Mt. Holyoke, Mt. Hitchcock, & Lithia Springs Reservoir Loop (Skinner State Park)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Distance: 10.71 miles
Elevation: 1,982 feet
My Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes (4 hours, 11 minutes moving)
Book Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes
Parking: Few spots but plentiful roadside parking before the Mountain Road gate.
Hiking Challenges: N/A
The Hike
'Twas the morning after the wedding, and we were actually feeling halfway decent! Emma and I had a medium slow morning. We got up, had some hotel breakfast (including some splooge pancakes), and took a quick drive to downtown Wethersfield. The wedding was at a barn in town, and it looked CUTE from the Uber, so we took some time to walk around town, explore their annual scarecrow competition, and breathe some fresh air. It was LOVELY. Afterwards, we parted ways, and I drove over to Skinner State Park near my old stomping grounds for some exploring!
I hoped to park along Old Mountain Road at the New England Trail trailhead, but there didn't seem to be any good pull-offs (there apparently were, as many more cars parked there throughout the day). I drove up to the gate at Skinner State Park to drive to the top of Mt. Holyoke and parked along that road, got suited up, and started my adventure with a trip to the porta-potty, that was near over-flowing. It made sense, unfortunately, since it was the end of a long holiday weekend.
A trailhead kiosk read:
"Skinner State Park
The parks' westernmost peak, Mt. Holyoke, was the site of North America's first summit house (1821) and the state's first mountain traimway (1854). Located in the towns of Hadley, South Hadley, Amherst, Belchertown, and Granby, the two parks were acquired after a long history of resort development on Mt. Holyoke. Silk manfacturer Joseph Allen Akinner deeded the first parcel (375 acres) to the Commonwealth in 1940. Later purchases have increased the parks to over 3,000 acres.
Recreation
The scenic views from the five major mountain summits are the parks' centerpiece. There are over 40 miles of marked trails, including an 11-mile segment of the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M-M). Some trails are suitable for horseback riding, mountain biking and cross-country skiing. Hiking, picnicking and birding are also popular. The Notch Visitor Center, open year round, offers exhibits and season interpretive programs.
Natural History
The Holyoke Range was formed 200 million years ago as lava welled up into the valley and sediments were washed in the nearby mountains. Running east-west, the backbone of the range is composed of basalt, a form of lava. Beneath this hard cap lie layers of sedimentary rock, including rough-textured conglomerate and fine-grained mudstone.
Geology has strongly influenced the plant communities found here. South-facing slopes support an Oak-Hickory foset more common further south. By contrast, on north-facing slopes, the forest is largely composed of Hemlock, White Pine, Birch, Beech, and Maple, an association much more typical of New England's cold, moist habitat. Certain rocky outcrops (called "the Balds") also support an unusal plant community featuring species typical of the tall-grass prairie far to the west. The mountain shelters a thriving wildlife population, including deer, foxes, songbirds, and raptors.
History
For over 12,000 years before the coming of the European settlers, Native Americans knew and used the lands on and around the Holyoke Range. Its larger peaks were sacred sites in themselves, held in awe and reverence by the local Nonotuck people, who inhabited this part of the Connecticut Valley.
Mount Holyoke is named after Elizur Holyoke, one of the first Europeans to survey the area, in the mid 1600s. Colonial settlement at Hadley began in 1659. In the 18th century, the range was a source of timber, later it served as sheep pasture. In the late 19th century, the mountain became a popular scenic destination. In 1951, John and Frances "Fanny" French built a two-story mountaintop hotel that included eight rooms and rooftop observatory. Under their management (through the 1890s), the mountain attracted the growing middle class and a few famous visitors. In 1854, a tramway (whose remains are still visible today) began bringing people to the summit. The hotel was added onto twice and ultimately had 40 bedrooms and a 200-seat dining room. Today, like the cabin of a great yacht, the hotel still sails proudly on, through clouds, sunshine, and thunder."
[11:51am - Start of Hike]
My hike started with a short uphill road walk and then a slightly-longer-but-still-short downhill walk along the gravel Old Mountain Road. The smell of Hadley was PRESENT. Skies were cloudy, temperatures in the mid 60s, and humidity was high! Leaves were pre-peak, but getting close. I hiked past a sign for "Titan's Piazza," which intrigued me, but not enough for a side quest, especially because the sign clearly said "not a through trail."
[11:59am - New England Trail]
Just a minute later I came to the New England Trail, which turned left into the woods. I passed a trail kiosk that had an old "Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Section 7: MA 47 to MA 116, The Notch Visitor Center" sign.
The trail was initially gentle and flat with some yellow leaves dotting the trail and green leaves on the trees. The trail then rose up to cross a power cut, providing a small, cloudy view. I heard a hawk overhead (take me away) as the trail skirted a cliff and then a not-so-spooky-but-slightly-spooky cabin? (EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: It was the Mt. Holyoke Outing Club Cabin. "The Mount Holyoke Outing Club cabin is located on MA NET: Section 7 in South Hadley, MA. The cabin is currently only available during the academic year (September-April), and it is not available during school holidays within those months. https://embark.mtholyoke.edu/OUTINGCLUB/CABIN-RENTALS/." The photos make it look very basic inside, but gets the job done!).
[12:04pm - New England Trail/Dry Brook Trail]
The New England Trail made a left turn at the Dry Brook Trail junction to climb and cross the power cut again with a slightly better view. It was HUMID! My sweat was sweating more than I was emotionally ready for. A view of the Mt. Tom Range from the power cut made me feel better, though. I passed a trio of hikers discussing if you can still call yourself a vegetarian if you eat insects.
The recent rain really was making all of the fall colors pop, even more so as I gained more elevation. With that, the rocks were very slippery. The trail dipped down to enter state land and passed a good collection of various fungi. I crossed paths with a solid amount of people between here at the top of Mt. Holyoke, which was expected. I eventually caught my first viewpoint out into the valley, which was just beautiful as always. Some blue skies were typing to pop out overhead.
One scramble led to an obstruced viewpoint and then the trail split - the NET went right and a seemingly less-traveled green-blazed path went left. They both rejoined and coincided just a minute later (MUCH later on, when I actually looked at a map, I would learn the green trail was the Hang Glider Trail). This climb contained a great combination of ups, downs, and flats.
The NET crossed either an old stone wall or an old foundation. Could have been either, but it was neat nonetheless! I forgot how interesting this trail was. The not-infrequent views helped a ton, too!
[12:34pm - New England Trail/Halfway House Trail]
I came to the junction with the blue-blazed Halfway House Trail, which I was mentally thinking marked the halfway point to the top (I was wrong). This used to be my main route up the mountain when I was in college. I remember it being steep! I'd love to redline this area someday...
[12:38pm - Mt. Holyoke Summit Area]
To my surprise and delight, I was at the top of Mt. Holyoke just a few minutes later! I immediately found three discs - two arrows and one summit - all by the Mass. Dept. of Public Works. There were a good amount of people at the summit, but thankfully the summit area is large and everyone was able to spread out. I loved seeing UMass and the whole Pioneer Valley.
To my surprise - the Summit House was open! I had never been inside before, so I did poke around a bit. I didn't explore too much, but I did appreciate seeing a piano AND a pianoforte! I took a few photos from the deck, but kept moving becuase there were a good amount of bees.
I continued around the summit area, passing the Hadley/South Hadley town line marker, a memorial plaque dedicated to Joseph Allen Skinner, and a good amount of folks having picnics. Notable, one sorority doing some ridiculous team building exercise where they go around the table all saying something nice about the next person. I took a few more photos of the beautiful valley, waved to The Zoo (UMass), and started my descent down to Taylor's Notch.
[12:48pm - New England Trail]
The hike down was steep but along lovely stone stairs, which brought me to a momentary flat stretch. I passed a family whose three year old was taking their time down the stairs (reasonably, I guess), as I continued to descend along an eroded trailbed. I could see the road through the trees, which was fun!
[12:54pm - New England Trail/Taylor's Notch]
The road crosses the trail in Taylor's Notch, and there were a few duos of hikers chilling in the notch, either talking or sitting. The leaves were looking great in here! The New England Trail now shared blazes with the Robert Frost Trail as it climbed up, medium steeply to a nice framed viewpoint back to Mt. Holyoke. I have a distant memory of this being called "Taylor's Knob," but there's a 69% chance I fully made that one up. MAN. I love fall.
I continued on the now-narrower New England Trail, thinking of the time my friend Rachel and I got off of the blazed trails coming up here once and ended up basically bushwhacking up the side of the hill (the route we took is on Stava - we weren't the only fools!). I ended up crossing paths with a MASSIVE religious group. They were hiking in a single-file line, chanting some call-and-response prayer, led by a man with a shaved head and blue religious robes. The at least 20-person group included people of all ages. Some were dressed in the robes, some were in hiking clothes, some were in fashionable street clothes. All were chanting. It was... weird.
[1:03pm - New England Trail/Black Rock Trail]
My reward for passing the cult was another nice viewpoint and then the trail descended to the Black Rock Trail junction, where the Robert Frost Trail turned off of the NET to go down towards the reservoir. I had an option to start my loop here, but I wanted to keep going on!
I crossed paths with four loose children, which was interesting but not overly alarming for the Pioneer Valley, and thankfully I crossed paths with their adults (and dog) a few minutes later. The trail reached another high point and then had a very steep wiggle down a little chute. I always wonder which high points count as the seven sisters? Additionally, the trailhead kiosk mentioned "five" summits in the range (Holyoke, Hitchcock, Bare, Norwottuck, ???).
I noticed that it had gotten siginificantly nicer out in the past hour. Skies were now sunny and blue with a few rolling clouds and near constant gentle breeze. The humidity had calmed down (slightly), too! It was evident that most people don't go past Taylor's Notch (or Black Rock Trail), as I was fully catching spider webs again! After a nice, easy stretch following the steep descent, I began to steeply ascend, again.
I passed a trio of gossiping girls at the next high point, which featured a small view. They stopped gossiping when I walked by, which was a huge bummer for my nosy self. The trail continued on, passing another high point and a unmarked spur to what I would guess was a viewpoint 20 years ago. I checked it out, nodded my head, and got back on the trail. The great thing about this trail is that there are obstructed tree views basically the whole time, which is especially fun this time of year when the valley is full of color.
I had a scrambly descent into a beautiful open area where the NET crossed with an old, unblazed woods road. The trail joined the old road afterwards, which felt wonderful on my legs. An unsigned trail turned left off of the ridge - I assume mountain biking trails.
[1:45pm - New England Trail/Parker Trail]
[1:47pm - New England Trail/Low Place Trail]
The Parker Trail junction was just after the unmarked junctions. Comically, it was marked with: CAUTION. CONFUSING UNMARKED TRAILS. The New England Trail continued to follow the old road in a beautiful autumnal forest. I passed the junction with the Low Place Trail, where the Robert Frost Trail returned to me, just after, and then I crossed paths with another passive group of college-aged kids.
Here is where I made the decision that I'd hike up to Mt. Hitchcock and then descen to the Lithia Springs Reservoir Trail. I could have gone all the way to Bare Mountain, but it was unclear if there was a usable trail off the backside and I was not overly excited about a road walk along NH-116 if there wasn't. Also, it was a Monday afternoon and I was still two hours from home. A compromise!
[1:50pm - New England Trail/Robert Frost Trail]
A couple minutes later the Robert Frost Trail departed the New England Trail again (in reflection, hiking the NET one direction and the RFT on the return would be a fun butt-kicker day). The Robert Frost Trail sign had another "confusing trails" warning. This also marked the start of the climb up Mt. Hitchcock, which was more than I was emotionally ready for!
This was the beefiest uphill climb since the beginning, and maybe of the whole hike? The rocks were loose and the trail was calf-steep, which really got my heart rate up! I crossed paths with someone wearing a trail running vest who said "this is the hardest part you're doing great!" The trail momentarily flattened out in a beautiful, golden forest before making one final push.
I came to a false summit and continued to a wonderful vista just afterwards. I could see the Holyoke Range on the right with the Connecticut River and Northampton straight ahead. I could even see Mt. Snow in the far distance! I changed my Nalgene here and grabbed a protein bar.
[2:07pm - Mt. Hitchcock Summit & Mt. Hitchcock Trail]
To my absolute delight, I came to the Mt. Hitchcock Summit sign just after! This is the tallest mountain in the range (just kidding, it's shorter than Bare Mtn. by eight feet), at a whopping 1005 feet! There were footings for an old tower (no disc) at the summit. A white arrow pointed left for the New England Trail, and an old, faded red arrow pointed right for the Mt. Hitchcock Trail. There was no sign for the Mt. Hitchcock Trail, but it was clearly on the map (in fairness, the map online is from 2014). I was cautious, but decided to go for it anyway since this was the only reasonable spot to descend anyway!
The Mt. Hitchcock Trail was definitely an old road - maybe one to access the old tower? I couldn't easily find information online. I have some Massachusetts Trail Guides and the 2005 edition of the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide I can check out at home. The trail was totally fine and easy to follow basically the whole way. The footing kind of sucked, but that could simply be the theme of the whole hike! I found one (1) only red blaze and a piece of flagging tape where the trail turned left off of the old road, but that was it! The trail and road occasionally coincided after this point. Basically, when the road would get too eroded, a still-eroded-but-less-eroded path would be off to the side. There were SO many loose rocks - generally unpleasat!
The trail began to mellow out in a slightrly darker forest where the air felt cooler, and that lasted for just a minute before the trail terminated at the Lithia Springs Trail! There wre no signs for the Mt. Hitchcock Trail, but I could see more red blazes in the opposite direction.
[2:25pm - Lithia Springs Trail]
The Lithia Springs Trail continued right on an old woods road with some old yellow blazes. Some were painted, and some were metal discs with bullet holes in them. It seemed like this trail is a snowmobile trail in the winter. It was SUPER pretty back here with tall trees and vibrant fall colors. The trail easily gained as I rejoyced being back on a lovely trail.
I wiggled through a very recent blowdown and passed a speed limit sign by S.A.M. (Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts) - it IS a snowmobile trail! In the same spot, There was a sign for the Lithiha Springs Trail, indicating the Reservoir is 0.6 miles away. It seems like this used to be the junction with the Low Place Trail, which has been closed. A sign read: "DCR has closed this trail to pretect soils and forest habitats. Please respect this closure. Restoration takes time - even a few footsteps can prevent recovery!" On anohter tree was a sign for Hadley and icons for gas and food. Snowmobile culture fascinates me always!
I continued to love walking on this trail through these beautiful woods. I passed another unsigned junction with another road, but the yellow blazes correctly guided me. I hopped over a wet spot and then I came to another larger junction. The trail sign said the Reservoir is now 0.3 miles away, and there was a ton of signage and some old fence posts - it reminded me slightly of the area around the Blue Hills Reservoir.
I hiked past an old "Public Water Supply No Trespassing" sign and crossed an old, open gate. I guess this used to be more restricted land?
[2:50pm - Lithia Springs Trail/Robert Frost Trail]
Just a minute later, I came to the junction with the Robert Frost Trail. This junction is not on the 2014 or 2019 maps, and I wonder what happened to the Low Place Trail? The RFT now followed the Lithia Springs Trail toward the reservoir. I heard seemingly endless birds in the air and nearly stepped on a pile or horse poop. I also heard the sound of either a crazy animal or people (which in fairness, would also fall into the category of crazy animals).
[2:54pm - Lithia Springs Trail/Lithia Springs Reservoir]
Turns out the sound was in fact humans, children for that matter! I followed a little herd path to the shore of the reservoir, which was simply beautiful! The trees were reflecting beautifully in the water as the hills stood overhead. There was even a cormorant swimming on the far shore. I fish jumped out at me!
I followed the path through the woods with occasional viewpoints, past a person napping in a hammock, and then rejoined the Lithia Springs Trail/Robert Frost Trail at the reservoir's dam. There were even little fish swimming about! I thoroughly enjoyed this area. I crossed a new-looking wooden bridge over a spillway, and continued back into the woods.
I noticed that my snot rockets were significantly less frequent today, which is a sign that I might be finally getting better! It seemed like there might have been more viewpoints after the bridge, but I was starting to feel tired and lazy. There was a small snowmobile sign that read: "Ese of this trail is a privilege not a right. Continued use depends on your courtesy and consideratio of other users and the land. Thank you."
[3:04pm - Lithia Springs Trail/Robert Frost Trail]
The Robert Frost Trail left the Lithia Springs Trail at intersection 113 (which on the 2014 and 2019 maps was named the Lithia Overlook Trail), and I continued on. The trail split at a point and both were marked yellow, so I just went and was fine. I caught up and passed a duo and then a trio, and eventually made my way over to cross the power cut again! I was a little thrown-off by the power cut - my internal map was confused!
There were a few more trail splits and junctions with old roads, and none were signed, but the blazing was clear enough where I always knew where to go. My energy was waining, but I soon came to the junction with the Lithia Springs Bypass.
[3:17pm - Lithia Springs Trail/Lithia Springs Bypass]
From here, it will be 1.3 miles to the Dry Brook Trail, which is farther than I want but also literally fine. I forced myself to have a protein bar, which is always the correct move. I then worked over a relocation over a bridge where the trail has turned into a stream. I then navigated over some horse poop as the trail undulated pretty gently until it steepened to cross the power cut again. I continued to ascend afterwards, which again was literally fine, but I was tired!
[3:33pm - Lithia Springs Trail/Black Rock Trail]
I eventually hit the junction with the Black Rock Trail after a beautiful stretch of forest. I had 0.5 miles to Dry Brook and 1.6 to Old Mountain Road (booooo). I was craving a caffeine boost, but naturally I was ill-prepared. I saw a snowmobile sign for the Summit House, which was fun! I started to descend, which made me pause with caution. I found myself thiking about how lovely this loop is, but if I were to do it again I'd make it a lollipop with Lithia Bypass to get this sloggy stuff over with early on.
I hiked past what must have been my 400th chipmunk and my 500th squirrel befor emaking a steep right turn before a "steep hill" sign - the hill was no steeper than anything else I've done today! I could start to see the ridge of Mt. Holyoke through the trees, which hurt my feelings. In fairness, I didn't know how much elevation I had left. The Lithia Springs Trail swichbacked down to a really beautiful area full of golden maple leaves and crosses what seemed like dry stream beds. This section FINALLY led to the Dry Brook Trail!
[3:42pm - Dry Brook Trail]
I was elated to land at the Dry Brook Trail. The trail was wonderfully flat, and I had 1.1 miles to Old Mountain Road. There was a stream, possibly the Dry Brook, down on the left. It was hardly moving, which would help my case. The trail was delightful in footing and beautiful, as it descended easily. The brook began to trickle a bit further down - it reminded me of a significantly calmer and less-rugged Dunnfield Creek area.
The brook eventually descended away from the trail, which still made me nervous because I didn't want to go uphill anymore! I passed an unsighed junction to an unblazed and unmapped trail on the left, which could have led to a view, but I was all done with hiking for the day. I kept on!
I crossed paths with a duo - the first in a while - and then crossed the power cut yet again! After a lovely flat stretch I crossed back into Massachusetts State Land and passed a little rock chasm-like area. It wasn't wet, though. Maybe an old mining site? Maybe there used to be a stream? Maybe it's just the glaciers being well behaved?
The Dry Brook Trail rambled past a little pond, rose slightly, and then I could smell Hadley! I was close! This was a LOVELY trail!
[4:00pm - New England Trail]
The Hadley smell WAS a positive indicator, because just a minute later I was back on the New England Trail! I worked my way down the New England Trail, past the cabin, through the power cut, and then I was back on Old Mountain Road!
[4:04pm - Old Mountain Road]
The road walk was a nice but STINKY one. The Hadley smell was being wafted up the mountainside by the breeze and it was STRONG. The road did go uphill, but it wasn't a problme since it was so gentle. It was ridiculously beautiful out. I passed the Titan's Piazza trail, gave it a nod, and sad "another time."
[4:11pm - End of Hike]
I made it back to my car, did my quick (slow) change, and then had an absolutely wonderful drive back home! This is such a ridiculously beautiful area of Massachusetts, and I always feel so lucky to have gone to college out here. Until next time, Western Mass!
Step-by-Step
- Park along Mountain Road before the gate.
- Start hike by hiking south (downhill) on Old Mountain Road.
- At jct., turn left onto New England Trail (white).
- Follow New England Trail over Mt. Holyoke to Mt. Hitchcock, following white blazes.
- At Mt. Hitchcock, turn right onto Mount Hitchcock Trail (red, sparsely blazed).
- At terminus, turn right onot Lithia Springs Trail (yellow).
- At terminus, turn left onto Dry Brook Trail (red).
- At terminus, continue left onto New England Trail (white).
- At road, turn right onto Old Mountain Road and walk back to car.
