Lenox Mt & Pleasant Valley, Lenox MA


• 4-star hike
• 3 mile loop
• Moderate | Gain 970 feet
• Lenox, MA | Western Region
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A serene view looking out from the edge of a wooden boardwalk or viewing platform onto a calm pond that mirrors a vibrant blue sky with wispy white clouds. Dense evergreen and deciduous trees surround the water, leading up toward a forest-covered ridge in the background, while lush green leafy bushes frame the foreground.
Pike's Pond reflecting Lenox Mountain.

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary sits on the slopes of Lenox Mountain. While the sanctuary features roughly seven miles of trails, the loop to Lenox Mountain’s summit and fire tower is its most demanding hike and actually crosses outside the sanctuary's official boundaries near the top. For the best experience, hike the loop clockwise starting from Pike's Pond via the Trail of the Ledges.

Heading clockwise puts the steepest section on the uphill leg, making it easier and safer to navigate. The Trail of the Ledges climbs steadily through hardwood forest, gaining most of its elevation in the final stretch toward the summit. While the trail includes a couple of brief rock scrambles, it shouldn't present any major difficulties for reasonably fit hikers.
⬤ 4★ Pleasant Valley to Lenox Mountain   2.9 mi loop, moderate, gain 930 ft
GPX File · AllTrails · Directions GPX?
 $  Entry fee per person  

As it nears the top, the trail leaves Mass Audubon land and crosses onto adjoining conservation property. Before reaching the true peak at 2,126 feet, open ledges along the path offer a broad preview of the views to come.

Lenox Mountain has hosted a fire lookout tower since 1915, known as Richmond Fire Tower. The current structure, built in 1970, was decommissioned for lookouts in 1998 and is now fenced off to support communications equipment. Although the tower itself is closed to climbers, an outstanding viewpoint lies just past the summit. Looking northwest, the vista stretches toward the Taconic Mountains along the New York border, with the town of Richmond and Richmond Pond sitting in the valley below.

A gravel pathway, scattered with fallen autumn leaves, leads toward the two-story wooden main building at the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. In the foreground on the right, a large dark sign framed in wood displays 'Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary' along with the Mass Audubon logo and small policy icons. Mature trees with leaves transitioning into yellow, orange, and red hues frame the entrance, while a soft, hazy fog envelops the background forest behind the visitor center.
Early morning at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

For the return trip, the Overbrook Trail offers a gentler descent, following a stream drainage down the mountain. It re-enters sanctuary land before connecting with the Bluebird Trail for the final stretch back to the trailhead.

If you prefer a shorter hike with less elevation gain, Pleasant Valley offers several gentler options around its lower-elevation ponds and meadows. Near the trailhead, Pike's Pond features a flat, accessible loop suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, making it an ideal spot to watch for beavers and other wildlife activity.

A wooden boardwalk with sturdy railings extends through a lush wetland filled with bright yellow goldenrod and green foliage under a partly cloudy blue sky. Trees with early autumn leaves frame the left side, while the boardwalk curves gently into a dense forest in the background.
Accessible wooden boardwalk borders Pike's Pond.

A hiker in a red shirt, black cap, and dark pants walks away from the viewer along a narrow, root-strewn dirt trail through a dense forest. Sunlight filters through a high canopy of green and light yellow leaves, highlighting green ferns and small white wildflowers along the path, while a tree trunk on the left is marked with a round yellow trail blaze.
A clockwise route is the easiest approach.

A low-angle view looks up at a repurposed fire lookout tower, now functioning as a steel lattice communications structure fitted with various satellite dishes, rod antennas, and a Yagi antenna array. Framed by leafy tree branches along the top and right edges, the metal tower rises toward a partly cloudy blue sky, with barbed wire visible along the bottom-left foreground.
Former fire tower, now just a communications structure.


Lennox Mountain summit views of the Taconic Range.

External links:
Pleasant Valley at Mass Audubon website
Lenox Tower at Forest Fire Lookout Association website

Trailspotting nearby:
3★ Gobble Mountain (3 mi)
3★ Savoy Fire Tower (0-1 mi)
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