Spas

When the beautiful people find life too hard to bear, they book themselves in at Canyon Ranch (165 Kemble St., Lenox, 800/742-9000, www.canyonranch.com, 3-night packages start at $1,690), an offshoot of the original Arizona spa that takes a holistic approach to health, including exercise, bodywork, nutrition, and even lab work to get your chakras humming again.

Less intense but more relaxing, the Cranwell Resort (55 Lee Rd., Lenox, 413/637-1364, www.cranwell.com, 3-night packages start at $615) puts its world-class golf course front and center, along with a full range of beauty treatments, body wraps, and massages.

East meets Western Mass. at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (297 West St., Lenox, 413/448-3152, www.kripalu.org, 2-night packages start at $328), recognized as the best “yoga spa” in the country.

For the rest of us, inexpensive à la carte massages and spa services are available at Lenox Fitness Center (90 Pittsfield Rd., Lenox, 413/637-9893, www.lenoxfitnesscenter.com), which charges $65 for a one-hour massage, and also offers reflexology, hot-stone massages, and yoga classes.

Hiking

Named by Herman Melville, October Mountain is particularly noted for its brilliant fall foliage. October Mountain State Forest (256 Woodland Rd., Lee, 413/243-1778, www.mass.gov) is the largest in Massachusetts, offering miles of backwoods trails and 46 campsites on a sun-drenched hillside.

In the far southwestern corner of Massachusetts is one of the state’s best hikes—the 20-minute ramble up to Bish Bash Falls. The waterfall tumbles through a mountain gorge down 80 feet to a sparkling pool. The hike is within Mount Washington State Forest (3 East St., Mt. Washington, 413/528-0330, www.mass.gov), which has more than 30 miles of trails through mountainous terrain.

Fishing

The Berkshire Fishing Club (Becket, 413/243-5761, www.berkshirefishing.com) runs fishing trips aboard a 16-foot bass-fishing boat on a private 125-acre lake.

© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition