Visit Skinner State Park for a Big Perspective

People stand on deck overlooking river valley.

        September is a great month to visit Skinner State Park. October will be even better for fall color. I have been twice in the last two weeks - weekdays offer far fewer visitors than weekends. The wheelchair accessible Summit House perched on Mt. Holyoke offers a chance to appreciate a historic structure and some 19th century history. What everyone comes for is the scenic view of the surrounding Connecticut River valley. The entire outdoor walkway around the old hotel is fully wheelchair accessible. You can also contemplate some big perspective from atop the Holyoke Range.

A five foot tall fire extinguisher and historic piano inside the building.

        My visits were focused on the interior of the Summit House, to evaluate exhibit accessibility. It is possible to enter the building in a standard wheelchair, though the historic nature of the building makes the entry passage narrower than code, and assistance may be required over a 1/2" threshold. Once inside, there are various historical items on display, as well as photographs and documents on the walls. The most accessible feature of the interior is a short well-done video highlighting the bedrooms and parlor on the inaccessible second floor. 

        The Summit House is open on weekends and holiday Mondays only, when programs about the nature and history of the Holyoke Range also take place. 

Accessible ramp way shown from parking spot.

        The original "Prospect House" was opened in 1851 and was a popular tourist destination, operating as a hotel by different owners until the hurricane of 1938. A large addition was destroyed in the hurricane, and the owner at that time, Joseph Skinner, turned over the property to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1940 for all to enjoy. The state completed a renovation in 2014 that created wheelchair access to the viewing walkway around the building and opened up the interior to the public.

        As I drove to Skinner State Park this month, I passed flooded fields of cabbage, tobacco and other crops in the valley. Overnight rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which had made landfall in Louisiana and traveled for a day inland to create massive flooding in New York City, had left their mark in this fertile valley too. As you approach the entrance to Skinner State Park, a marker post shows the 1938 height of the river well above the road and well above the river below the road. Viewing the valley from the Summit House, with shining fields below, brought climate change closer to home.

        Inside the Summit House, there are two paintings of the nearby Oxbow of the Connecticut River, viewable and painted from this high perch. Thomas Cole was an early American painter who was part of the Hudson River School, which helped instill pride in the wild beauty of the American landscape and develop social values that led to the conservation movement. 

        Looking at the views from the ship-like deck around the historical hotel, one cannot help but appreciate efforts to preserve the natural landscape all around. One of the many heroic individuals involved in this effort was Terry Blunt. I had the privilege of meeting him in my early years working for our park system. Atop Mt. Holyoke, it is good to drink in all this big perspective and feel gratitude for the integrity of nature and all those who strive to maintain it.

             In these challenging times, connection with nature is vitally important for personal well-being and perspective and to renew a sense of stewardship with our landscape. A trip to Skinner State Park - or any state park - may be just what you need this fall. 

    DCR (Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation) advocates for people to be mindful of the pandemic situation and follow current safe practices outlined by the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.