Mount Tom and Holyoke Ranges
The Mount Tom Range and the Holyoke Range form the dramatic traprock backbone of the lower Pioneer Valley, rising steeply above the Connecticut River in a line of rugged cliffs and wooded summits. Although separated today by the river, the two ranges are geologically continuous, part of the same ancient ridge system. Their profiles were shaped during a period of “Jurassic rifting,” or so I’ve read, when molten basalt welled up into great sheets and later tilted, eroded, and fractured into the sheer cliffs and long ridgelines we see today. The result is an rare east–west mountain range in Massachusetts and some of the most striking terrain in the Commonwealth. The overall elevations may not be massive, but the peaks offer vigorous, rocky hikes with big views, and they feel a world away from the quiet farmland and towns spread out across the valley below.
These ridges also played a remarkable role in the region’s glacial past. At the end of the last Ice Age, meltwater filled the valley to create glacial Lake Hitchcock, a vast body of water stretching from northern Vermont into Connecticut. The combined bulk of the Mount Tom and Holyoke ranges acted as a natural dam and spillway, forcing the lake to drain southward through a narrow gap near present-day South Hadley and Holyoke. Over time, the outflow carved the Connecticut River channel we know today.
Today, the ranges are laced with well-marked trails — including sections of the New England National Scenic Trail (Metacomet–Monadnock Trail) — offering everything from short, family-friendly rambles to long, rugged traverses over multiple summits. Seasoned hikers sometimes tackle the entire length of both ranges in a single epic day, while others (myself included) prefer to enjoy them in shorter loop hikes and manageable afternoon outings. Either way, the peaks on this list offer some of the finest scenery in Massachusetts.
Here is the list. Stay tuned, guide pages for each peak will soon be added.
| Elevation Rank | Name | Elevation | Prominence | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mount Tom | 1,201 | 965 | Holyoke |
| 2. | Mount Norwottuck | 1,108 | 788 | Amherst |
| 3. | Bare Mountain | 1,018 | 497 | South Hadley |
| 4. | Mount Hitchcock | 1,013 | 196 | South Hadley |
| 5. | Mount Holyoke | 954 | 325 | Hadley |
| 6. | Long Mountain | 927 | 340 | Amherst/Granby |
| 7. | Seven Sisters | 923 | 138 | Hadley/South Hadley |
| 8. | Goat Peak | 838 | 138 | Holyoke |
| 9. | Mount Nonotuck | 834 | 144 | Holyoke |
| 10. | Rattlesnake Knob | 813 | 102 | Amherst/Granby |
Hiking Massachusetts Peaks 