The Holyoke Range

The Holyoke Range is yet another set of peaks along the Metacomet Ridge. I decided to go here with my dad because we had an entire day to do it. We did an out and back hike from the Notch Visitor Center, and it ended up being close to 10 miles round-trip. With all the peaks we went over, and all the views we experienced, it was a rough journey, but the views were rewarding.

A view from the grassy summit of Mt.Holyoke.

The first peak, going east to west as we climbed them, was Bare Mountain, named for it's bald summit. The mountain is the tallest on the west side of the notch at 1,010 feet. The climb to achieve these views gets steep in a few places, and the whole climb was an incline. Halfway up Bare Mountain, we came to a large talus slope at the bottom of a cliff.

The talus slope below Bare Mountain.

The trail comes to a viewpoint, first of many along the ridge. It offers a great view of Mt.Norwottock and the quarry where Round Mountain used to be. You heard that right! Quarrying began in the area in 1897 on Round Mountain, but today, there is no mountain.

Mt.Norwottock with the quarry in the front.

After the view, the trail turns as it climbs the peak and it soon reaches the mostly bald summit, with views of Mt.Toby, The Sugarloafs, Mt.Tom and Mt.Lincoln to the east. Mt.Warner and the Connecticut River can also be seen.

Looking south from Bare Mountain with Mt.Tom to the right.

Once we took in all the views from the summit, we began to head over to Mt.Hitchcock, which is named after Edward Hitchcock, a professor from Amherst College who studied the Holyoke Range. The trail leaves Bare Mountain and goes passed a gated off shed and antennae. The trail then brought us to a small viewpoint where someone built a shelter.

The view from the rock with Mt.Toby in the distance.

After descending from the viewpoint, we reached a pass where portions of the trail had washed out, and a staircase had been built to make the ascent easier. The trails in this area are definitely well maintained and cared for.

The staircase.

The trail soon reaches the summit of Mt.Hitchcock. Atop the mountain, there is a sign stating that the mountain is 1,005 feet. Old tower footings are also present, but these used to support a lookout tower. I don't see the point of a tower due to a large ledge on the summit that offers great views of Mt.Holyoke and even Mt.Greylock.

The view from Mt.Hitchcock with Mt.Holyoke to the left.

Now, the next set of summits is called the Seven Sisters, and I'm comfortable with saying that this section of trail is probably one of the most challenging trails in Massachusetts. Even though these peaks are called the Seven Sisters, it is commonly said that there are in fact nine peaks. We actually counted twelve peaks! Not many views can be had from them, but every once in a while we reached a small ledge.

The view from the tallest sister with Mt.Toby through the trees.

The best view along the Seven Sisters is the final peak, which has a long ledge with another wide talus slope below it. The views from here include Mt.Holyoke and Mt.Tom to the south. From the same ledge, you can also see Taylor Notch below, which is where Skinner State Park Road ascends Mt.Holyoke.

Mt.Holyoke and Mt.Tom from the last of the Seven Sisters.

After taking the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail down from the steep and unforgiving Seven Sisters, we crossed the road and began our last ascent on the way to Mt.Holyoke. The trail from Taylor Notch to the summit is also steep in many places until we reached the flat summit. The ledge on the summit is more of a front yard then a summit.

Looking northeast from Mt.Holyoke.

The true highpoint is on a bulging rock column. Below this point, there is a gravel trail going down to a memorial for a plane crash that took place on nearby Mt.Tom where everyone on board died.

The memorial had a real propeller on the side of it.

The entire summit is covered in grass and gravel trails with scattered picnic tables. A summit house is still present atop the peak with views in every direction. The most stunning view from the summit includes the snow-capped summits of Mt.Greylock and Mt.Snow in Vermont.

The Berkshires with the snowy summit of Mt.Greylock to the left.

Mt.Holyoke is named after Elizur Holyoke who first surveyed the land. If you remember my blog on Mt.Tom (blog here), that mountain is named for a similar reason.

GALLERY

Mt.Norwottock with the rising sun over the summit.

The bald summit of Bare Mountain.

Another view from Bare Mountain.

The footings atop Mt.Hitchcock.

The ledge on Mt.Hitchcock.

A zoomed in photo of Mt.Holyoke.

Mt.Tom through the trees from the first of the Seven Sisters.

Mt.Holyoke and the Berkshires from the Seven Sisters.

The Skinner State Park Road as it passes through Taylor Notch.

A picnic table on Mt.Holyoke.

Mt.Tom and Goat Peak from Mt.Holyoke.

Looking at the distant peaks of Peaked Mountain and Minnechaug Mountain.

Looking northwest from the summit house.

The summit house from the road.

Mt.Greylock with Saddle Ball Mountain to the left.

Mt.Snow and Haystack Mountain in Vermont.

Haystack Mountain in center shot.

We took the same trail back and the ups and downs of the Seven Sisters didn't get any better. We enjoyed the views from Mt.Hitchcock and Bare Mountain again. If you decide to hike this range, keep in mind your strength and ability before you head out. The hike is long and steep in many places. In the end, the hike is still worth it!

Mt.Tom

Mt.Tom is one of many peaks along the Metacomet Ridge. This ridge runs from New Haven to Greenfield, and Mt.Tom is the highest on the ridge. I figured that revisiting this mountain would be worth it. I visited Mt.Tom last summer, and I have a small report on it here. Even though there were a lot of people, the steep cliffs of this mountain are still worth it.

Mt.Tom from Christopher Clark Road.

The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail/New England Trail follows the spine of Mt.Tom, and that's what we took. This trail runs from Guilford, Connecticut to Mt.Monadnock in New Hampshire, but we only followed about 3 miles of it. We parked in the reservation, and began up the trail. It gets steep very quickly. Luckily, this steepness only lasts for a few minutes. We reached the ridge and our first viewpoint, overlooking Easthampton.

Overlooking Easthampton from the first ledge.

A few minor views later, we reached a steep climb, and arrived at Whiting Peak. The views from here are good, but they're only the beginning. Easthampton and Westhampton are visible from here.

The view from Whiting Peak.

After Whiting Peak, the trail goes into the trees with a few open cliffs. The hard and puzzle-like stone that makes up these mountains is called traprock, it's basically hardened magma from the Triassic Period. The mountains formed when the tectonic plates uplifted and the magma hardened. Many fossils and dinosaur prints can be seen in different places along the mountains.

A pleasant view from a flat ledge.

After a walk in the woods, we began to approach Deadtop. Deadtop is the middle peak along the ridge, and it's the home of the most cliffs. We came to a long ledge with a view stretching down the ridge. The cliffs are flat, but they drop down extremely steeply.

Looking down the ridgeline towards Deadtop.

All of the peaks on Mt.Tom don't really have a defined high point. The summits of Whiting Peak and Deadtop are usually associated with a viewpoint, but even that's hard to figure out due to the several ledges and cliffs. The cliffs are steep and spotted with pines and talus. They're also constant, but the biggest cliff is after Deadtop.

Looking at Deadtop, with Christopher Clark Road at the bottom.

We came out to a flat clifftop with a view looking up to the big cliff. The trail follows the very edge of this cliff, and the drop is insane. While I couldn't find any stories about deaths taking place on the mountain, I wouldn't be surprised if there was one, because one wrong step and you're falling hundreds of feet to the forest floor.

The big cliff of Deadtop.

The cliff is the last major view until the true summit of Mt.Tom. We did come to a few grassy landings atop the cliffs with great views looking over the valley.

Looking back from a grassy spot.

The trail swerved into the woods and followed a ledge to the summit. Mt.Tom itself is 1,202 feet, and the tallest peak along the whole Metacomet Ridge. The unique thing about the summit is that the trail follows the old balcony from a historic summit building.

A portion of the old balcony.

The Mt.Tom Hotel was constructed atop the mountain in 1897, but it later burnt down. They rebuilt it only to have it burn down again in 1929. There used to be a minor amusement park on the east side of the mountain, but it was torn down in 1988.

A view from the balcony.

The only remnants of the hotel today is a small portion of the foundation, the balcony and a big light up star hanging from the railing, which used to glow high above the valley every night. The summit was crowded, so we headed back down.

The giant light up star.

Mt.Tom is named after Rowland Thomas, the first man to survey the land. His friend was Elizur Holyoke, who named Mt.Holyoke after himself. If you want to learn how more mountains got there names, visit my mountain name map here.

GALLERY

Atop the cliffs on Deadtop.

Looking down from a field.

The cliffs on Deadtop.

Mt.Tom from Deadtop.

Another view of the trail as it follows the cliff.

Looking back at Deadtop.

A portion of trail between the peaks.

A view from an old staircase.

A big tree on a ledge near the summit.

Looking up to the antennas and the balcony.

A huge open ledge.

The widest shot that I could take with no people in it.

One last photo of a ledge.

On the way back, there were a lot less people. I would recommend coming on a week day, due to all the crowds. While this isn't the prettiest mountain, it offers some of the prettiest views. Mt.Tom is a great example of not always having to drive so far for great views!