Mount Tom State Reservation
Mount Tom features wonderful views of the Pioneer Valley in west-central Massachusetts. The area is also a great place to bird watch–especially for hawks. Mount Tom State Reservation A basalt mountain range, 4.5 miles long and 1.5 miles, lurks above the northern end of Holyoke. There’s inspiring, rugged scenery in the Mount Tom Range, and from the high western cliffs you can gaze out for miles across the Pioneer Valley. The Mount Tom State Reservation was established in 1902 taking the title of the oldest park in the planning unit. The reservation is located in the cities of Holyoke and Easthampton along the Mount Tom Range. Over the years it has grown from its original 1,500 acres authorized to it’s present day 2,161 acres. This reservation host more rare species than any other unit on the Mount Holyoke Range. The area can be accessed from Christopher Clark Road. Approach for climbs at the northern end of the Mount Tom ridge: from Christopher Clark Road, walk down the road a mile or so until you get to a big boulder in the middle of the road. A few hundred feet past that is a pullout on the left. Roughly halfway between the boulder and the pullout, bushwhack into the woods, aiming for a faint snow ramp that diagonals up and left through the steep hillside above you. Follow this ramp to the wide-open talus field (it won’t be obvious as talus when looking at it from afar). The start of Diagonal Gully and Birch Tree Gully is just to the right of the top of this talus/snow field. The start of Scottish Gully is to the left of the top of the talus/snow field. Both Birch Tree Gully and Scottish Gully will be visible from the talus/snow field.
Recreational activities include hiking, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating. The 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail passes through the reservation as do several low-profile seasonal auto roads. The reservation is also a popular place to observe seasonal raptor migrations. Mount Tom features wonderful views of the Pioneer Valley in west-central Massachusetts. The area is also a great place to bird watch–especially for hawks. Offering one of the premier hawk-watching spots in New England, Mt. Tom boasts 2,000 acres of parkland primarily used for hiking and scenic viewing. Don’t forget to check out this place in Holyoke too.
The Mount Tom State Reservation was established in 1902 taking the title of the oldest park in the planning unit. The reservation is located in the cities of Holyoke and Easthampton along the Mount Tom Range. Over the years it has grown from its original 1,500 acres authorized to it’s present day 2,161 acres. This reservation host more rare species than any other unit on the Mount Holyoke Range. Mount Tom is considered an important host to more rare species than any other unit on the Mount Holyoke Range Planning Unit. This Reservation contains twenty-seven known state-listed rare species. The quantity and location of the species has led to the designation of 1,955.52 acres (99.28% of the reservation) as Priority Habitat under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. This is the greatest percentage of any property in the planning unit. The majority of the reservation approximately 1951.21 acres (99.06%) has been designated BioMap2 Core Habitat and more than half of 1,096.43 (55.69%) has been identified as Critical Natural Landscape. This Reservation is predominantly located along the northern half of the the Mount Tom Range extending for four miles from the northern base of Mount Nonotuck to the north and to the southern base of Mount Tom to the south. The elevation ranges from 1,150 feet to 400 feet above sea level. There are approximately 22 miles of trails within the reservation. If you are ever in need of a cabinet maker, click here.
