Loading...

Distance:
5.1 Miles / 8.2 km
Type:
One-Way
Difficulty:
Hard
Time to Hike:
2 hours, ~33 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Skinner State Park
Town:
Hadley, Massachusetts
Directions:
42.295204, -72.597497
Added:
December 30, 2017
Updated:
February 13, 2022

The 7 Sisters Trail (Seven Sisters) is a difficult 5.1 mile one-way hike that runs along the ridge of the Holyoke Range in Massachusetts from Mount Holyoke to the Notch. The trail can be picked up in two different locations - from the base of Mount Holyoke or the base of Bare Mountain on the Notch. There are no shuttle services for this hike, so to complete it one-way, you'll need two cars or you'll need a friend to pick you up afterward. You can also hike it out-and-back for just over 10 miles and close to 3000 feet of elevation gain, but the out-and-back hike is much more strenuous.

This hike starts at the base of Mount Holyoke along Old Mountain Rd in Hadley, Massachusetts and follows Skinner State Park Rd up the mountain until you reach the M&M Trail (white blazes). You'll see a small sign that lists the '7 Sisters Trail' - follow the M&M Trail east until you reach the parking at the Notch.

Just after you hop on the M&M Trail, you'll reach Taylor Notch, which is an overlook just above the intersection for the M&M. Taylor Notch gives you an overlook of Hadley, the Connecticut River, Mount Holyoke, and even Mount Tom in the distance. After stopping at Taylor Notch, continue hiking east and you'll find a small geocache box along the trail on the left-hand side. After Taylor Notch, the trail's elevation becomes very wave-like where you end up hiking uphill and downhill over and over again before finally reaching Mount Hitchcock. The trail makes a large descent just before Mount Hitchcock and then shoots up a steep climb up the mountain. Once you make it to the top of Mount Hitchcock, there's another overlook with views of Hadley, Amherst, Sunderland, and the rest of the valley. You can see Mount Toby in the distance and even Mount Greylock on good days.

After reaching the summit of Mount Hitchcock, continue east toward Bare Mountain. The trail again dips back downhill before shooting up Bare Mountain, which is yet another steep climb. Bare Mountain has two main lookout points - on the west side and one on the east side just above the Notch. Make sure to stop at these two lookout points before heading down Bare Mountain to parking.

Parking
Parking can be found on Old Mountain Road at the base of Mount Holyoke, just by the gate and at the Notch Visistor's center in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Note
Some sections of this trail are steep and require a little bit of climbing along steeper edges. Nothing too crazy, but the trail is not as accessible to little children.

Pets
Dogs are allowed on this trail.

Biking
Mountain Biking is allowed on this trail, but it'd be very difficult to bike on the 7 Sisters considering there are many steep cliff-like climbs.

Explore 204 trails near Hadley, MA
  1. Parking

    42.295204, -72.597497
  2. Main Trailhead

    42.295607, -72.597666
  3. Trailhead for the the 7 Sisters along Skinner Park Road

    42.301692, -72.582336
    Trailhead for the the 7 Sisters along Skinner Park Road
  4. Vista from Taylor Notch

    42.302078, -72.581428
    Vista from Taylor Notch
  5. Vista from Taylor Notch

    42.302086, -72.581428
    Vista from Taylor Notch
  6. Vista just beyond Taylor Notch

    42.302775, -72.579033
    Vista just beyond Taylor Notch
  7. Large rock outcropping

    42.303136, -72.576194
    Large rock outcropping
  8. Vista point

    42.303967, -72.564864
    Vista point
  9. Vista point

    42.303967, -72.564864
    Vista point
  10. Mt. Hitchcock vista point

    42.305742, -72.545806
    Mt. Hitchcock vista point
  11. Mt. Hitchcock vista point

    42.305747, -72.545769
    Mt. Hitchcock vista point
  12. Mt. Hitchcock Summit

    42.3056, -72.545433
    Mt. Hitchcock Summit
  13. Vista from western Bare Mountain

    42.304172, -72.53325
    Vista from western Bare Mountain
  14. Vista from western Bare Mountain

    42.304172, -72.53325
    Vista from western Bare Mountain
  15. Vista from western Bare Mountain

    42.304172, -72.53325
    Vista from western Bare Mountain
  16. Vista south from Bare Mountain toward Springfield MA

    42.303781, -72.532769
    Vista south from Bare Mountain toward Springfield MA
  17. Vista from Bare Mountain

    42.303772, -72.531381
    Vista from Bare Mountain
  18. Vista from Bare Mountain

    42.303753, -72.531128
    Vista from Bare Mountain
  19. Vista from Bare Mountain

    42.303725, -72.531128
    Vista from Bare Mountain
  20. Small view from Bare Mountain heading down the trail

    42.302989, -72.529
    Small view from Bare Mountain heading down the trail
Explore other trail routes for this hike, added by the MyHikes Community via Trip Reports.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)

Seasons

All

Blaze Color

White
Loading...
Loading...
768 '

Total Change
2,052 '

Ascent
1,660 '

Descent

Photo Albums

2 Trip Reports

No Star-Ratings
Write-up by:
Admin user profile picture
5.1 miles / 8.2 km
Trail added
December 30, 2017
Hiked on
December 29, 2017
Updated on
February 13, 2022
4.8 miles / 7.7 km
December 29, 2017

Weather Forecast

In Hadley, MA

Explore Hiking Trails

New Hikes

Almond-Hornell Overlook
0 Miles
0 km
Easy
Out-and-Back
Bubb and Sis Lakes Trail
2.1 Miles
3.4 km
Easy
Out-and-Back
Fred's Bog Trail
0.7 Miles
1.1 km
Easy
Out-and-Back
Cameron Overlook Hike
3.3 Miles
5.3 km
Easy
Out-and-Back

Before you leave...

MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller (Founder & Admin). As the Founder, main contributor, and doer-of-all-things for MyHikes, I share my trips with over-detailed write-ups for fun on a volunteer basis and I believe that public trail information should be available to everyone.

It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality content... along with building new features, moderating, site maintainance, and app development for iOS and Android . I simply ask that if you find MyHikes' trail guides helpful to please consider becoming a Supporter to help keep the site, iOS, and Android apps available to everyone.

Supporters unlock website and in-app perks with a one-time payment of $25 (you renew) 😎👍. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing - both quick and free 🎉

Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike!️

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder & Admin