Mt. Holyoke, J. A. Skinner State Park - Hadley-South Hadley, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 18.029 W 072° 35.279
18T E 698820 N 4685956
Mount Holyoke, with an altitude of 995 ft., is a huge wooded mass of trap rock of exceptional beauty which rises high above the Connecticut River... the hotel on the summit is the third to stand there, and is now part of the J. A. Skinner State Park.
Waymark Code: WMC2XZ
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/18/2011
Views: 7
Defining the town boundary between Hadley and South Hadley (there is a cornerstone near the summit) is Mount Holyoke, a modest size hill that has spectacular views of the Connecticut River Valley and Mount Tom nearby. This mountain was written up in the American Guide Series for Massachusetts as follows:
South Hadley
Motor Tour
R. from Mt. Holyoke Rd. on toll road (small fee).
6. Mt. Holyoke (alt. 995). from which the college takes its name, is a huge wooded mass of trap rock of exceptional beauty, which rises high above the Connecticut River; and from the top, on a clear day, it is possible to see a distance of 70 miles. The hotel on its summit is the third to stand there. In the first one, in 1825, the town planned to entertain Lafayette with a choice of Jamaica rum, St. Croix rum, Holland gin, brandy, cognac, or cherry coredial. Unluckily the Marquis was late in his tour schedule, and had to pass directly through the town without pausing for these refreshments.
--- American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to its Places and People, p. 358.
Today, Mt. Holyoke is a well-visited location and is now protected within the J. A. Skinner State Park, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The park web site has some history of the hotel. The web site mentions two structures, the cabin and the building of a hotel around 1849 and was called the Prospect House. It is not clear whether this is the same building or not. The original building had a telescope and the black and white images on the site hint that the current building, now called the Summit House, might have been larger. The current building is closed for renovations. The web site states that is expected to be open in the fall of this year (2011). Other artifacts from the heydays of the hotel include the steam engine that went to a funicular (tramway) and the old proprietors' house that is now the ranger station, both at the halfway area along the road.
There is no charge to enter the park, and the toll has been eliminated. Even so, this isn't the only way to get to the top. There are trails that you can climb to the top, stopping for features such as the Titan's Piaza and the Devil's Football. Though I drove up this time, I have walked to the summit from the parking lot at the park entrance.
Views are wonderful, here, matched only by Mount Tom, a similiarly shaped mountain across the river. The most of the summit is treed, the ledge by the hotel is an open 'window' through the canopy.
Source:
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (J. A. Skinner Park):
Visit Site