Mount Norwottuck received its name from Edward Hitchcock, a former professor of geology at Amherst College with a colorful history.

Sweeping views of the Pioneer Valley to the north and the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus can be had from various open ledges on the mountain.

The Horse Caves, believed to have been used as a bivouac by rebels during Shays' Rebellion, are a series of sedimentary rock overhangs located beneath the summit of Norwottuck.

Subsequent faulting and earthquake activity tilted the strata, creating the dramatic cliffs and ridges of Mount Norwottuck.

Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt talus produce a combination of microclimate ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Massachusetts.