Berkshire County is already known for an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities. And one conservation group wants to add to that, with a network of trails that would make it possible to hike from town-to-town across the county. The High Road project is well on its way.

In Richmond, sits a big meadow that used to be farm land. Lush and green, even in late October. There’s mountains to the east and trees with browning leaves blowing all over on this windy morning.

This land will be part of the High Road, a project spearheaded by Berkshire Natural Resources Council, and its president, Tad Ames.

“In 2009, one of our supporters, a woman from Lenox, wrote with an e-mail saying, ‘Is there a possibility that we could establish and inn-to-inn walking trail around here like we have in my native Europe?'” Ames said.

It took a few years, but Ames acted on that idea. He estimated the cost at $5 million, and about 80 percent of that is already raised. The plan: Get landowners to sell or sign off on easements, then build some new trails to link to existing trails owned by the state or other groups.

Tourism officials have been looking for ways to get people to the Berkshires before and after the busy summer months. And Ames said the High Road could fit that bill, along with conserving open space.

“That is some of the best time of year to be hiking out in the woods,” Ames said. “After the leaves are gone, before the bugs show up. The [tourism officials] really see this, as do we, as another building block in the regional economy.”

And unlike the Appalachian Trail, this network will be designed so hikers can take a trip lasting a week, a day or even just an hour.

Last Tuesday, about a dozen women armed with hiking poles arrived at the meadow for their weekly hike. The group has met for more than a decade, and they chattered away while walking. Cookie Lamet of Pittsfield said they check out different places each week, and that the High Road might convince her get out outdoors even more.

Ames said his organization hopes to raise the rest of the money by next year. But he hasn’t set a date to complete the project. It’ll be some years before hikers can get that European trail experience in the Berkshires.