| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Bare Mountain, Mt. Hitchcock, Mt. Holyoke, MA |
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 | Trails: |
Robert Frost Trail, Metacomet-Monadnock Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of spaces at the state park at 6:30 AM, but the lot was essentially full at 9:30 AM. I am not sure how much parking was available along Military Rd. at that point. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No water to be found up here- make sure to bring a sufficient amount for the trip, which often takes longer than people expect! |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Corridor is generally straightforward to follow, but white blazes are often faded and not necessarily present in ambiguous locations where they would otherwise help. The trail is also braided and rather eroded in spots between Mt. Holyoke Range State Park and Bare Mountain. It's easy to briefly lose the trail, but you will realize the mistake within 50 yards when it becomes clear you've taken the path less-traveled. There are a couple of stepovers, one of which (perhaps midway between Mt. Hitchcock and Taylor Notch) is at an annoying height- it will either significantly slow you down or place you at uncomfortably high fall risk if you're trying to run. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw a couple on the trail- no individual section of trail would exclude them, but make sure to bring enough water! |
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 | Bugs: |
Thankfully, zero. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Started at the intersection of the Robert Frost Trail with Military Rd., and followed this for perhaps 0.2 miles to meet the M-M Trail, which I followed west over the Seven Sisters to a natural turnaround point at Old Mountain Rd. Though I was going for speed, there are excellent views particularly from the Mt. Holyoke summit clearing, but also near the high points of Bare Mountain and Mt. Hitchcock, and from a few other random vantage points along the way. Dry trail conditions were a plus, but this is a rugged route, and many of the rock surfaces were polished and slick. There was essentially zero mud, and there were no fallen leaves yet. Plenty of other friendly hikers were out enjoying the day, especially by the time I returned over Mt. Hitchcock. I saw a number of groups climbing Bare Mountain around 9:00 AM. This was about 12.0 miles with 3,950' elevation gain, and an abundance of Type 2 fun (largely because I was pushing the pace). Full details on Unnecessary Climb! |
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 | Name: |
Jason |
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 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-09-21 |
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 | Link: |
 https://unnecessaryclimb.wordpress.com/seven-sisters-hadley-ma/ |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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