One of the most scenic and serene places on the Hampshire College campus is the North Woods, a 46-acre forest. The North Woods features trails for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing, as well as a fire pit and a rope swing for social gatherings. 

Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst. It was founded in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, and it continues to emphasize interdisciplinary, individualized, and self-directed learning. Hampshire College is known for its innovative curriculum, student-designed majors, narrative evaluations, and portfolio-based assessment. Hampshire College is also part of the Five College Consortium, which allows its students to take courses at four other nearby institutions: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The idea for Hampshire College originated in 1958 when the presidents of Amherst, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, appointed a committee to examine the assumptions and practices of liberal arts education. Their report, "The New College Plan”, advocated many of the features that have since been realized in the Hampshire curriculum: inviting students to self-design their program of studies; training students to be able to educate themselves through their lifetimes; emphasis on each student's curiosity and motivation; learning among and across multiple disciplines; and close mentoring relationships with teachers.