Mineral Hills Abandoned Rock Quarry

Tucked at the very end of a residential street in Northampton, MA, is the unassuming entrance to the Mineral Hills Conservation Area, a free network of hiking trails. Entering the forest area, which is maintained by the Friends of the Mineral Hills and monitored by the Kestrel Land Trust, one is unlikely to realize at first that they are just a brief walk from a large abandoned rock quarry.

The quarry operated from the 1950s until the early 2000s when a stop-work order was issued due alleged zoning violations. In 2007, the land that includes the quarry transferred to the City of Northampton’s Conservation Commission. The conservation funds were raised by local groups and individuals from nearby neighborhoods committed to protecting the land. 

Now, atop the rock quarry’s ledge, visitors can have a look down into evidence of human industry now returning to its natural habitat. Bring binoculars to try to spot frogs, birds, and other critters who have made their home in this protected former gravel mining site.