Mount Tom, 1202 feet is a steep, rugged traprock mountain peak on the west bank of the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of downtown Holyoke

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range

Mount Tom Range

The Mount Tom Range is a traprock mountain range located in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. It is part of the Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to nearly the Vermont border...

 and the highest traprock peak of the 100 miles (160.9 km) long Metacomet Ridge

Metacomet Ridge

The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England, United States, is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and communities of plants considered rare or endangered...

. A popular outdoor recreation resource, the mountain is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus

Scree

Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...

 slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1100 feet (335.3 m) rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate

Microclimate

A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...

 ecosystems.

Located in Easthampton

Easthampton, Massachusetts

Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...

 and Holyoke, Mount Tom is traversed by the 110 miles (177 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail is a hiking trail that traverses the Metacomet Ridge of the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts and the central uplands of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire...

 and is the transmitter location for three Springfield

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

–Holyoke television stations: WGBY, WGGB, and WSHM-LP

WSHM-LP

WSHM-LD is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Licensed to Springfield, it broadcasts a low-powered high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter shared with low-powered Retro Television Network affiliate WTXX-LP on Ridge...

, and for radio stations WHYN-FM and WVEI-FM.