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Hiking Mt. Holyoke Range and J.A. Skinner State Parks

Discover pastoral views and rustic cabins in Massachusetts.

Photo: ALLEN

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Daylight is beginning to burn off the morning fog, $35 for the whole thing) nestled into the hillside as the descent starts to mellow out. Inside, snag one of four cots, and enjoy a woodstove and electric lights.

High-Style Finish

Summit House opened in the 1850s as a mountaintop retreat for tourists and creative types. Acquired by the state in 1940, the restored structure now offers a culture fix for hikers: Explore a museum with artifacts from the hotel’s past, or, on Thursday nights in summer, linger for folk and blues concerts ($10) as sunset rays flood the balcony.

Birds

The range’s east-west orientation makes for a powerful windbreak. Mountain slopes convert northwest gusts into updrafts—and ideal hunting grounds for birds of prey. Look up to spot broad-winged hawks, kestrels, and even the occasional bald eagle. Solo flyers drift through in spring and summer; migration traffic peaks in September.

Water

There are no reliable creeks on this route, but you can top off at the Notch Visitor Center (mile 4.2) and the Summit House (mile 8) between May and October.

Do It: Trailhead 42.3075, -72.4709; 7 miles east of Hadley on Harris Mountain Rd. Season May to October Permit None 

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