Jacob's Ladder Trail Scenic Byway
Jacob's Ladder Trail Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Massachusetts. Within Massachusetts it covers roughly 35 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Jacob's Ladder Trail Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Jacob's Ladder Trail follows US Route 20 for 35 miles across the Berkshire foothills of western Massachusetts, from the Lee town common west to the Russell-Westfield town line. It passes through Becket, Chester, and Huntington along the way. Massachusetts designated it a state scenic byway in 1992, making it only the second road in the state, after Cape Cod's Route 6A, to receive that recognition. Opened in 1910 at the urging of Lee resident Cortland Bishop, it was the first road built specifically to carry the new automobiles across a mountain range, and it became an immediate tourist attraction as 'the first of the great mountain crossovers.' The drive follows the rock-strewn Westfield River past open fields, wetlands, and steep rock ledges, with three access points into Chester-Blandford State Forest for hiking and camping. In Becket, the National Historic Landmark grounds of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival host performers from around the world each summer against a backdrop of Berkshire hills.
- 35 miles of US 20, Lee to Russell/Westfield
- State scenic byway since 1992 (MA's 2nd)
- Opened in 1910, first auto road over the Berkshires
- Follows the Westfield River
- Chester-Blandford State Forest
- Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival (National Historic Landmark)
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What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Jacob's Ladder Trail Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Jacob's Ladder Trail Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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