Whiting Street Reservoir - An Easy Hike in Holyoke

Along Whiting Street Reservoir

April weather is drawing more people into the outdoors and last week I had the pleasure of being welcomed to a new place for me, Whiting Street Reservoir in Holyoke. Sarah Wedaman, local mother of a child with a disability, invited me to check out this favorite place to jog with her son in his stroller. We met on a sunny, warm afternoon and circled the reservoir in an hour and a half on a pleasant stroll.

Roadside parking is at the end of Mountain Park road in Holyoke, off Route 5. There are no designated accessible parking spots and no bathrooms or buildings at this popular location. Best times to go are during the weekdays when you can park close to the gate on relatively level pavement. Recently paving around the gate has created an accessible entry. To go around the reservoir - which is not visible from your car - choose to walk the uphill road. (The downhill choice enters the Mt. Tom Ski Area.) The paved road has a long gradual grade uphill and a steeper descent alongside noisy I-91 before you arrive on flat ground next to a  portapotty (not wheelchair accessible), which I found very clean inside.