day Lock & Dam, Oregon (Portland District) Lewey Lake-Adirondack Park -Indian Lake, New York Linville Falls Campground-Linville Falls -Spruce Pine, North Carolina Lithia Springs-Lake Shelbyville -Shelbyville, Illinois Long Point State Park -Thousand Islands, New York Macedonia State Park -Kent, Connecticut MacKerricher State Park -Mendocino, California Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park -Nevada City, California Manzanita Lake Campground-Lassen Volcanic National Park -Mineral, California Mashamoquet Brook State Park -Pomfret Center, Connecticut Meacham Lake -Paul Smith, New York Mohawk Trail State Forest-Western Berkshires -Charlemont, Massachusetts Moreau Lake State Park -Saratoga, New York Mount. Diablo State Park -Clayton, California Mueller State Park -Divide, Colorado Myrtle Beach State Park -Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Nevada Beach Campground-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit -Zephyr Cove, Nevada Nickerson State Park-Cape Cod -Brewster, Massachusetts North Bend Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir -Boydton, Virginia North South Lake Campground-Eastern Catskills -Haines Falls, New York Oconee State Park -Mountain Rest, South Carolina Otter River State Forest-North Central -Baldwinville, Massacusetts Patrick's Point State Park -Trinidad, California Pearl Hill State Park-North Central West -Townsend, Massachusetts Peninsula State Park -Fish Creek, Wisconsin Petersburg Campground-J. Strom Thurmond Lake -Clarks Hill, Georgia Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park -Big Sur, California Pocahontas State Park -Chesterfield, Virginia Ponderosa State Park -McCall, Idaho Prairie Flower Campground-Saylorville Lake -Johnston, Iowa Priest Lake State Park -Coolin, Idaho Red Fleet State Park -Vernal, Utah Ridgway State Park -Ridgway, Colorado Rio Grande Village Campground -Big Bend National Park, Texas Robert W. Craig Campground-Jennings Randolph Lake -Elk Garden, West Virginia Roche-A-Cri State Park -Friendship, Wisconsin Rocky Neck State Park -Niantic (East Lyme), Connecticut Salisbury Beach State Reservation - North Eastern Salisbury - Massachusetts Salt Point State Park -Jenner, California Salthouse Branch -Bassett, Virginia Santee State Park -Santee, South Carolina Scusset Beach State Reservation - Cape Cod Canal -Massachusetts South Sandusky Campground-Rend Lake -Benton, Illinois Steamboat Lake State Park -Clark, Colorado Tolland State Forest-South Western Berkshires -East Otis, Massachusetts Tub Run Recreation Area - Youghiogheny River Lake -Confluence, Pennsylvania Twin Lakes Campground-Hartwell Lake -Hartwell, South Carolina Wasatch Mountain State Park -Midway, Utah Watkins Glen State Park -Finger Lakes, New York Wells State Park-South Central -Sturbridge, Massachusetts Willard Bay State Park -Willard, Utah Winhall Brook Campground -Jamaica, Vermont Top 5 Amazing Locations: Devonian Fossil Gorge-Coralville Lake -Iowa City, Iowa Goblin Valley State Park -Utah Landsford Canal State Park -Catawba, South Carolina Providence Mountains State Recreation Area -Essex, California Watkins Glen State Park -Finger Lakes, New York Top 5 Biking Trails: Allegany State Park-Red House Area -Salamanca, New York Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park -Crescent City, California Paris Mountain State Park -Greenville, South Carolina South Sandusky Campground-Rend Lake -Benton, Illinois Sugar Bottom Mountain-Coralville Lake -Iowa City, Iowa Top 5 Bird-Watching Spots: Brannan Island State Recreation Area -Rio Vista, California Bona Dea Trails System -Arkansas Hamlin Beach State Park -Hamlin, New York Kiptopeke State Park -Cape Charles, Virginia Landsford Canal State Park -Catawba, South Carolina Top 5 Canoeing Spots: Humboldt Redwoods State Park -Weott, California Colleton State Park -Canadys, South Carolina Juniper Springs Recreation Area-Ocala National Forest -Silver Springs, Florida Palisade State Park -Sterling, Utah Salthouse Branch-Philpott Lake -Bassett, Virginia Top 5 Educational/Historical Facilities: Big Basin State Park -Boulder Creek, California Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site -Charleston, South Carolina Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site -Summerville, South Carolina SouthEast Alaska Discovery Center -Ketchikan, Alaska Wellesley Island State Park -Fineview, New York Top 10 Fishing Spots: Enid Lake -Memphis, Tennessee Clear Lake State Park -Kelseyville, California Crystal Springs Campground - Lake Ouachita -Royal, Arkansas Devil's Fork State Park-Lake Jocassee -Salem, South Carolina Kiptopeke State Park -Cape Charles, Virginia Lake Wateree State Recreation Area -Winnsboro, South Carolina Leech Lake Recreation Area -Federal Dam, Minnesota Lithia Springs-Lake Shelbyville -Shelbyville, Illinois Outflow Campground-Youghiogheny River Lake -Confluence, Pennsylvania Selkirk Shore State Park -Pulaski, New York Top 5 Hiking Trails: Salt Point State Park -Jenner, California Harriman State Park -Beaver Pond Campground, New York Kings Mountain State Park -Blacksburg, South Carolina Veterans Trail -Coralville Lake, Iowa Warm Springs Recreation Area-Lake Sonoma -Geyserville, California Top 5 Kid-Friendly Parks: California State Railroad Museum -Sacramento, California Douthat State Park -Millboro, Virginia Myrtle Beach State Park -Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Shoal Bay Campground-Dardanelle Lake -Arkansas Verona Beach State Park -Verona Beach, New York Top 5 Park Beaches: MacKerricher State Park -Mendocino, California Fair Haven Beach State Park -Fair Haven, New York Piney Bay Campground-Dardanelle Lake -London, Arkansas South Sandusky Campground-Rend Lake -Benton, Illinois Yuba Lake State Park -Salt Lake City, Utah Top 5 Picnic Areas: Devil's Lake State Park -Baraboo, Wisconsin Moreau Lake State Park -Ganesvoort, New York Oconee State Park -Mountain Rest, South Carolina Patrick's Point State Park -Trinidad, California Pokegama Dam & Recreation Area -Grand Rapids, Minnesota Top 5 Romantic Spots: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park -Big Sur, California Devil's Lake State Park -Baraboo, Wisconsin Lake Shelbyville -Shelbyville, Illinois Letchworth State Park -Castile, New York Yosemite National Park -Yosemite, California Top 10 Scenic Views: Mount. Diablo State Park -Clayton, California Brady Mountain Campground -Lake Ouachita, Arkansas Chittenango Falls State Park -Cazenovia, New York Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park -Kanab, Utah Lillydale Campground-Dale Hollow Lake -Allons, Tennessee Massanutten Overlook-Shenandoah River State Park -Warren County, Virginia Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site -Union, South Carolina Table Rock State Park -Pickens, South Carolina Warm Springs Recreation Area-Lake Sonoma -Geyserville, California Wildwood Campground- Fort Gibson Lake -Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Top 5 Unique Cabins: Golden Hill State Park -Barker, New York Keowee-Toxaway State Natural Area Cabin -Sunset, South Carolina Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park -Nevada City, California Quaking Aspen Cabin -Camp Nelson, California The Guillebeau House, Hickory Knob State Resort Park -McCormick, South Carolina

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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

02:13PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."

The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School.

The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday.

The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season.

The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations.

"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.

"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."

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