Mount Holyoke, a 935-foot traprock summit above the Connecticut River Valley in Hadley and South Hadley, is the western end of the Holyoke Range and part of the Metacomet Ridge. Named for early Springfield resident Elizur Holyoke, it became one of New England’s earliest summit tourism sites with a cabin built in 1821 and later the Prospect House hotel, reached by riverboat, railway, and an inclined tramway. Given to Massachusetts in 1939, it is now J.A. Skinner State Park. Its basalt cliffs, varied microclimates, sweeping views, trail network, and long traditions such as Mount Holyoke College’s Mountain Day have made it a lasting regional destination.

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