West of Arkham the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut. There are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight. On the gentler slopes there are farms, ancient and rocky, with squat, moss-coated cottages brooding eternally over old New England secrets in the lee of great ledges; but these are all vacant now, the wide chimneys crumbling and the shingled sides bulging perilously beneath low gambrel roofs.

HP Lovecraft, The Colour Out of Space

It's not as bad as all that! The Quabbin Reservoir is a beautiful day trip, with trails and picnic sites by the dam and the Goodnough Dike, and pleasant country driving.