A Recreational Development Plan for Holyoke
Recreational Access Development for Holyoke, MA
Draft: Purcell for Holyoke Committee  2007
 
Holyoke has a reputation as a gritty urban city of mills and poor apartment buildings, but residents know the underdeveloped and forgotten recreational resources that surround us.  The Connecticut River above the dam was once lined with summer camps, a railroad took sightseers to the top of Mt. Tom and later in the century skiers and land lugers raced down the slopes of Mt. Tom Ski Area and Water Park.  Other observation towers once stood on many of the knolls around Holyoke.  Sailboats drifted up and down the Connecticut River, both above and below the dam.  Now Holyoke's recreational treasures lie in abandonment, overgrown with weeds and forgotten.  A city recreational development plan is needed to rediscover the potential the city holds. 
 
The Canal Walk in Holyoke remains unfinished and will be a great way to begin to realize the potential of the downtown area. 
 
A broader view of Holyoke's surroundings shows that we actually have vast untapped recreational opportunities.  Some ideas:
 

  • Give Holyoke kids something to do.  Build a skateboard park. Fund after school programs.  Develop Holyoke's recreational resources.  Fund the schools so that the city becomes a resource for youth, not a place to get out of.



  • Make downtown Holyoke greener: identify more brownfield sites for parks, community gardens, baseball and soccer fields, and riparian buffers along watersheds.
 
  • Connecticut River Whitewater Park - The Wave-o-Saurus at Dinosaur Footprint Park attracts dozens of kayakers when the river is high.  Below the dam, the river runs through four rocky channels that could be naturally sculpted to provide a better whitewater boating experience.  Not an amusement park, but an ecologically-sensitive kayak and tubing park below the dam that offers access to the river while preserving the natural beauty and bird sanctuary provided between the dam and the lower bridge to South Hadley.  See a draft plan of the kayak park here...
 
  • Connecticut River Canoe Trail - Upper and Lower  An upper canoe trail along the Connecticut River above the dam would start near the Oxbow and pass Dinosaur Footprints and end at the log pond above the dam.  The lower trail would resume below the dam and pass the canal outfalls including a waterfall before offering takeout options in Springdale and at Jones Ferry/Nuestra Raices.  There is currently no convenient boat access to take boats out above Holyoke Dam, and no put-in offered below the dam on the Holyoke side.  Access points for canoers and kayakers could be developed near the fish ladder and again in Springdale and at Jones Ferry.  This route is scenic and wild and offers great fishing and birdwatching opportunities, including bald eagles and herons.
 
  • Connecticut River hiking trail - a trail system from the Oxbow to Jones Ferry could be developed and would provide great views of the river, and access for hikers and fishermen.
 
  • Mt. Tom offers tremendous potential for hikers, mountain bikers and backcountry telemark and cross country skiers and snowshoers.  The mountain also has a fascinating history as a recreational area, including a railway that once ran to the six-story gold domed summit house and a popular amusement park at Mountain Park, motorcycle hill climbs, and much more.  A more comprehensive hiking trail system would include the mountain trails to the south along the Metacomet-Monadnock trail and could offer mountain bikers and 4-wheelers other options to prevent damage to the hiking trails.  The damage caused by motorized recreational vehicles is clearly apparent in the 12-foot wide washouts that mountain roads above Ashley Reservoir have become.
 
  • Ashley Reservoir and Whiting Reservoir are protected watersheds and water supply, and offer beautiful walking and biking opportunities.  Hiking trails in the mountains above both areas would offer beautiful views of the reservoirs and city and river.
 
  • Historic walking and driving tours of Holyoke. There remains much to see of historical interest in Holyoke.  A walking and a driving tour of the city, with maps and historical information would offer something for visitors to do in the city and would bring customers to local businesses.
 
 
Holyoke has great potential as a regional recreation destination, and once drew crowds to view it's natural beauty and industrial splendor.  What follows is a working document of some ideas that could improve access and redevelop some of these recreational opportunities.