Many people in the Pioneer Valley, including the host city itself, do not realize that there is a hidden gem of a rail trail in the city of Holyoke.
This rail trail offers spectacular mountain views and one of the best short exercise courses in the state. It is underutilized, underfunded, and underpublicized. You won’t find it in any Rail Trail book.
With a minimal expenditure of funds for signs and publicity, this rail trail could help to revive one of the top tourist attractions of Western Massachusetts, Mt. Tom.
Rail trails have become increasingly popular in the past few decades. They offer almost every citizen, including families and the disabled, a chance to exercise and enjoy nature free from traffic, noise, and pollution.
Many people from the Pioneer Valley are familiar with the Manhan and the Norwottuck Rail Trails. These trails are wildly popular, with thousands of walkers, bikers, and joggers using them every year. This influx of trail users generates increased economic activity and prosperity to the surrounding communities, as well as increased property values for the abutters.
The “hidden Holyoke” rail trail starts at the former site of Mountain Park, on Mt. Park Road, off of Route 5. There is a three way intersection of gated roads.
The road to the right is the beginning of the trail: the Mt. Tom Ski Road, which is a service road on the site of the former Holyoke Street Railway. It is approximately a mile of paved road with little to no traffic and has an excellent warm up hill to prepare you for the main attraction. There is plenty of on-street parking; just make sure you don’t park on the highway bridge or block the gates, as you will be subject to tickets and/or towing.
At about a mile, you will see a narrow road on the left with an orange open gate. This is the second half of the trail, The B17 Walking Trail. It is a paved one-lane, mile-long hill going straight up the slope of Mt. Tom. This is the heart of this rail trail.
Originally an offshoot of the Holyoke Street Railway, the Mt. Tom Railroad connected two of the former premiere tourist attractions of the state, Mountain Park and the Mt. Tom Summit House. Both of the attractions have long since burned to the ground. Mountain Park is now a summer concert venue, and the Summit House has been replaced by giant telecommunication towers at the top of the mountain.
Another nearby attraction, the Mt. Tom Ski area, lies abandoned and decrepit. The Mt. Tom Railroad has been paved over to become a service road for the towers, and it is this road, re-christened the B17 Walking Trail, that beckons exercise fanatics throughout the area who are lucky enough to know about it. Traffic is extremely rare, limited to service vehicles.
The trail is named for the B17 Memorial that commemorates the crash site where 25 World War II service veterans were killed in a fiery air crash in 1946. This touching site provides a memorial stone containing the names and rank of the victims along with information about the crash. Small fragments of twisted metal, presumably pieces of the plane, have been gathered by onlookers as a silent tribute to the victims.
The main attraction for anyone wanting a unique exercise experience is the B17 Trail itself. It is essentially a solid mile of straight uphill, rising approximately 750 feet at varying grades sometime approaching 25 degrees. This is a long, steep hill, where the only respite is when one section is less steep than the previous one. At one point, near the beginning, you can look straight up and see approximately two thirds of the journey in one view, and a daunting view it is. Mostly used by walkers, you will occasionally meet a jogger or runner gamely making their way to the top. Even more rarely, you may encounter an intrepid bicyclist, but these are usually top athletes training for competition. Most duffers would find it impossible to bike to the top. On this trail I’ve met hikers training for a planned trip to Mt. Rainier and cyclists training for the Mt. Washington Bike Race, so again, this is a serious hill.
This description should not put people off. You can take your time, rest whenever you want, and turn around if you have to. You control your own speed and exertion, and can slow your pace and preserve energy at any time merely by shortening your stride. I’ve seen children and seniors make it to the top. However, this hike is not for the couch potato. If you are not already a walker you should start with less challenging hikes and build yourself up before attempting this route.
An added reward for reaching the top can be summed up with President McKinley’s phrase when he visited the Summit House in 1899: “The most beautiful mountain outlook in the whole world.”
This may be a bit of presidential hyperbole, but it’s not far from the truth. When you make it to the top of this rail trail you will have a real feeling of accomplishment, capped off with lovely views of the surrounding cities and countryside.
As mentioned previously, few people even know this unique trail exists. It is hidden from view, and there is little physical evidence that the trail is even an official rail trail. The one small sign at the foot of the B17 Walking Trail, which is a mile from where people park, is partially hidden and covered with graffiti. Also, there are “No Trespassing” signs, which are no longer operative and don’t apply to the trail itself, but that confuse and discourage some people from hiking the trail. These signs should have been removed when the state took possession of the abandoned ski area, but they remain — just like the crumbling ski lodges themselves.
This trail is a must-try for anyone who currently walks for exercise but that feels that they are getting more therapy than exercise. If you currently do a three or four mile hike around a reservoir or on a rail trail, but feel you just aren’t getting enough exercise, try the B17 Walking Trail. You will get your fix of nature, enjoy fantastic mountain views, and get far more exercise than you are currently getting. Also, if you are a serious athlete in training, you won’t find a better hill workout anywhere in the area. Every cross country and track coach in the area should have their runners train on this course if they are serious about their training regimen. You won’t find a better place for hill training.
So if you are looking for a new trail experience that provides a tremendous workout with spectacular views, consider the “hidden” rail trail in Holyoke. Then consider lobbying the Holyoke mayor and city council to make this trail accessible and known to all. The addition of a few signs and publicity could dramatically increase trail usage and bring many more people and their attendant economic activity into the city. This would cost almost nothing at all as it merely heralds what already exists. Hope you enjoy the trail as much as I and a dedicated few currently do.