Antone Mountain via Old Town, Andone, Ski, and McCormick Trails (Merck Forest and Farmland Center)

Antone Mountain via Old Town, Andone, Ski, and McCormick Trails (Merck Forest and Farmland Center)

Hike Type: -o-o- Loop

Distance: 5.76 miles

Elevation: 1,213 feet

My Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes (2 hours, 6 minutes moving)

Book Time: 3 hours, 29 minutes

Parking: Plenty of parking at Merck Forest and Farmlands Visitor Center
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

I had another beautiful drive from Haystack to the Merck Forest and Farmland Center, where I'd be parking to hike up to Antone Mountain. The access road was well-signed and very scenic, but I was shocked at how many cars there were at the parking lot! It was a big parking lot, so it wasn't an issue, but wildly different than my last hike. The temperature was still in the mid-50s and was just delightful. I got ready at the car and started my adventure!

[9:03am - Start of Hike]

I started by walking through the parking lot, past a mini meadow of really cool flowers (perennial cornflowers, thank you, Seek!) to a little welcome pavillion of sorts with a lot of information on the eco-region.

"Northern Appaachian-Acadian Bioregion: A Habitat of Global Significance

The Northern Appalachian Acadian Bioregion (NAAB) includes all or portions of five northeastern states in the United States and four southeastern and Maritime provinces in Canada.

The pargest intact temperate mixed broadleaf forest remaining in the world, this 82 million acre bioregion consists of numerous unfragmented forest blocks measuring over 25,000 acres each. This diverse landscape also includes ocean shorelines, mountain ranges, and river valleys, as well as wetlands, alpine regions, and grasslands.

The NAAB is a center of climate resilience in eastern North America, creating a transition zone between northern boreal and souther temperate forests which allows species to shift their ranges in response to climate change. These large forest blocks and intact corridors also help safeguard the region's ecological services, including carbon storage, nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat, and pest regulation.

Northern Taconic Forest Block: A Key Link in a Connectivity Corridor

Unfragmented forest blocks - contiguous forests and natural communities that are not bisected by roads, agriculture, or development - provide critical habitat for wildlife. They allow for connectivity across the Northern Appalachian Acadian Bioregion (NAAB) and provide core habitats - areas with sufficient suitable habitat area to maintain viable breeding populations for resident species and sufficient habitat to support temporary populations, such as migratory birds. These blocks also allow for genetic exchange across populations of far-reaching animal species and for diversity in the physical landscape, including riparian networks of streams, rivers, and wetlands.

The Northern Taconic Forest Block, a 42,000-acre block located here in southwestern Vermont, composed of public and private lands, plays a critical role in supporting species that are being bushed out of their traditional ranges by warming temperatures. The block's size and connectivity to ecoregions ranging from eastern temperate forests in the south to taiga make it both a chokepoint and critical stop-over for species migrating northward in search of suitable habitat.

Merck Forest & Farmland Center: A Resilient Anchor

Located at the northern edge of the aformentioned 42,000 acre forest block, Merck Forest and Farmland Center (MFFC) consists of more than 3,500 acres protected by permanent conservation easements with the Vermont Land Trust and the New England Forestry Foundation.

MFFC is composed of agricultural and forested land managed primarily for ecological health and resilience. The rich diversity of natural communities (Defined as recurring assemblages of plants and animals found in particular physical environments) at MFFC provide habitat for a variety of species, while the dramatic topography allows those species to shift aspect and elevation to meet their needs in response to increasingly frequent weather extremes arising from the warming climate." from Trailhead Kiosk

There was also a QR code to check-in, but I had no service. Just after the mini-pavillion was the welcome center (I was feeling anti-social, so I did not visit), and then the main trail, named Old Town Road, began on the right just afterwards.

[9:05am - Old Town Road]

Naturally, I began to sing "Old Town Road" in my head the second I started hiking. A massive tractor started driving up behind me, so I pulled over and got a big thumbs up from the driver. The Old Town Road exited the woods and opened up to what seemed like the main farm area, with beautiful views to the valley below and up to Antone (not to mention the meadows and farmlands all around). There was a MASSIVE group congregating at the Sap House - that must have been all the cars. A guy on a golf cart asked if I was with "Williams," but when I said no he drove right off. Interesting! The whole area reminded me a bit of Sky Meadows State Park in Virginia.

[9:10am - Old Town Road/Stone Lot Road]

At a junction near some farm buildings, I turned right to continue onto Old Town Road, hiking past some horses and sheep on the left and a small pond on the right. It smelled like autumn outside - probably due to the meadows and cooler temperatures. The Old Town Road paralleled another meadow that provided nice views to the mountains in New York.

[9:14am - Old Town Road/Gallup Road]

[9:15am - Old Town Road/McCormick Trail]

Old Town Road entered the woods after a junction with Gallup Road and soon after passed a junction with McCormick Trail. The trail network in here is extensive, featuring roads and trails. I planned to follow the roads up to Antone (which was the AllTrails route), but was open to exploring some more on the way back down. We'll see!

The trees around the road were tall and green as I began to climb up moderately, passing one hiker in flip flops. The road flattened out where Old Town Road turned left, and I continued straight onto Antone Road.

[9:22am - Antone Road]

Antone Road was more of a dirt road versus a wide gravel road - the footbed was wonderfully soft. I walked along the flat road for a bit, past an aggressively loud woodpecker and then some sap tubing. 

[9:31am - Antone Road/McCormick Trail]

[9:33am - Antone Road/Clark's Clearing/Ski Trail]

Antone Road opened up to a smaller meadow at another junction with McCormick Trail, and entered Clark's Clearing just after, which featured a junction with a few trails, a cabin, and a fire ring. I guess you can spend the night!

A woman running with her dog appeared in the clearing and scared the life out of me! After the cabin, I continued on Antone Road as it steepened more than I was emotionally prepared for! I was huffing and puffing my way up, but thankfully just when I began to "see the light," the trail flattened out again. The grass on the road was taller up here - I could tell the further I got from the parking area, the fewer people there were to tramp down the trail.

[9:46am - Antone Road/Ski Trail]

[9:47am - Antone Road/Wade Lot Road]

[9:50am - Antone Road/Lookout Road]

Antone Road descended slightly, passing the upper junction with the Ski Trail and Wade Lot Road just after. I continued along, passing Lookout Road (which intrigued me due to there being a lookout on it), but I was discouraged because it looked... ticklish. 

After Lookout Road, I had my third climb, which was nowhere near as brutal as the second. There were extremely obstructed tree views over on the left. A heavenly breeze pushed me up and along to the junction with the Beebe Pond Trail, another possible extension I thought about that looked nice and grown-in. Sad!

[9:54am - Antone Road/Beebe Pond Trail]

Antone Road rounded the summit cone and started the final push to the top of Antone Mountain! There was one blowdown to navigate which was a bummer, but otherwise it was all good!

[9:58am - Antone Mountain Summit]

The summit of Antone Mountain is informally marked with a small viewpoint and a bench (and some flies). It looked like the road continued past the summit, so I followed it down and I was THRILLED! The lower view was nothing short of spectacular. It was a bit chilly with the breeze and my wet shirt, but it was beautiful. The farmlands below were the main feature, but I could also make out the Hudson River Valley, other peaks in New York, and even Mt. Marcy way in the distance! I relieved myself up here, which taught me that I desperately needed to drink some water. I also realized that I finished my list! Yay!

[10:05am - Antone Road]

[10:10am - Antone Road/Beebe Pond Trail]

I made my way back onto Antone Road, up and over the summit, and down to the Beebe Pond Trail junction, hoping for a clearer footbed, but it was fully covered in grass. Not today! I was flirting with maybe doing a reverse lollipop loop further down below? Not sure, we'll see! I think I would have been more adventerous if there weren't likely ticks out and if I didn't want to also hike Bromley on the way home.

[10:14am - Antone Road/Lookout Road]

[10:16am - Antone Road/Wade Lot Road]

I hiked past Lookout Road and still didn't want to deal with the tickly grass, so I continued on Antone Road, passing Wade Lot Road, and then the Ski Trail. Something drew me to the Ski Trail, maybe because I miss ski season? But against better judgement RE: grass, I decided I'd take that detour!

[10:17am - Ski Trail]

I was thinking I'd regret this side trip, but not at all! There was a lovely breeze the whole time and it was MOSTLY not-too-grassy. There were a few "Antone Ski Trail" trail markers, and even a little peek-a-view to Haystack Mountain! I did have to plow through a bit of grass down at the terminus at Clark Clearing, but I was thrilled with my detour! It was also less steep than the road would have been.

[10:26am - Antone Road]

I had a very short stint back on Antone Road before decided I'd hike the McCormick Trail. I planned to do McCormick to Wildlife Trail but could also do McCormick back to Old Town Road if I needed to. Only bummer I ran into was that there was ~40 feet of uncut grass at the trailhead to McCormick, so I BLASTED off, hopping like a gazelle to get back into the woods.

[10:28am - McCormick Trail]

A passed a sign calling this area a wildlife safety zone with some nearby deer poop for good measure. The upper part of the McCormick Trail was occasionally blazed with old metal arrow discs. There was a steep-moderate descent in ferny woods at first before the trail turned to follow the contour. The wonderful breeze continued in these woods, which was wonderful. The trail did become a little osbcure at points, but I was able to find my way.

McCormick Trail transitioned from a narrow footpath to an old road bed further down and later entered a recently logged area, where the trail was tricky to follow again (and footing was loose, even though it was not steep). 

[10:42am - McCormick Trail/Wildlife Trail]

At the junction with the Wildlife Trail, I spend a minute going over my options, and it seemed like taking the Wildlife Trail would add at least two miles to my journey. That, paired wtih the unpleasant logging roads, I decided to follow McCormick back to Old Town Road. I continued on the road, past some bright orange baby mushrooms (orange peel fungus, thanks Seek!), over a couple wet spots that were simply unpleasant (but had deer tracks so that was fun), stepped over some blowdowns, and... came to a dead end at a large meadow? 

[10:49am - End of Woods Road]

This was the same meadow that Old Town Road parallels near the Gallup junction, but I was on the wrong, far side of it. There was simply no footpath to get to Old Town Road from here. I was confused, and AllTrails didn't have the McCormick or Wildlife Trails on the map, so I was extra confused. I spent some time looking around and thinking, and then I went through my camera for clues of what I did wrong. Turns out I mad missed a turn off of the woods road - agh! 

I started my backtrack, hopping over the blowdowns and admiring the little mushrooms and deer tracks. The McCormick Trail turns uphill off of the road just after a little muddy stream. It is blazed, but I had missed it avoiding mud and looking at mushrooms and deer prints, naturally.

[10:53am - McCormick Trail turns off of woods road]

The trail climbed diagonally along the contour and got a bit grassy again before reaching it's height of land and terminating at Old Town Road - we're so back!

[10:56am - Old Town Road]

I followed Old Town Road along the upper boundary of the meadow, and then decided I'd take a detour to the tiny Page Pond, which was signed and mowed. 

[11:00am - Page Pond]

The pond was very small and murky, with the left side being full of reeds. All of it was full of salamanders! Red-winged blackbirds were flying and screaming all around. It was a really nice, short detour!

[11:06am - Old Town Road]

I got back onto Old Town Road to put a bow on this adventure. There were still a ton of people at the Sap House, they looked like teens. They also all had red or blue whistles? Across the farmland, I could see that it was raining in New York, but it was still an absolutely stunning day in Vermont! The same tractor from before passed me twice on my hike out, giving thumbs up both times!

[11:12am - End of Hike]

I made it back to the car and did another quick change before getting some lunch from the Stewarts in Manchester and driving over to my final hike of my little trip - Bromley Mountain!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Old Town Road.

- At jct., continue straight, right onto Antone Road.

- Summit Antone Mountain, then turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Ski Trail.

- At terminus, continue left onto Antone Road.

- At jct., turn left onto McCormick Trail.

- At terminus, continue left onto Old Town Road.

- At jct., turn left to Page Pond.

- At Page Pond, turn around.

- At terminus, turn left onto Old Town Road.

- Follow Old Town Road to car.

Map of Merck Forest and Farmlands Center

Photo Album

Haystack Mountain (North Pawlet Hills Natural Area)

Haystack Mountain (North Pawlet Hills Natural Area)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 3.57 miles

Elevation: 1,198 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes (1 hour, 22 minutes moving)

Book Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes

Parking: Limited roadside parking on Waite Hill Road (signed).
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

I had a SOLID night's sleep at the world's strangest little motel! I got up at 6:00am and was out the door at 6:20am. I saw there was a Maplefields in Manchester, which got me super excited for a breakfast sandwich, but this Maplefields did not have breakfast sandwiches. I pivoted to Dunkin which saved me, and then I had a beautiful drive to the North Pawlet Hills Natural Area with a wonderful view of Haystack Mountain in the last bit. There was clear pull-off parking for 4-5 cars at the signed trailhead. I was feeling a bit of anxiety about the sub plans I had left (did I even leave any??), but I had zero service, so nothing I could do! It was a delightfully crisp 55 degrees out and there was one other car at the trailhead. My body was feeling tired, so I was glad I had some easier hikes to do today. I booted up and got on my way!

[7:07am - Tunket Road]

My journey started with a gravel road walk on Tunket Road, which felt like a private driveway but was clearly signed as the way to Haystack Mountain. I followed some sap tubing and admired the abundant dandelions. After a few minutes, the road comes to a junction with driveways for two seperate homes on either side of the road. Here, the road/trail continues straight ahead (signed). Past the homes, the road becomes more wooded and less-frequently used. There was also a sign for an AirBnb cabin in this direction.

Tunket Road climbed for a minute before flattening out as it passed a home on the right and a meadow on the left with the smallest view up to Haystack over the trees - it was pretty, and Haystack is a super cool looking mountain!

The road begins to swing right as the Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail to Haystack Mountain begins on the left.

[7:18am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail]

There was a large kiosk and sign indicating that I was in fact in the right spott!

"North Pawlet Hills Natural Area

Welcome to North Pawlet Hills Natural Area where remote, low peaks within the Taconic Mountains support a diverse set of natural communities. The most prominent trio of these forested knobs - now called Haystack, MIddle, and Bald Mountain - has a rich human history, as the bounty of these lands has been recognized by the Western Abenaki and Mohicans for centuries. Bobcats and other wildlife also depend on these dry grassy glades, sparsely vegetated cliffs, and secluded stony outcrops.

Staying Connected

This natural area is at the core of an unfragmented forest block - the result of a collaborative conservation effort amongst surrounding towns, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, Vermont Land Trust, Friends of Haystack, and others. This allows our iconic wide-ranging wildlife such as moose and bobcat to move freely in the face of a changing climate.

Haystack Mountain

A short, steep hike ascends across TNC land to Haystack Mountain's 1,919-foot summit, which is owned and protected by the Friends of Haystack. The stunning views make it the most popular destination at North Pawlet Hills. Haystack's dramatic south-facing cliffs offer habitat to peregrine falcons that nest here every year to raise their young." from Trailhead Kiosk

The trail descended slightly, crossed a baby stream, and then came to a trail register. I heard a lady screaming in the distance, which simply did not excite me. Thankfully, it was just a mom, daughter, and their FOUR dogs. One was named Skittles, which was fun. They must have been the other car at the trailhead. After crossing paths with them, I crossed another baby stream and continued to descend via switchbacks (more than I wanted to). 

[7:23am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail/Bridge]

Eventually, the trail crossed a brook on a lovely bridge at the low point of the hike. After the bridge, I was in the sun and starting my climb! I meandered past some old logging roads before descending slightly again, navigating a big blowdown, and enjoying a spectacular breeze.

I turned a corner to climb a bit steeper up near the col between Haystack and it's neighboring peak, passing a really cool boulder that you could see through a little natural window! I noticed there were a few trail relocations (no clue how old they are) that added switchbacks or bypassed eroded stretches, it was a nice climb!

I wiggled my way up near the col, admiring some neat cliffs along the neighboring peak, Middle Mountain, stepping over two more blowdowns and getting cell service! I quickly checked my work email and was relieved to see that I did everything correctly - phew! Back on airplane mode.

My reward for doing my sub plans correctly was another wonderful breeze that I happily accepted. I turned a corner, entering a dark, coniferous forest, before hiking along another series of switchbacks to the main spine of Haystack Mountain, which the trail moderately followed right on to the top!

[7:51am - Haystack Mountain Summit]

And the climb was more than worth it - the view was spectacular! There was no disc but there was a bore hole, which I guess counts for something? Looking straight out I could see Equinox Mountain. To the right, beyond the nearby hills, were the Catskills! I could also just barely make out the Adirondacks on the far right.

To the left was Dorset Mountain, which was hiding in a cloud, and further to the left was the mass of the Killington complex, also partly in a cloud. It was SO NICE up top! I could have spent a lot more time up here if I didn't have two more hikes on my list and I was over three hours from home. I chugged some Nuun and started my trip back down!

[7:58am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail]

To no surprise, once I started my descent, my tummy began to act up. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day! I found myself wondering about the different between the Taconic and the Green Mountains, and with some lackluster Googling, I haven't found much of an answer. Probably geology? I'd love to know more, though! Parts of the trail were steeper than I had realized now that I was going down, guess I'm super strong?

[8:17am - Colby M. Chester Memorial Trail/Bridge]

I truly made it to the bridge in no time and then dealt with the bit of uphill I had to do, which did pack a little bit of a punch! I signed the reigster on the way out, since I missed it on the way in due to Skittles & Co.

[8:23am - Tunket Road]

I made my way out of the woods and back onto Tunket Road, passing the meadow and then posted private property belonging to Waite, which is the name of the road I parked on, how fun! Near the end of Tunket Road, I passed a guy walking in dresssed in all camo and holding a rifle. I did not care for this, but I also know and acknowledge that this is a hunting area, too. 

[8:34am - End of Hike]

I ended my hike a few minutes later back at the car! I wasn't overly sweaty due to the shorter lenght of the hike and the wonderful weather, so I only swapped my shirt and socks before my next hike on Mt. Antone. I waved to a farm car that appeared to be hunting in a field, and I was on my way! 

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Tunket Road.

- At trailhead, turn left onto the Comby M. Chester Memorial Trail.

- Follow trail to the top.

- At the summit, turn around and return to car.

Map of North Pawlet Hills Natural Area

Photo Album

Zion Major & Minor, Moot Point, Japanese Garden, & Meadow Ramble (Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park)

Zion Major & Minor, Moot Point, Japanese Garden, & Meadow Ramble (Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Loop

Distance: 2.49 miles

Elevation: 554 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 14 minutes (1 hour, 11 minutes moving)

Book Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes

Parking: Parking for 10-12 cars at Zen Garden Trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

And now for something COMPLETELY different! It had become a beautiful, hot, sunny day with minimal clouds and 75 degrees of warmth. The access road to the park felt a bit like a personal driveway, but signs were clear that I was correct. I was happy to see that even though it was a state park, there was no entry fee. The main parking area was at the end of the narrow access road. There were a couple of other cars and FRESH porta potties! There were lovely views to nearby peaks and down into the valley from the parking area. The required peak, Zion Hill, for the Taconic 12er patch was a super short hike, so I was open to exploring. I got my life together, and I was off!

"Welcome to Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park

This State Park was the generous gift of "Kit" and "Mickie" Davidson in 2016. After purchasing this property in 1966, they created a Japanese garden, hiking trails and other amenities and invited the public to share this Vermont landscape.

The property is comprised of 420 acres of former farmland and woodlands. The northern hardwood forest is a mix of maple, birch, beech, and ash, yielding brilliant fall foliage. The varied terrain includes wildflower meadows, fern groves, stands of white pine, steep cliffs, glaciated boulders and waterfalls. A hike to the top of Mt. Zion is rewarded with a sweeping view of Hubbardton Battlefield, the site of the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Vermont.

Carson "Kit" Davidson was born on June 24, 1924 in Washington, D.C. He served in the Army in World War II as a blood analysis technician. After attending Antioch College, he moved to New York City and found work at Dynamic Films. Using borrowed company equipment, he began a long, awward-winning career as an independent filmmaker, incluidng two Academy Award documentary nominations. 

Kit married Margaret "Mickie" Compere and together they lived in Greenwich Village. Mickie was a celebrated children's book author, with a specialty in biographies of inspirational historical figures, including Martin Luther King, Louis Braille, Jackie Robinson and Frederick Douglass, Annie Sullivan and Hellen Keller.

In the 1960's, the couple began looking for a place in the country to get away from the New York hustle. They purchased this 420-acre property in 1966 from farmer Clayton Calvin for $69 an acre.

Kit was inspired by Japanese gardens that he had visited eleven years earlier while on a film project. He created his own Japanese garden on the property, a preoccupation that lasted for more than forty years. In addition, they build an extensive trail network.

The couple moved to the proeprty full-time in 2002. They continued a tradition of opening the property to hikers and visitors that wanted to come and share the beauty of the place. This was made permanent just before Kit's death in 2016, when the property was transferred to the State of Vermont to become a new state park.

The State of Vermont ackowledges the contributions of Ellen Oppenheimer, a longtime family friend and Trustee of Kit's estate, for her assistance in making this wonderful donation possible."

[1:44pm - Start of Hike]

I walked past the trailhead kiosk which detailed the history of this park and turned right to backtrack on the access road. There was a lovely view across a meadow on the right, and I soon turned left to enter the woods on Alyssa Trail.

[1:45pm - Alyssa Trail]

Alyssa Trail followed light blue balzes that appeared to have been red in the past. This was by far the narrowest trail of the day, which rose gently and crossed a few wet spots on stepping stones, passing pretty pink flowers. Further into the woods, I began to pass beautiful mosses and ferns surrounding impressive boulders. I was especially enjoying this lesser-used trail because of how soft the footbed was on my tired feet!

My inner thighs were starting to chafe - I always forget how unnecessarily painful chafing is! The trail scrambled through a cool rockfall area and then turned under a cool rock overhang before crossing an Acadia-Beehive-like bridge with some short, steep scrambles up to the top of Zion Hill, listed on trail markings as Zion Major!

[1:57pm - Zion Major & Jan Trail]

I noticed some discrepencies between the PDF trail map I had and the actual trail layout, and then realized they must have done some reblazing and closing of redundant trails recently. The view from Zion Major was beautiful! Basically the parking lot view, but higher up, and with hazy views on the left to the Adirondacks! There were two friendly woman up there that were absolutely blown away by the view.

The Jan Trail led from Zion Major to the Top of the Ridge viewpoint, which was more of the same just a bit smaller. PeakFinder said I was basically looking at nothing of significance - pretty though!

[1:59pm - Springs Trail]

The Springs Trail led from the Top of the Ridge back into the woods. I passed a closed trail junction that seems to have gone over, around, or through the cliffs. I descended via short, easy switchbacks and crossed a few boards to get back down to the forest floor. 

[2:08pm - Kits Trail]

[2:10pm - Moot Point Trail]

[2:12pm - Zion Minor Loop]

I turned right onto Kits Trail to check out Zion Minor, which was accessed via a short uphill on the Moot Point Trail. The Zion Minor Loop was a little tricky to follow, but again had a nice, limited view to the meadows and the Japanese Garden down below. I passed some painted trillium near the end of the loop, and then decided to continue on the Moot Point Trail to Moot Point, which might have another view?

[2:17pm - Moot Point Trail]

[2:22pm - Moot Point]

The Moot Point Trail was pretty flat with a few gentle ups and downs, crossing a woods road in the middle. To my delight, there WAS a view from Moot Point! It looked down into the valley, which was really pretty. According to PeakFinder, they were still mountains that had no significance to me (yet!). There was a single red columbine flower, too. This hike was so different than the last two, I was really enjoying it (and little did I know, the best was yet to come!).

[2:28pm - Moot Point Trail/Zion Minor Loop]

[2:32pm - Kits Trail]

My return on the Moot Point Trail was nice and easy, passing the Zion Minor Loop soon. I continued onto the rest of Kits Trail, which descended along and through the rocks walls of Zion Minor, which was really cool! They were MASSIVE boulders. I wonder if they're erratics or if they've been eroded off the hill? Kits Trail terminated at the Japaneses Garden, which was...

[2:33pm - Japanese Garden]

Absolute insane?? There were Adirondack Chairs on dirt mounds with a few ponds that were fed by cascading water features off of tall boulders. I may or may not have held my head underneath one to cool off... (it felt so good). There was a series of sketchy ladders to a giant boulder that led to a hidden Adirondack chair, too?

In the main pond, a turtle was swimming around and when I got closer, I saw a salamander! Wait, no, at least 50 salamanders! This place was actually insane.

[2:41pm - Meadow Path]

After a few minutes I continued onto the Meadow Path, following signs for "to Eastern Trails." My only real goal here was to bring the hike to two miles. This trail went into the woods and then followed a cut path through the meadow, which was recently mowed, which did make following the trail a bit confusing. I could hear a tractor, but never saw it thankfully. It was significantly hotter in the sun, which was amplified by the slight uphill walk I was doing once I turned around. I decided that was enough fun, and I made my way back to the Japanese Garden.

[2:51pm - Japanese Garden]

[2:53pm - Garden Trail]

I gawked at the salamanders again before making the slightly steep climb uphill back to the car along the Garden Trail. This trail passed a private residence and a plaque dedicated to the former owners of the land.

[2:58pm - End of Hike]

Back at the car I changed my clothes and started my journey south to Manchester, where I would be staying the Brittany Motel. I was the ONLY person there when I arrived just after 4:00pm. The whole place was pretty interesting. It was basically an AirBnb/Motel hybrid. There was no front desk, just a LOT of emails detailing check in. One interesting thing was that one of the rooms was like a big living room with a kitchen and free snacks, yay?

I showered, got in a power nap, and then drove to the grocery store to pick up some snacks (and taquitos!) to round out my night. A few more people showed up to the motel, and I had a nice night's sleep before my next batch of adventures! 

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Alyssa trail.

- Summit Zion Major.

- Continue on Jan Trail.

- Summit Top of the Ridge.

- Continue on Spring Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Kits Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Moot Point Trail.

- At jct., hike Zion Minor Loop counter-clockwise.

- After loop, continue on Moot Point Trail.

- At Moot Point, turn around.

- At jct. with Kits Trail, turn right onto Kits Trail.

- Explore the Japanese Garden, then hike toward sign for "Eastern Trails."

- Follow trails around meadow, returning to Japenese Garden.

- At garden, follow Garden Trail back to car.

Map of Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park (outdated)

Photo Album

Ludlow Mountain via Healdville Trail (Okemo State Forest)

Ludlow Mountain via Healdville Trail (Okemo State Forest)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 6.25 miles

Elevation: 1,955 feet

My Time: 2 hours, 34 minutes (2 hours, 27 minutes moving)

Book Time: 4 hours, 6 minutes

Parking: Parking for 5-ish cars at trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: Vermont Fire Towers

The Hike 

The sun was shining and I was excited for my second hike of the day! The drive from Mt. Ascutney to Ludlow Mountain was very pretty. I loved watching all of the people fishing along VT-131. I got gas in Ludlow, which was a super cute mountain/ski town, and I loved driving past the main entrance to Okemo (someday I'm going to have to ski all of these mountains that I've been hiking). The trailhead was at the end of Station Road, just after the railroad tracks, on the left (it was a little unclear). 

There was one other car at the trailhead, and they were packing up to leave. My wrist was hurting from wringing out my shirt, which was a solid bummer. The bugs were out as I was getting ready, so I threw some hairspray on my extremities and in my hair. The sunshine was abundant, and I was soon off!

[10:10am - Healdville Trail]

Temps were in the upper 60s now and I started my hike on the Healdville Trail. The trail entered the woods at the trailhead kiosk and immediately crossed a bridge, following blue balzes. The trail was on a super green old road with a decent amount of grass - not enough to be a problem, but enough to cause some high-stepping on my part. The ferns were growing in strong, too. I could see some logging equipment to the right of the trail just before crossing a well-signed very recently used logging road. A sign detailed the logging:

"Why log along the Healdville Trail?

The forest along the Healdville Trail is comprised of many native tree species, including a large composition of White Ash Trees. White ash trees are the preferred host for the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).

EAB is an introduced, non-native insect which kills up to 99% of ash trees in a stand and has been detected nearby. Once EAB kills ash trees, removing the trees to protect human safety becomes significantly more hazardous and expensive.

To address this risk, white ash trees which will succumb to the EAB in the next few years are being preemptively harvested along the trail corridor to reduce future hazards to hikers and avoid potential trail closures if many dead trees are left standing.

By harvesting these trees before they die, they can be felled much more safely, and utilized for wood products such as flooring, baseball bats, and tool handles.

This action is taken reluctantly. Unfortunately, forest managers don't have many options in the face of the rapidly advancing infestation. There are no other practical options for this stand to reduce the threat to human safety.

Once the harvesting is complete, the trail will be restored and reopened. Expect the forest around the trail to look different after the removals. Over time new native tree saplings will establish and mature into the next generation of this forest.

In the meantime, the young forest habitat created in pockets along the trail through this harvesting will support a diversity of wildlife, from birds using the shrubland habitat to deer and moose browsing on the young sugar maple saplings and bear eating the raspberries."

The Healdville Trail navigated the logged area, crossing over a wide bridge before going back onto the main trail, paralleling a brook in a sea of newly bloomed trout lily. The trail climbed at a reasonable grade before steepening at some cascades. The route was comically well-blazed which did prove helpful in some of the logged areas. 

I hiked past some more cascades and a bunch of past-peak red trillium before a little walking break at the 0.75 mile mark, which also featured a life-altering breeze. The trail climbed a bit more afterwards and began to veer away from the stream on what felt like a newer portion of the trail.

[10:33am - Healdville Trail/Catamount Ski Trail Joins]

The Catamount X-C Ski Trail joined in this area, whic was followed by a series of lovely, easy, realtively flat switchbacks. The sky above was turning bluer and bluer and I worked my way up before the Catamount Trail departed on the left.

[10:38am - Healdville Trail/Catamount Ski Trail Departs]

The trail moderated and steepened after the Catamount Trail departed, but some white flowers were cheering me on as I suffered up the side of this sub-peak. I passed some big older red trillium and eventually began to follow the contour line for a nice, long walking break with just a few muddy and grassy sections. This was basically the halfway point in both mileage and elevation. I kept thinking "this is lovely, what a shame there's still another 1,000 feet to climb!"

The terrifying farts started to arrive as the trail began to gently gain elevation again. Really nothing on this hike was overly challenging so far, but my legs were tired from Ascutney and the first part of this climb.

[11:02am - Healdville Trail/Sign]

There was a seemingly random sign right at the two mile mark (turns out it used to be a junction with an older trail according to the Vermont Fire Towers book, published in 2005) and then the trail descended a little to two rocky stream crossings before ascending again.

[11:13am - Healdville Trail/View]

The trail flattened one more time before starting to climb more intensely - the kind of grade that sneaks up on you. On the plus, there was a surprise little view on the way up! Someone had left non-wild flowers there, maybe as a memorial of sorts? 

The trillium were still alive up here and the trail soon turned to climb right up the contour. I could see the sky! I was worried that I might die before I got there, but I could sure see it! The trail neared a false summit and flattened again before another push that almost took my life from me (in fairness, I was hiking quickly). I caught some tree views on the left and painted trillium on the right as the trail rounded a knob before the final final push.

[11:31am - Healdville Trail/CCC Cabin]

[11:32am - Ludlow Mountain Summit & Tower]

After seeing God, the trail descended slightly to the ruins of an old CCC Cabin, which was cool to see! On the right was the remainder of the trail to the tower, and on the left was a spur to the ski area. There was a baby snake on the final trail to the tower that nearly scared the life out of me, and when I didn't die (again), I was at the tower!

There was no disc at the summit area, but the tower was in wonderful shape and looked recently repainted with a reflective silver. There was a great view to the backside of Killington. I loved seeing Ascutney, Stratton, and Equinox! I especially loved just getting familiar with this area of mountains - the "video game"-style map in my head is becoming clearer and clearer! I looked down into the town of Ludlow, but didn't stay up there for long as it was SUPER windy, which made me cool down rapidly with my soaking wet shirt. I decided I'd hike the little spur to the ski area for funsies.

[11:39am - Spur to Ski Area]

The spur was... lackluster. Wet, muddy, buggy, and short. It ended at a ski trail and I simply did not feel inspired enough to wander to the end terminals. I'm sure I could have gotten a nice view if I had, but oh well! I turned around and got back onto the Headldville Trail at the CCC Cabin to start my trip down.

[11:41am - Return to Healdville Trail]

I started my blast-off on the Healdville Trail feeling good! I zoned out in the upper portion and passed my first person of the hike near the viewpoint, and we both spooked each other! I descended to cross those two rocky streams and then rose up to the sign.

[12:04pm - Healdville Trail/Sign]

A child later came barreling down the trail, which in turn also scared the life out of me. His father was a minute after him and asked me how far the top was, the conversation went like this:

Me: "Hey how's it going."

Dad: "How far to the top [in a British accent]?"

Me: "Just about over a mile?"

Dad: "But how far?"

Me: "Yeah there's a sign a little that way and it's a mile from there."

Dad: "So like 20, 30 minutes?"

Me: "That depends on your pace, it's flat for a bit but then gets steep."

Dad: "So 30 minutes?"

Me: "Again I don't know it depends on your pace, could be 30-45 or even an hour."

Dad: "Hmm."

...and then I walked away. They were in soccer jersey t-shirts and the dad was wearing his phone on a lanyard. Hope they had fun! I also realized later that he probably had no idea how far a mile was based on his accent and tourist-like appearance.

A few minutes later I passed a woman and her wonderful dog as I followed the contour on the wonderfully flat trail. Slowly, I began to descend again, eventually landing where the Catamount Ski Trail joined at the delightful switchbacks.

[12:23pm - Healdville Trail/Catamount Ski Trail Joins]

I saw the littlest toad that ever lived and then managed to step on a stick with one foot, kick it with the side of my other foot, which twisted my knee in a truly heinous-feeling way. Thankfully, no injuries, but it sure felt horrible!

[12:28pm - Healdville Trail/Catamount Ski Trail Departs]

The Catamount Trail left the Healdville Trail at the last switchback and then descended a little more moderately to the land of logging, which was sunny and warm! I was back to dripping sweat. I made my way across the logging roads, through the grassy bit, and then I was back at the car!

[12:44pm - End of Hike]

I did a quick change into dry clothes at the car and then started a bit of a longer drive to the amazingly-named Taconic Mountains Ramble State Park for my final hike of the day! I almost forgot that the main purpose of this mini hiking trip was to finish my Taconic list!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Healdville Trail.

- At jct. near top, turn right to summit Ludlow Mountain.

- At summit, turn around and follow path to ski area.

- At ski slope, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Healdville Trail.

- Return to car.

Map of Okemo State Forest

Photo Album

Mt. Ascutney via Weathersfield Trail & Summit Loop (Mt. Ascutney State Park)

Mt. Ascutney via Weathersfield Trail & Summit Loop (Mt. Ascutney State Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 7.15 miles

Elevation: 2,385 feet

My Time: 3 hours, 32 minutes (3 hours, 23 minutes moving)

Book Time: 4 hours, 46 minutes

Parking: Large parking lot at Weathersfield Trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: Vermont Fire Towers, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge, Mt. Ascutney State Park Redline

The Hike 

Oh no! I'm sick! I simply had to take a sick day after working for one day yesterday. I talked to my doctor and she said the only way to cure myself is to go back to Southern Vermont. I had to listen! I had a super sleepy drive, but I had the distinct pleasure of passing the Chicken Farmer Rock in New Hampshire! The sunrise was full of beautiful cotton-candy colors and in my last 15 minutes of driving, I had a wonderful changing view of Mt. Ascutney. 

I made it to the large trailhead at 5:36am with an aching lower back (which has been happening more and more with these longer drives) and an upset tummy (the morning ritual had not yet been performed). It was a little cloudy with temperatures around 53 degrees. There was one other car in the parking lot and while getting ready I nearly crushed a poor red eft! I got myself put together, craving a nap, but pushed onward and got to my hike!

[5:47am - Weathersfield Trail]

The Weathersfield, the most popular trail to climb the mountain according to the trailhead kiosk, climbed a stairs bridge and entered the woods, following white blazes. The trail was nice and relatively gentle with good footing in it's beginning, and just wide enough where I was not swimming through a sea of spider webs. I crossed over a cute mossy stream, passed the tiniest eft, and enjoyed a well-constructed switchback before coming to Little Cascade Falls.

[5:57am - Weathersfield Trail/Little Cascade Falls]

Little Cascade Falls were an absolute delight. On the left, the water from the stream was cascading down a chopped up slab. The water then ran over the trail and went over a steep dropoff on the left, maybe 20-30 feet down? The water wasn't trickling nor running heavily, but just enough for a beautiful, peaceful sight.

The trail climbed a bit more moderately before zigging and zagging at an impressive rock wall. It almost reminded me of the walls that make the Flume Gorge. I climbed more switchbacks, nearing the impressive wall again, then climbed more switchbacks and got a great view into the upper reaches of this wall, which formed a little canyon with a waterfall further back.

The Weathersfield Trail crossed the little canyon area and climbed up rock steps followed by wooden stairs. At the top of this mini climb was a grown-in view, but there was a slightly better view just a bit further down. 

The woods smelled like summer as I hopped across another small stream. The trail descended easily for a minute past a few efts and then after a short uphill moment came to the junction with the Falls Bypass Trail.

[6:15am - Weathersfield Trail/Falls Bypass]

I was excited to see these falls, so I did not take the bypass. The trail began to descend again as it approached the water, then following the contour before making a steeper descent.

[6:18am - Cascade Falls]

The trail comes right up to the edge of the stream that makes up Cascade Falls. Looking upstream on the right, the water was cascading down over rocks and slabs. Straight ahead the water was rushing over the slabs, and on the left the water basically ran over the edge into oblivion. Apparently the falls are 84 feet in height (compared to Little Cascade at 60 feet, which I just learned from https://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/vt-cascadefalls.html), and I couldn't help myself to not follow herd paths around to the base of the falls.

I saw the herd paths on the left side of the falls, so I figured I'd follow them for as long as I safely could. I had to go slow and watch my footing on mossy boulders, but the trip down was more than worth it! The water created a fine mist as it hit broken slabs on it's descent, making for a really beautiful view. The forest was pretty grown-in down there, so I had to explore a bit to get a good vantage point. 

The climb up was much easier, as I simply blasted off and upward. I took one last view of the falls and then continued my climb up on the Weathersfield Trail.

[6:32am - Weathersfield Trail]

[6:36am - Weathersfield Trail/Falls Bypass]

The Weathersfield Trail climbed along the brook and had another lovely zig zag to turn away into a lovely forest full of soft pine needles. I hiked back into the hardwoods, joining and crossing a stream, and then started a longer moderate push with the stream on the right - my heart rate was up and I was sweaty! 

[6:51am - Weathersfield Trail/Halfway Brooks]

I climbed up to the sign for the Halfway Brooks (more than halfway up, mind you!), which looked like a series of slabby streams that I was simply not feeling adventerous enough to investigate. After a switchback, I could see the communications tower on the south peak through the trees, and my legs were really starting to feel the climb! I think I might have still been a little sore from Saturday's big day of Stratton and Equinox - I hadn't been that sore after a hike in a while.

More switchbacks led me back into a coniferous forest, where I'd stay for a while now. I saw my first person in this area, which was wildly eroded down to roots and bedrock. There were posts to hold rope to keep people on-trail, but they must have taken it down for winter. 

[7:05am - Weathersfield Trail/Harry's Lookout]

I hiked past Harry's Lookout, which was basically a fully grown-in viewpoint with a sign: "Dedicated to Harry Edward Temple of Perkinsville, VT. January 9, 1941 - March 8, 2020. Longtime hiker, trail maintainer, and active ATA member." The trail rounded a corner, revealing a wonderful breeze. I took this moment to wring out my shirt, which was apparently a huge mistake? I hurt my wrist weeks ago either skiing or doing strength training, took like six weeks off, got back into it for a week, and then it started hurting again this week. Wringing out my shirt would be the straw that broke the camel's back, apparently, because that HURT. Writing this a little over a week later and my wrist is still upset. Something around the ulnar nerve or tendonitis on the outside of my left hand? I'm going to lay off strength probably through the summer and see if that helps (aka, avoid doctors at all costs).

On the plus, my shirt felt much better! I conitnued hiking up to the signed turn to Gus's Lookout.

[7:11am - Weathersfield Trail/Gus's Lookout]

Gus's Lookout was much nicer with a great view to the lowlands and a unique perspective looking down to Monadnock. It was still pretty cloudy out, so views weren't distant or clear, but still nice! Old blazes made a mini-loop of Gus's Lookout, rejoining the Weathersfield Trail a few dozen feet past where I entered.

I hiked over a few boards and made friends with a photogenic squirrel before climbing again over short, steep switchbacks to the West Peak.

[7:18am - West Peak Lookout]

West Peak was basically divided into two spurs: the summit/lookout and the vista. First, I turned left to hike to the summit/lookout. Naturally, I slipped on a wet rock and landed on my hip and bad wrist... nice! This view was the best yet - I loved getting to see what I thought was Stratton (I will soon learn that it was Okemo) and Killington off to the far right. 

[7:22am - West Peak Vista]

The trail to the vista was just a bit further down the trail and shared a junction with the Hang Glider Trail. The muddy spur trail led to a wonderful view of the nearby mountains with Killington as it's centerpiece. There was a wooden ramp and wooden deck at the main view, which I'd later learn/realize is for hang gliding! This mountain is really winning me over!

[7:26am - Weathersfield Trail]

I made my way back to the Weathersfield Trail and was ready to climb the final 0.4 miles (according to the sign) to the summit. There were plenty of pre-flowering trout lilies and eventually just a few painted trillium. There was what appeared to be an abandoned yellow-blazed trail leading left out of a flatter area, and then some rock stairs led to the top! The observation tower was over on the left and the summit was on the right - I followed the trail to the summiti first.

[7:34am - Summit Spur]

[7:35am - Mt. Ascutney Summit]

There were two communication towers that were absolutely howling in the wind at the true summit area! There wasn't much for a view, but there were what seemed to be multiple footings for old fire towers. There was also a summit disc - yay! I found another one at the base of the higher communication tower. I poked around this clearing for a little bit and then worked my way over to the observation tower, nearly dying (read as: slipping on a wet rock) in the process.

"The Fire Tower is part of our history. 

The first fire lookout tower on Mt. Ascutney was built from wood in the early 1920s. The Civilian Conservation Corps later replaced the wooden tower with a steel structure from 1938-1940. They also brought 3.5 miles of phone line up the mountain to the tower. The fire lookout climbed 72 stairs to reach the small cabin at the top of the tower. (By the 1950s, this job was performed instead by airplane pilots on weather patrols.) At 56 feet high, the steel fire tower was more than twice as tall as the current observation tower, but that did not deter visitors from climbing up to take in the view, and parts of the 1940 tower have been recycled to build the 24 foot tower that stands here today." from Parking Lot Kiosk.

[7:41am - Mt. Ascutney Observation Tower]

The tower was delightful! Not too tall, which was nice, and plenty windy up top. Each side of the railing had a view guide, which I loved. The mountain I thought was Stratton was actually Okemo - my next stop! Killington was standing proudly above everything else, plus plenty of other mountains in all directions. The signs said the whites would be visible on a clear day, which would be really fun to see. The clouds were starting to clear up, but they were going nowhere fast!

[7:45am - Brownsville Trail]

Time to start the lollipop portion of my lollipop loop! I continued onto the Brownsville Trail, which first followed yellow blazes and soon white blazes as the Slot/Slab Trails left on the right. The trail was a little wet, but overall wonderful - somewhat reminiscent of the upper wooded sections on Monadnock.

[7:50am - Brownsville Rock]

The spur for Brownsville Rock was just after a gentle rise in the trail, which provided yet another wonderful view of Killington. The trail and viewpoint had some old graffiti, which as long as it's old, I enjoy seeing!

[7:54am - Brownsville Trail]

Back on the Brownsville Trail, I passed the foundations of the "Stone Hut Site." Not much more info, but I did find a disc! I gasped! Then another disc! I gasped again! Then ANOTHER disc! I gasped again! Two arrows and a summit disc - I was absolutely shocked and delighted - what a fun surprise! It was at this point that I decided I'd have to come back four more times to make the discs "count" and at that point I might as well make it a goal to hike all of the trails on the mountain.

[7:58am - Windsor Trail]

[7:58am - Castle Rock Trail]

[7:59am - Castle Rock]

The Brownsville Trail descended for just a minute afterwards to the junction with the Windsor Trail, which was also blazed in white. Just after that was the Castle Rock Trail, and just after that was Castle Rock proper! There was a partially grown-in view from the rock, but nice nonetheless. I could see Monadnock! The forest around Castle Rock felt prehistoric, which I just loved. 

After the viewpoint, the trail began to descent on a very narrow footbed, soon joining the Summit Trail at the junction with the Slab/Slot Trail (it's confusing on the map and signs what is specifically what around the summit, but the collection of trails that are blazed with yellow diamonds make up the "Summit Trail" in addition to whatever their official names may or may not be).

[8:01am - Summit Trail]

I descended on narrow rock stairs and had an annoying crawl-under blowdown to navigate. I reentered a deciduous forest and saw some leaf views towards the South Peak and New Hampshire. The Futures Link and Slab Trails eventually joined before the trail crossed some power lines and came to a junction with the Hang Glider Trail on the left. I stayed right, making a little side-visit to the parking lot, which was signed as 0.1 miles away.

[8:12am - Parking Lot]

The parking lot had plenty of room and a nice view of the South Peak. There was the world's cutest porta potty and a kiosk with a little bit of information on the mountain:

"Is Mount Ascutney a volcano? Not quite! There was a volcano here (possibly 5,000 feet above the current summit!) but it has since eroded away. Mount Ascutney was formed underneath the volcano, and has stood up to the water, wind, and ice that weathered away the surrounding volcanic rock and schist bedrock" from Parking Lot Kiosk.

[8:14am - Summit Trail]

[8:17am - Hang Glider Trail]

I didn't stay for long and got right back on the trail, soon continuing onto the blue-blazed Hang Glider Trail. I hiked back into the conifers and past some flowering hobblebush, gently descending with rugged, piney footing. It was a really beautiful area, like the Halfway House area of Monadnock. The Hang Glider Trail passed a grassy meadow (that was not yet overgrown) and then rose gently to the Weathersfield Trail, concluding my lollipop!

[8:24am - Weathersfield Trail]

[8:29am - Weathersfield Trail/Gus's Lookout]

I got greeted by the first screaming squirrel of the day once back on the Weathersfield Trail. My tummy was feeling WERID. I hiked down past an enormous boulder that I somehow missed on the way up, waved to Gus, nodded to Harry, and had to take my boots off to remove that simply had to have been the world's sharpest pine needle. I enjoyed the abundance of switchbacks as I made my way down, soon passing the Halfway Brooks.

[8:43am - Weathersfield Trail/Halfway Brooks]

I made my way back in to the world of Efts as I paralleled the brooks. The air was warmer and more humid down here.

[8:54am - Falls Bypass]

After a bit of mindless hiking, I turned left ont othe comically short Falls Bypass, which was delightfully flat with faded blue blazes. 

[8:56am - Weathersfield Trail]

The Falls Bypass brought me back to the Weathersfield Trail in a bright deciduous forest. This stretch of trail was truly a lovely, flat ramble with just a touch of uphill. I descended the wooden stairs into the canyon area, catching some rays of sun around 9am! The canyon area was cooler than the surrounding forest, which was nice. 

[9:11am - Weathersfield Trail/Little Cascade Falls]

I made my way across Little Cascade Falls, reluctantly going off-trail and downhill to get another view (medium worth it) and then wandered along the rest of the trail, passing a few older logging roads in a lush, green forest back to the parking area!

[9:19am - End of Hike]

There was a new car at the trailhead, but I did not see any new people. I was running 35 minutes ahead of schedule - yay! I got a map for Mt. Ascutney at the trailhead kiosk for a suggested donation of $1 with full intentions of starting a redline on this mountain - it was a fantastic hike!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Weathersfield Trail.

- At jct., stay left on Weathersfield Trail to falls.

- At jct., continue left on Weathersfield Trail.

- Hike spurs to Harry's Lookout, Gus's Lookout, West Summit, and West Vista, then continue on Weathersfield Trail.

- At terminus, turn left to summit Mt. Ascutney.

- At summit, turn around and hike to tower.

- From tower, turn left onto Slab Trail.

- Soon, continue left onto Brownsville Trail.

- At jct, turn left onto Brownsville Rock spur.

- At Brownsville Rock, turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Brownsville Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Windsor Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Castle Rock Trail.

- At terminus, continue straight on Summit Trail.

- Follow Summit Trail to parking lot.

- At parking lot, turn around.

- At jct., continue straight onto Hang Glider Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Weathersfield Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Falls Bypass.

- At jct., turn left onto Weathersfield Trail.

- Follow Weathersfield Trail to car.

Map of Mt. Ascutney State Park

Photo Album

Braintree Triangle (Blue Hills Reservation)

Braintree Triangle (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop w/ Loop

Distance: 1.62  miles

Elevation: 46 feet

My Time: 29 minutes

Book Time: 49 minutes

Parking: Room for 4-5 cars at trailhead.
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

Now it's 5:40pm the day after Memorial Day. I just had a very successful hike of the quarries, and I'm officially on my final hike of my Trail Trace the Blue Hills Patch! I hiked the bit of Old 128 to the right of the parking area, and then worked my way onto the Hemlock Path, where the robins were cheering me on. I was feeling slightly miserable from the wet cotton as I collected more and more spiderwebs, but there was a nice breeze keeping an ounce of life in me. 

On the return from Hemlock, I noticed that my watch was frozen? I had to do a soft reset (for the first time) to get it to unfreeze. When it was back on, I restarted my activity, but it wasn't tracking distnace or elevation... Naturally the final hike of my map wouldn't have a Garmin map... Literally fine, just annoying!

I made my way onto the Braintree Pass Path and enjoyed seeing across the highway to the other side - I always love imaginging what it was like pre-93. I finished the little loop and had a nice walk back along Old Route 128. I noticed 5614 was still marked in-person for the Laurel Path, but it is not on the most recent DCR map. Just when I was getting mopey about still walking, I remembered that I officially completed my map! This marks the fourth time I've hiked all the trails (twice for the Friends of Blue Hills patches and once for a Winter Trace). I'll definitely be taking a sick day tomorrow to celebrate...!

Step-by-Step

- Park at 5620.

- Start hike turning right on Old Route 128.

- At West Street, turn around.

- At 5620, turn right onto Hemlock Path.

- At terminus, turn around.

- At 5620, turn right onto Old Route 128.

- At 5611, turn right onto Braintree Pass Path.

- At 5610, turn left onto Winnemoiset Path.

- At 5600, turn left onto Old Route 128.

- Follow Old Route 128 to car: Trail Trace complete!

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Quarries Foot Path & Quincy Quarries (Blue Hills Reservation)

Quarries Foot Path & Quincy Quarries (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Loop

Distance: 4.13 miles

Elevation: 449 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Book Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes

Parking: Room for one car at pull-off at 4223.
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

'Twas the Tuesday after Memorial Day and I only had a few trails left of the Blue Hills to hike for my patch, so I took a deep breath and had a dreadfully sleepy drive to the Quarries after school. I was simply not excited about this hike, but this and Braintree Triangle were all I had left! It was a warm day in the low 80s, I forgot to bring a wicking t-shrit so I was stuck in an awful cotton shirt, I applied my bug spray, and got to work!

Things actually got off to a wonderful start when I saw blazes! I remembered reading that the Friends of the Blue Hills got approval to blaze the trail - I was hoping for paint blazes, but instead they blazed the trail with laminated papers with a geometric "Q" stapled to trees.

One minute in and I was already fully covered in spiderwebs. I hiked past some yellow star grass (thank you, Seek!) and made my way into the woods, up and over a longtime annoying blowdown, and soon approached the famous confusing slabby part. There was some nice stone work leading up to the scramble. The blazes had been clear up until this point, but it was again unclear of how to get up. I went up the way that I always have, and it seems that I had been doing it the right way?

There was a lull in the blazing for a minute with only a few traces of flagging tape (which is why I think paint blazes would have been a better move). This whole area is so cool. If they could clean it up, maintain the trail, and somehow change the culture around partying in this area, it would be a really wonderful area.

I learned that the way to stay on-route is to just follow the high ridge until a viewpoint, and then veer left to descend (there was a blaze on a tree here). I successfully got the spur to Adams Path and then the spur that looped back upon the Quarries Foot Path. I was actually feeling good!

I was feeling very good except for the hellscape that was the soaking wet cardboard-esc cotton on my skin. I made my way over to that awfully grown-in meadow, and was rewarded with a deer! There were also a comical amount of orange moths simply... making love. I made my way back to the Quarries Foot Path and then the final loopty loop nearest 4238, which was mostly marked with flagging tape (thankfully). I finished out the Quarries Foot Path, which appeared to now cross Riccuiti Drive, which had a sign! The sign on the opposite side of Riccuiti Drive read: "The Quarry Trail winds through an area previously dotted with granite quarries. Between 1815 and 1956, numerous quarry pits operated in this area. The Quincy granite industry led to innovations in quarrying techniques. Famous for its quality, Quincy granite was shipped throughout the United States and the world. Laborers came to Quincy from northern New England and from Europe to work in the quarries, transforming Quincy from an agricultural community to a major industrial center. From 1997 to 2001, the largest quarries were filled with dirt from the Big Dig project in Boston."

I hit the bits of trail on the western edge of this side and then worked my along toward the spur path that led to the main Quincy Quarries parking area, passing some interesting looking folks on the way. The main quarry area was super cool per usual - the graffiti has transformed from "crime" to real art, and the view from the top is really cool! There was a guy at the tippy top, so I left him alone. I had to be careful, though, because the paint-covered granite was slippery. 

Now I was going to work my way around this area clockwise, starting by following the path around the flooded quarry near the road, which had a spray-painted metal sign with the geometric "Q" on it! There were a few mallards on the algae-filled pool. I worked my way up the trail, passing another metal "Q" and a small green sign high up on a tree - it's clear they've put some work into this area. 

The trails in the northeast corner were almost painfully overgrown, but I got them done! I followed the trail around the flooded tall quarry in the northeast corner of the park, enjoying the views on the way! The trail turned left off of the high wall just before a slight uphill to the highest point.

In the back section, I am always interested in the trails that are not on the map, but I was not ready to be exploring! I made my way down to the Incline Railway and read the following message:

"Quarry Museum Open June

The Quincy Quarry and granite Workers Museum will be open on Saturday, June 6th and Sunday, June 7th from 11 to 4 for a self-guided walking tour at the Lyons Turning Mill and museum located on 20 Quarry Hills Drive, West Quincy. Historic pictures of the granite industry and interpretive information can be viewed at each stop around the mill. The museum will be open to view pictures and artifacts from Quincy's granite industry. Come visit our indoor, outdoor and geology museums. Museum members will be on hand to answer questions and Quarry Museum T-Shirts will be on sale to help support the museum. The quarry museum, Lyons Turning Mill and geology building is open the first full weekend and 3rd Saturday each month through November. Come visit an learn Quincy's granite history Free admission"

I wrapped up this upper portion of the quarries, crossed Riccuiti Drive again, and continued my journey, circling around another quarry and hitting the unfortunately overgrown loop near Douglas Street. For the last couple of minutes in this loop, I also had the distinct pleasure of following a turkey that simply would not get off of the trail. It gobbled at me initially, but wouldn't do it again for the camera. It eventually ducked out right at the close of the loop to join it's turkey friends, and then I made my way onto the Adams Path and then Bunker Hill Lane! This was the most successful trip to the quarries ever! I decided I'd reluctantly drive to the Braintree Triangle to finish out my map. It was a nice day, and I think I'm calling out sick tomorrow...

Step-by-Step

- Park at 4223.

- Start hike on Quarries Foot Path (blazed with Q).

- Round the wide corner by the "t" on the map, and hike the. mini loop.

- After, hike the trail that connects to Adams Path.

- At Adams Path, turn around.

- Continue on Quarries Foot Path, hiking next mini loop and spur to 4236.

- At 4236, turn left.

- At terminus, turn around.

- Return to Quarries Foot Path.

- At second junction (before 4238), turn right.

- Follow flagging and AllTrails to hike path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Quarries Foot Path.

- At 4238, hike triangle and turn right.

- At terminus, turn left.

- At terminus, turn around.

- At Ricciuti Drive, turn around.

- At jct., turn left.

- At 4238, turn left onto Quarries Foot Path.

- At Ricciuti Drive, turn around.

- At 4238, turn left.

- At jct., turn left and cross Riccuiti Drive.

- First, hike to top of Bunker Hill Quarry (easternmost).

- Then, go back to pavement and hike Quarry Trail around pond.

- Hike trails on west side, then hike to 4229.

- At 4229, turn left.

- At terminus at Granite Railway Museum, turn around.

- Return to Riccuiti Drive and cross at same spot.

- At terminus, turn left.

- At jct., turn left onto Adams Path.

- At road, turn around and then turn left.

- Hike mini loop near Douglas St.

- At end of loop, turn left onto Adams Path.

- Follow Adams Path to 4235.

- Continue onto Bunker Hill Lane.

- Turn right onto Furnace Brook Parkway to end hike.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album