Mohawk Trail State Forest Reopen after Tropical Storm Irene

Photo Credit: Dave Peatfield

CHARLEMONT, Mass. — A popular state forest is back open after getting battered by Tropical Storm Irene.

The Mohawk Trail State Forest was closed for months after the storm, but campers are finally back on the grounds.

The Loftus family is enjoying a family camping trip at the Mohawk Trail State Forest.

“It’s really nice, my first time here, but it’s really cool to be on the river with the mountains in the backround,” says Sarah.

Photo Credit: Dave Peatfield

It wasn’t so peaceful here last August when Tropical Storm Irene hit.

Massive rain caused big flooding problems here, washing away some campsites and even part Route 2 leading to the state forest was washed away.

Brendan Loftus says they were here soon after that.


“We just went for a cruise, not specifically to see the damage kind of a fall foliage. We couldn’t get over how bad the damage was,” says Brendan.

Photo Credit: Dave Peatfield

A lot of Franklin County took a beating by the storm, especially here.

These camp sites weren’t open for the fall season because the damage here at the state forest was so bad, they couldn’t open until after the new year.

After months of clean up and repairs, it’s business, or camping, as usual.

” We did some hiking this morning and now we’re going kayaking have you noticed any damage along the way? Not really its been pretty good,” says Kate Loftus.

Photo Credit: Dave Peatfield

“It’s amazing how much they’ve accomplished in that amount of time. The way they rebuilt a lot of the area, like the rocks to channel the river and prevent future damage.”

Now the only worry here is having enough wood for the camp fire to keep the mosquitoes away.

Not only is the Mohawk tTrail State Forest open in time for Memorial Day, the campground is booked solid for the weekend.

Photo Credit: Dave Peatfield