Hiking Massachusetts Peaks

Mass Public Peaks rank: #21
Elevation: 2,216 ft.
Prominence: 273 ft.
Isolation: 1.97 miles
Summit coordinates: 42°18’36.5″N 73°09’26.6″W
Town: Becket, Massachusetts
Conservation Area: October Mountain State Forest

Links:
Walling Mountain on Peakbagger
Walling Mountain on ListsofJohn
October Mountain State Forest website (including trail map)

General info: Part of the central Hoosac Range (the western edge of the Berkshires) and located in October Mountain State Forest, Walling Mountain offers a mostly gradual ascent. About half a mile from the summit, the climb becomes steep, but the section is brief and easily manageable. The Appalachian Trail crosses directly over the summit, providing straightforward access to the high point. While the summit is heavily wooded and lacks vistas, the area is peaceful and scenic. There is very little undergrowth on Walling Mountain, so the trees form a high canopy and there are large boulders strewn here and there around the summit. Finerty Pond is just a short distance north, offering a pleasant spot to rest. Becket Mountain, located just to the south, provides another peak to explore, though it is not prominent enough to be included in the “Massachusetts 50 Highest Public Peaks.”

Historical background: The mountain was named in honor of Henry Francis Walling (1825 – 1889) by the Massachusetts Geographic Board in 1930. Walling was an American civil engineer and cartographer born in Burrillville, Rhode Island. After working as an assistant librarian at the Providence Athenaeum, he studied mathematics and surveying. Walling produced numerous town maps in Massachusetts and, in 1855, was appointed the Commonwealth’s Superintendent of the State Map. He later joined the U.S. Coast Survey and, in 1883, the U.S. Geological Survey, contributing significantly to the geodetic survey of Massachusetts until his death in Cambridge, Massachusetts. By the same recommendation of the Geographic Board and its approval by the General Court, Borden Mountain was also named in honor of a prominent Massachusetts geographer.

October Mountain, the high point in the state forest, was purportedly named by Herman Melville, who resided in nearby Pittsfield. In the 1890s, William C. Whitney, who later served as Secretary of the Navy under Theodore Roosevelt, amassed roughly 10,000 acres in the Berkshires as a private retreat and game preserve. After his death in 1905, his heirs gradually sold the property to a group of local residents who transferred the land to the Commonwealth. This was the beginning of the October Mountain State Forest.

Recommended ascent routes:
Walling Mountain and Becket Mountain from Tyne Road: This was my route up Walling Mountain on AllTrails. Disregard the part where I was mucking about along the shore of Finerty Pond–I couldn’t find the connector to Finerty Pond Road (there really isn’t one on the east side) and then once on the dirt road, I decided it was time to backtrack and head up Walling Mountain. At any rate, this was a nice loop with good trails (except on the east side of Finerty Pond). This route was about 4.8 miles with 860 feet in elevation gain.

Nearby Listed Peaks: Walling is one of the more isolated (in terms of distance from other listed peaks) on the Mass 50 Highest Public Peaks listing. So, it’s not within easy hiking distance of any others. Warner Hill and Tully Mountain are also on the Appalachian Trail about 11 and 13 miles north of Walling (respectively).