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Seven Sisters (Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
The Seven Sisters, part of the Holyoke Range
and located within the Pioneer Valley
region of Massachusetts
, are a series of basalt
ridgeline knobs between Mount Holyoke
and Mount Hitchcock (there are actually more than seven distinct peaks). The knobs offer scenic clifftop views interspersed with oak savanna
woodlands. The highest "sister" has an elevation of 945 ft (288 m) and stands 800 ft (244 m) above the valley below. The terrain is very rugged; a continuous walk along the ridgeline includes an overall elevation change of 3700 ft (1,128 m). The Seven Sisters are traversed by the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
.
The Seven Sisters are the location of the Seven Sisters Trail Race every spring, a twelve mile (19 km) "out-and-back" run that often leaves its runners bloody, bruised and exhausted. http://www.7sisterstrailrace.com/
In response to a proposed suburban development on the Seven Sisters in the late 1990s, several non-profit groups and local governments worked together to block construction and acquire the ridgeline for the J.A. Skinner State Park.
Coincidentally, the seven sisters are near two of the Seven Sisters Colleges
.
Adjacent summits:
Holyoke Range
The Holyoke Range or Mount Holyoke Range is a traprock mountain range located in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. It is a sub-range of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut north through the Connecticut River Valley of...
and located within the Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
region of 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...
, are a series of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ridgeline knobs between Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke
Mount Holyoke, a traprock mountain, elevation , is the western-most peak of the Holyoke Range and part of the 100-mile Metacomet Ridge. The mountain is located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, and is the namesake of nearby Mount Holyoke College. The mountain is located in...
and Mount Hitchcock (there are actually more than seven distinct peaks). The knobs offer scenic clifftop views interspersed with oak savanna
Oak savanna
An oak savanna is a type of savanna, or lightly forested grassland, where oaks are the dominant tree species. These savannas were maintained historically through wildfires set by lightning, grazing, low precipitation, poor soil, and/or fires set by Native Americans...
woodlands. The highest "sister" has an elevation of 945 ft (288 m) and stands 800 ft (244 m) above the valley below. The terrain is very rugged; a continuous walk along the ridgeline includes an overall elevation change of 3700 ft (1,128 m). The Seven Sisters are traversed by the 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...
.
The Seven Sisters are the location of the Seven Sisters Trail Race every spring, a twelve mile (19 km) "out-and-back" run that often leaves its runners bloody, bruised and exhausted. http://www.7sisterstrailrace.com/
In response to a proposed suburban development on the Seven Sisters in the late 1990s, several non-profit groups and local governments worked together to block construction and acquire the ridgeline for the J.A. Skinner State Park.
Coincidentally, the seven sisters are near two of the Seven Sisters Colleges
Seven Sisters (colleges)
The Seven Sisters are seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that are historically women's colleges. They are Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College, and Wellesley College. All were founded between 1837 and...
.
See also
- Metacomet RidgeMetacomet RidgeThe 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...
- Metacomet-Monadnock TrailMetacomet-Monadnock TrailThe 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...
- Robert Frost Trail (Massachusetts)Robert Frost Trail (Massachusetts)The Robert Frost Trail is a long footpath that passes through the eastern Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. The trail runs from the Connecticut River in South Hadley, Massachusetts to Ruggles Pond in Wendell State Forest, through both Hampshire and Franklin County and includes a number of...
Adjacent summits:
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