Visiting Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA is a wonderful outdoor adventure waiting for you and your family pretty much year round. I first visited Purgatory Chasm when I was about 10 years old, as part of a day trip with a neighboring family. It was exciting then and surprisingly, now decades later, it remains an area that shatters your reality with its rocky display. The only way to get a full sense of the uniqueness of this Massachusetts DCR ( Department of Conservation and Recreation ) parkland is by going to Sutton, MA and spending a few hours at Purgataory Chasm.
Certainly the location of Purgatory Chasm is remote at best. People who come to Massachusetts as well as residents often divide the state into two parts Boston and the area around Boston in the eastern part of the state and the area around the Berkshires at the western end. Less time is spent in discovering some of areas of historic interest or scenic wonder. Discovering Purgatory Chasm and some free fun with your family will require a trip to the central part of the state. You will find Purgatory Chasm by exiting off Rt 146 at Exit 6 onto Purgatory Rd. in Sutton.
This simple exit will take you off the highway and into the woods of Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. It won’t take you but a moment to recognize what a very special location you have wandered upon. All around you, even while you are in the parking lot you can see the uneven, rock covered terrain that stretches out in all directions.
The main activities here are hiking and exploring. The central feature is a one quarter mile divide or chasm that cuts between high walls of granite on both sides.
What you discover if you take time to read the posted park information along the trail or at the visitors center is that Purgatory Chasm was not created by a water running through and carving out a canyon over thousands of years as with the Grand Canyon. In fact Purgatory Chasm shows very little in the way of running water at all. According to site authorities the chasm was most likely formed as part of glacial activity taking place as much as 14,000 years ago.
The result is the giant fissure but also all manner of rocks, boulders, sheer faces of rock that call to the able bodied to explore and see what is around the next corner. There are a variety of marked trails that will take you to great lookout positions and pass you through some incredible rock formations. What is most impressive is the totally random way in which many of the rocks seem to standing, almost as if they had been accidentally thrown there or that they had once been part of huge tower that got destroyed and scattered all over the ground. There is nothing symmetrical here, just a close up view of the powerful face of nature.
Those who make the trek to Purgatory Chasm, Sutton, MA do so at their own risk and there are plenty of warning signs along the way to remind you of the need for using caution as you hike and explore. Special dangers surface on days when the weather is, or has been, damp. But even on dry days, leaves, pine needles and exposed roots can give the novice hiker plenty of challenge before they even get involved with the rocks.
The DCR has done an excellent job in expanding what is offered at Purgatory Chasm in Sutton over the years. Many years ago you could come and enjoy the rocks. But today’s park has been fitted out with lots of new picnic tables set against a wooded and rocky background, many of them equipped with grill set ups. An extensive playground lies at the bottom of a hollow that is adjacent to the visitors center. It is meant to accommodate large numbers of children. There is also an open field where groups can gather and play ball, throw a Frisbee around or meet before setting out or going home.
Most inviting of all for families, senior citizens, school groups or anyone who enjoys exploring the wonders of the out of doors is the fact that the Massachusetts DCR offers this area to one and all at absolutely no charge. Come for a walk, a hike, some exploration or if you are very brave come to slide down the “Sliding Rock” that is a central feature of what can be a wonderful day visiting at Purgatory Chasm, Sutton, MA
