Bare Mountain to Military Rd. loop trail – 4.3 Miles

This hike will take you to the summit of two mountains in the Metacomet Ridge. If hiking clockwise the first summit is Bare Mountain.  After a steep rocky climb along the M&M trail (white blaze) you will reach the summit of Bare Mountain (1014ft). On the way to the top there is a great example of a talus slope. Once you reach the summit you will see realize how it got its name. The summit offers 270° views. You can see parts of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus from the summit. After enjoying the views and finding the geocache (if that is your kind of thing) continue on the M&M trail. You will descend into a valley before your climb to Mt. Hitchcock(~1029ft), the second summit of this loop.  Mt. Hitchcock is the start of the seven sisters. After the Hitchcock summit continue on the M&M you will descend quickly the M&M trail. Turn north at the junction of the Parker trail (blue blaze). Continue till the North Side (yellow blaze) trail. The North Side trail seems to be an old logging trail or atv trail.  You will continue to descend slowly. At the four-way intersection head east toward the reservoir, once you reach the reservoir cross over the brook and continue along the bank of the reservoir heading east toward Military Road.  You will come to a fence that marks the boundary of the Five Colleges Library Depository, within a subterranean bunker formerly occupied by the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command.  This bunker was built in 1957 in case of a nuclear counter-attack. In 1994 the bunker was converted into a book depository for Amherst College.  You wil continue along the fence and end up on Military Rd.  Continue on Military Rd. till you hit Rt116 then back to the Notch parking lot.

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