Fifteen minutes from downtown Northampton exists a special place that seems a world apart from the nearby bustling cultural center. The Mineral Hills Conservation Area is a hilly forest with dramatic ridge-top views, wetlands, beaver ponds, and an abandoned rock quarry. There is an extensive wooded trail system here marked by signs and numbered intersections thanks to the Friends of the Mineral Hills. The trails pass by rock outcroppings and provide several different views of the large quarry, both from the bottom where you can peer into the rocky pools and a dramatic cliff-edge view from above. From the upper quarry edge, you can see the Mount Holyoke Summit House on a clear day. This is a great place for wildlife tracking, as porcupines are among the creatures who are likely to show their presence.

The conservation lands here are owned by the City of Northampton and portions are monitored by Kestrel through a Conservation Restriction. The Friends of Mineral Hills maintains the trails.

The AllTrails website has descriptions and maps of hikes at Mineral Hills Conservation Area.