Summit House porch, upper parking lot closed for repairs in May

HADLEY — J.A. Skinner State Park’s upper parking lot and the Summit House wraparound porch are being closed to accommodate deck repair work that was scheduled to start on Monday.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation announced the nearly month-long closure on Friday. The work is expected to continue through May 28.

The work area will be marked and and visitors should use caution around the construction area and large equipment.

In 2013, the state spent nearly $1 million in construction and renovations at the Summit House, including porch repairs, new decking and railing, and upgraded basement bathrooms. That followed a three-year closure of the building based on a state inspector and engineer identifying structural deficiencies in the porch.

The refurbished deck, though, has needed occasional repairs, such as in 2022 when a section facing the Connecticut River, and offering the best views of the region, was closed, forcing the Summit House Summer Concert Series to move to the Notch Visitors Center in Amherst. That summer concert series returned to the Summit House in 2024.

— SCOTT MERZBACH