Skyline Traverse Eastbound (Blue Hills Reservation)

Skyline Traverse Eastbound (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Traverse

Distance: 8.51 miles

Elevation: 1,841 feet

Time: 4 hours, 14 minutes (3 hours, 53 minutes moving)
Parking: Drop Car #1 at Shea Memorial Rink in Quincy. Drive Car #2 and park at cul-de-sac at the end of Royall Street in Canton on side of road.

Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills; Great Blue Hill Summits

The Hike 

Reunited with Sarah for a Skyline Traverse! I hadn't gotten a new patch in a while, nor have I done a traverse of the Skyline Trail in years, so it was time! We agreed to meet in Quincy at 7:30am and get started with our hike at 8:00am. It was nice and exciting to be getting a bigger hike in so close to home. I had plans around 1:00pm, so I was hoping to be back in time for that, we'll see!

[7:56am - Start of Hike]

We started on the access path toward the actual start of the Skyline Trail at 7:56am. It was a nice morning with blue skies, warm sun, a cooler temperatures in the high 40s/low 50s. At the terminus of the access path, we turned left onto the Skyline Trail, pretending that we weren't actually on the trail yet. I never understand why they have the trail start in such an awkward-to-get-to place. We hopped along the murky streams and litter-covered rocks, eventually OFFICIALLY starting our traverse!

[8:01am - Skyline Trail]

We hit the abandoned highway interchange, officially beginning our traverse! We retraced our steps and continued onward, missing the spur to Royall Street that I needed (oh well), crossing Green Street, climbing up and down Little Blue Hill, crossing paths with an... interesting fellow, and carefully crossing MA-138.

[8:26am - Skyline Trail/MA-138]

Thankfully the crossing wasn't too horrible. The steep climb up Great Blue Hill had both of us huffing and puffing, but thankfully the sunny views helped push us along higher up! We could clearly make out Mt. Wachusett from the view, which was a fun little treat, and we loved seeing the early springtime buds on the trees. 

We did take a side-path to the true summit to "boop" the plaque, and then we continued to the Eliot Tower, which gave us a wonderful view of Boston.

Our hike continued down Great Blue Hill, up and over Wolcott Hill, and then up and to the viewpoint on Hemenway Hill, which was just beautiful. It was nice to be on super-familiar trail, but more fun to be continuing on afterwards! We descended Hemenway and went up and over Hancock before making our way to Hillside Street.

[9:34am - Skyline Trail/Hillside Street]

The Hillside Street crossing was nice and easy and the walk up the Bugbee merge was lovely. We dipped off back fully into the woods and started our surprisingly heart-pounding climb up Tucker Hill (I always forget how rugged this side is, too). We scrambled down Tucker Hill, talking about what big hike we want to do next (maybe Lafayette tomorrow??), and then went up and over North Boyce before a final push up Buck Hill for a sit and snack. It was SO NICE out, but still a little chilly with a breeze. 

[10:32am - Skyline Trail/MA-28]

We got lucky with the timing of our MA-28 crossing and continued on into the woods, spotting an old orange blaze (which I love finding). We both took potty breaks in the flat stretch between the Pipe Line and Chickatawbut Hill - we were so joyful to be relatively alone in the woods - the perks of hiking on a Monday!

We steeply scrambled up Chickatawbut Hill, enjoying the view back towards Buck Hill, and then continued past Fenno, Kitchamakin, and enjoying the beautiful views of Boston and the ocean from Nahanton and the nicely laid stone steps all around.

We continued over the four and a half broken hills, admiring the beautiful forests in this area, alongside MANY Eastern Towhee birds and the old fenceposts. We were joined by a few hikers on the final broken hill, and easily descended to cross Chickatawbut Road.

[11:34am - Skyline Trail/Chickatawbut Road]

(EDIT: Writing this with time stamps, I'm really enjoying that we spent almost exactly an hour in each section of the park). Almost in the home stretch! We had a steep-but-short climb up Wampatuck Hill and enjoyed the partial views. We were both in-and-out of void time at this point of our hike, which wasn't a bad thing at all. We enjoyed the views into the little swampy pond after Wampatuck, and then had a STEEP, scrambly climb up to The Crags, which has one of my favorite unique views in the park.

We descended the Crags and went up and over the shoulder of Rattlesnake Hill, past Sullivan's Quarry, crossed Wampatuck Road, and had our final push across the St. Moritz Ponds and to Sarah's car! Yay! I was NOT making it to my 1:00pm plans, but we weren't TOO far off!

[12:10pm - End of Hike]

We got my car, got nice and changed, and locked in our plans to hike Mt. Lafayette tomorrow! We'd have a 4:00am departure time, meeting at the Burlington Mall to drop a car at 4:30 for the drive up. The weather was looking not-freezing, virtually wind-less, and CLOUD-FREE! Should be a great day!

Once home, I got showered, packed, and headed to Chrsitien's to see RAYE at the MGM Music Hall that night!

Step-by-Step

- Park at end of Royall Street and enter woods.

- At terminus of path, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- At terminus/pavement, turn around.

- Follow Skyline Trail to eastern terminus at Shea Memorial Rink in Quincy.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Jay Peak (Day 43)

Skiing Jay Peak

Saturday, April 18th, 2026

Runs: 14

Distance: 15.69 miles

Elevation: 18,371 feet

Max Speed: 31.7 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.9 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 18 minutes, 44 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 38 minutes, 48 seconds

One of my favorite days of the year - Ski Patrol Banquet! The theme was "Pirates, Winches, and Sea Creatures." Emma, Sarah, and I were going to be anglerfish, naturally. We were going to spend the night due to a heavily discounted room rate, so we all drove up to the mountain seperately. Last night, we worked on our costumes and I have Emma and Sarah their banquet "thank you for letting me ski for free and being my friends" gifts of gin and anglerfish t-shirts! Per usual, I made it to the mountain before either of them and had some solo time. I was sunny but a little chilly (read as: NOT COLD) and was shaping to be a STUNNING spring day! I made it to the mountain sometime around 9:15, slowly got ready, and was on the snow just before 10!

Snow Report

SATURDAY APRIL 18 AT 8:39AM

Bluebird Pond Skim

7/9 Lifts with the Tram and Stateside Carpet on hold.

Spring lift hours: Lower mountain: 9:00AM-5:00PM. Upper mountain: 9:30AM - 5:00PM.

Bluebird spring day and the pond is ready.

We're set up for Pond Skim today with sunshine, corn snow and a crowd of funky costumed performers ready to try making it across. The event starts at noon on Interstate, with awards at 3 in the Pump House. From there things roll right into the Pump House Beach party from 4 to 7 with live music from The High Breaks, plus games and giveaways.

Enjoy this lovely spring day while it lasts, because a cold front moves in tonight with rain turning to snow and temps up top dropping into the 20s. It seems April hasn't quite turned out the lights just yet. Lower mountain stays closer to freezing Sunday with intermittent snow and a few inches are possible into Monday morning. Next week looks colder than what we've been used to and it's looking like we'll end up with a couple of days of mixed precipitation. TK says it could just as well be all snow here next Tuesday night into Wednesday and Thursday.

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Queen's Highway

[1.58 miles; 5:52; 1,493 feet; 27.8 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Flyer Express Quad - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Harmony Lane

[1.52 miles; 6:28; 1,611 feet; 28.7 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]

Run 3: Flyer Express Quad - Goat Run - Lower River Quai - Interstate

[1.56 miles; 6:33; 1,539 feet; 29.0 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 4: Tram - Vermonter - Montrealer - Northway - Hell's Crossing - Angel's Wiggle - Paradise Meadows

[1.64 miles; 6:47; 1,785 feet; 27.2 mph max; 14.5 mph avg]

My plan of attack for the day was basically to ski anything that was still open! I started in my Outdoor Research microgrid fleece and ski pants and was wonderfully comfortable - I even took the earmuffs off of my helmet! I hopped onto the Bonnie to start my adventure. We're officially at the "nobody is here" part of the season which was a reward I have worked hard for! My first run was down Goat Run all the way, which was in halfway decent shape! The main choke point before the S-Turns was down to about one groomer's width, which made things interesting, but the bumps on the turns were already forming and super soft. From the top of the Taxi, I followed Queen's Highway all the way over to the Flyer.

I took the Flyer back to Goat and then all the way down Green Mountain Boys and Harmony Lane. Green Mountain Boys is fun in the spring! Since Racer and The Flash were closed for the season, Green Mountain Boys was upgraded to a black for it's whole route. Harmony Lane was definitely on it's last life, but I did get a PR on it!

Run #3 was up the Flyer and down Goat to Lower River Quai, which per usual was a dream and right down Interstate, past the pond skimming pond, and right into line for the Tram! I made it on without a wait (aside the wait for the physical Tram!). I shared the Tram with a few patrollers who I knew I'd be seeing later, which made me giggle. I skied down my beloved Vermonter to Northway and Hell's Crossing, but just the upper part because the lower half was closed for the season. Angel's Wiggle and Paradise Meadows were full of snow, but the little spur to the Jet was in rough/scary shape. Skiiable, but scary.

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Jet Triple - Haynes - Mont l'Entrepiede

[0.71 miles; 2:58; 1,073 feet; 25.7 mph max; 14.5 mph avg]

Run 6: Jet Triple - The Jet

[0.70 miles; 2:54; 1,073 feet]

Run 7: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Northway - Purgatory - Angel's Wiggle - Paradise Meadows

[1.11 miles; 4:13; 1,165 feet; 26.0 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]

I knew I wanted to ski both The Jet and Haynes, but The Jet was SWAMPED with people, so Haynes made the most sense! I was about to ride solo when a duo of snowboarders came up behind me and said "sir are you riding by yourself? well not anymore! get over here buddy!" Very kind of them... They said Haynes was super icy, but I only hit one hard spot - it was great! I did have a spectacular sommersault fall where I somehow ended up standing and skiing in the correct direction after... not sure how, but not complaining!

Run #6 was down The Jet, which was in wonderful shape! I was definitely starting to heat up, though. I had to open my vents for Run #7, which was down Montrealer and Purgatory to the Wiggle and Meadows. Overall, a great set of runs! Now, Emma and Sarah were almost at the mountain, so I went into the lodge, changed into my anglerfish t-shirt and SHORTS, grabbed a Citizen's Cider Dirty Mayor, and sat outside in the sun while I waited for them. Many others were waiting too, it was a spring skiing DREAM!

Runs 8-9

Run 8: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Northway - Hell's Crossing - Angel's Wiggle - Paradise Meadows

[0.93 miles; 3:56; 1,083 feet; 26.0 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]

Run 9: Bonaventure Quad - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Harmony Lane

[1.52 miles; 13:05; 1,499 feet; 31.7 mph max; 7.0 mph avg]

I found Emma and Sarah and we walked over to the Jet (it's officially walking season...) - to my delight they were also in their Anglerfish t-shirts! Emma also proudly debuted her discoball helmet and sparkly boots (I'm so jealous). We got our family photo on top of the Jet and skied down Montrealer to the Meadows before getting on the Bonnie for another lap down Goat and Green Mountain Boys. So much fun skiing! There were a few uphillers trying to navigate the bumps on Green Mountain Boys, which looked awful and borderline impossible, but both Emma and Sarah were thrilled to not be patrolling so it wasn't their problem. We took a break to grab a drink, get some free Dermatone samples at Tramside base, and start decorating for the banquet!

Runs 10-14

Run 10: Flyer Express Quad - Northway - Paradise Meadows

[1.50 miles; 6:49; 1,506 feet; 28.9 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 11: Jet Triple - U.N. - Lower Jet

[0.73 miles; 6:22; 1,102 feet; 30.9 mph max; 6.9 mph avg]

Run 12: Jet Triple - Haynes - Mont l'Entrepiede

[0.72 miles; 3:55; 1,112 feet; 23.4 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]

Run 13: Jet Triple - The Jet

[0.71 miles; 3:31; 1,165 feet; 28.4 mph max; 12.1 mph avg]

Run 14: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Angel's Wiggle - Paradise Meadows

[1.23 miles; 5:19; 1,165 feet; 25.9 mph max; 13.8 mph avg]

After a good hour of decorating, I wanted to get a few more runs in. Emma and Sarah had to grab something from Stateside Base before a few more patrol chores (and grabbing another drink), so I went solo for my next ones! Run #10 was up the flywer and down the Northway all the way - the new cut was skiing good! I carefully got back to the Jet, where patrol had opened U.N. The bumps were volxwagen-sized, which I did not ski well, but I made it! Lower down, more and more rocks began to appear and I fell a few more times only by poorly dodging the rocks. Oh well, at least I tried! I finished out the run on the Jet.

Run #12 was back down Haynes, which was even better after baking in the sun, and Run #13 was down the Jet, which was even better yet! I kept thinking I was done, but then I'd do a run and think "wow I want to do another one." 

I did decide to cally my two more skip the last because I wanted time to get ready before the banquet - so Run #14 brought me back down Montrealer. I hadn't skied the upper half of Angel's Wiggle yet, so that was my goal! Earlier, I saw there was an opening in the fence allowing (or at least not discouraging) folks to get to the Wiggle from the main Montrealer chute/headwall/whatever it is. Unfortunately, a bunch of bundled up netting was hiding behind the lip (it was NOT there before!) and I fully crashed into it. I had to take my skis off to get untangled, and got a nice bit of road rash - nice! The rest of my run was easy peasy and soon enough I was debooting at my car and driving over.

Our day was FAR from over, though! We all made it to the room around the same time and got tangled up in HOURS of arts and crafts trying to get our little anglerfish lights. Mine worked the best, since I hot-glued it to a hat. Emma and Sarah had a harder time, as we ended up just wrapping their hair with pipe clearner and crafting wire and hoping it would hold (spoiler: it did not hold). Either way, we had a great time! We pregammed with Bonne, Kim, and Kim's friend, and eventually made our way down to the banquet.

The dinner was wonderful and I alawys love the awards. The dancing definitely had peaks and valleys, but was such a fun time! We had one feelings time with Emma, but she got snapped out of it once she got dancing again. The after-party-"party" was just a bunch of us, drunk as skunks, hanging out in different permutations bouncing between rooms on the third floor of the Hotel Jay. Everyone's details are a little fuzzy, but it was very silly. I ended the night with two French Canadian patrollers who I hardly knew speaking French at each other...

The next morning shockingly was not as awful as it could have been! We got up and out by 10am and got brunch at the JVI along with at least a dozen other patrollers, comically. I wanted to go for a hangover hike on the way home, but it was cold and rainy and windy (Jay ended up getting 6" of snow, which is ridiculous). I am definitely starting to feel the end-of-season emotions, but I have at least two more weekends left! Next Friday is Linnea's 30th birthday at Jay, and of course closing day!

Map of Jay Peak (2025-2026, Updated)

North Uncanoonuc Double Loop (Goffstown Conservation Land)

North Uncanoonuc Double Loop (Goffstown Conservation Land)

Hike Type: -o-o- Loop

Distance: 3.47 miles

Elevation: 1,293 feet

Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes
Parking: "Uncanoonuc Trails Parking" on Google Maps. 300 Mountain Road, Goffstown, NH. 10ish spaces at junction with gated reservoir access road.

Hiking Challenges: N/A

The Hike 

Spring Break is here! Naturally, I got started with a slow drive up near Manchester and then I dipped off the highway for a hike before continuing up to Vermont. The drive to the trailhead was pretty brutal until I got off of the highway, but that's just the nature of driving north on a vacation Friday afternoon. I had the Uncanoonucs on my mind for a while now, mostly just due to Facebook posts and knowing they existed, and after hiking South Uncanoonuc last Friday, I had to hike it's twin! I didn't want to spend too much time delaying my arrival to Vermont, so I was aiming for speed and fitness over leisure this afternoon. The official map had fewer trails than AllTrails did, and I didn't have much of a plan, so we'd see what happens! It was a humid afternoon in the mid 60s that felt pretty lovely.

From the parking area, I turned right onto the road and soon after made a left into the woods. This trail was not on the official map, but there was a clear footbed and orange blazes in various stages of age. The trail climbed up the embankment and then turned to follow the contour. I followed the trail as it undulated around the contour line while battling my third case of hiccups of the day, which was WEIRD. There was clear evidence that mountain bikers had been on this trail. I meandered along, crossing a few dried drainages until the trail split. Straight ahead was a lesser-used continuation of the orange trail, and on the left was a steep climb up to the summit.

I turned left to start the pretty brutal climb up. The one positive was that the climb alternated steep pitches with brief walking breaks. The steeps felt steeper than the Incline Trail up South Uncanoonuc, but the Incline Trail lacked any breaks. I could hear trucks down below as I climbed up past some young trees that provided highly obstructed views. I crossed paths with a downhill hiker on another steep before the trail began to moderate - I was equally sweating and dying. The trail moderated, then turned to climb truly straight up, and then moderated again in a denser coniferous forest. There were tree views to Manchester, and eventually the trail turned again and eased into the summit area, which was grassy and moderately open.

In summation, this climb had 10 segments: steep, flat, steep, flat, steep, flat, moderate, steep, moderate, easy. I was pooped, but fulfilled!

The summit area was accessed by the White Dot Trail, which continued where the Orange Trail ended, and it was quite lovely, with two viewpoints over to South Uncanoonuc and a bit of Manchester if you wiggled around a bit. There was a memorial bench, a summit sign, but no disc that I could find.

From the summit sign, I began my descent down the Blue Trail, which followed the ridge and made for some pretty hiking. A cairn marked a path to a grown-in scenic view and the Blue Trail turned from a nice footpath to a washed-out road. I caught a view to what I think had to be Pack Monadnock? There was also an old sign for the Pink Trail from the view, which does not pop up on the current official map. 

The Blue Trail eventually turned off of the washed-out old road onto what felt like another old road, which was past the stages of washed-out and just plain slabby. It was dry, but footing was a little slippery from conifer needles. Further down, the trail rejoined the old road (or another old road...) in what felt like a snowmobile corridor (update from the future: I was right!). 

The Blue Trail ended at the Class VI Road Trail, which I followed left. This trail/road was wonderfully soft underfoot as it followed peoples' backyard property lines. I decided to follow it all the way down to Mountain Road just to the hike legally counted as a double summit, since I was now planning on heading back up due to the low mileage. 

After the junction with the Red Dot Trail, the Class VI Road Trail had a few green blazes, later passing a bunch of snowmobile signage as it descneded towards Mountain Road. Near the end, the actual trail left the road corridor and descended to the road. I took a swig of water, and turned around to climb back up! The climb on the Class VI Road Trail was easy to moderate, but I was moving fast so it got my heart pumping! I made a light goal at this point to finish the hike in under 1 hour, 30 minutes, but I wasn't too sure of the mileage for the White Dot Trail, so we'd see how it goes. Soon enough I was back at the Red Dot Trail junction!

I immediately noticed how well-signed the Red Dot Trail was, especially compared to the Orange Trail. The trail split a couple of times, but it was easy to follow (the other splits were on AllTrails). It was similarly as calf-steep as the Orange Trail, soon climbing up a neat little spine. Also, I was dying again. The forest changed higher up, providing a nice tree view to South Uncanoonuc, and I could hear gunshots in the distance (I'm guessing a nearby sportsmen's club, so I was in danger and didn't worry about it). Similarly again to Orange, the trail mellowed out near the top and I had a quick return to the summit on Blue! The sun felt HOT, but the air felt lovely. I could have dealt with lower humidity and more wind, but I'll take what I can get. 

Descending on the White Dot Trail, I enjoyed the upper forest. I passed a woman training her dog to be a wonderful hiking dog, which was nice to see. Further down, the trail began to descend more moderately over slippery rocks, and then it plummeted down, providing a little view at the top of the shoulder. I really enjoyed seeing the springtime reds starting to top the trees. I passed a few Boy Scout plackards with numbers on it - I think they were marking mileage (I saw 0.5, 0.2, etc.). This trail was honestly just as steep as the others, but this one would be quad steep on the climb versus calf steep. 

Futher down, I passed a neat little cave feature just before one final plummet. The White Dot Trail continue straight to the road, but I turned right onto the other fork of the Orange Trail, which was significaly less-traveled than the main trail, but stiill easy enough to follow. I did have to go up a little bit, but I persevered. 

My final return on the Orange Trail kept my heart rate up, in part becuase I was looking to do the hike in under 1 hour, 30 minutes, and also because of how the trail meandered up and down. My burning lungs thanked me when I saw the road, and to my delight, I was back at my car in 1 hour, and 22 minutes!

I quickly changed back at the car and had a nice, but long drive up to Emma and Sarah's. I grabbed a pizza from Stone's Throw and started doing crafts with the two of them for our Anglerfish costumes for the Ski Patrol Banquet tomorrow night!

Step-by-Step

- Park at trailhead.

- Hike northbound on Mountain Road.

- Turn left onto Orange Trail and enter woods.

- At terminus, continue left on White Dot Trail.

- Follow White Dot Trail over summit and continue.

- At jct., turn left onto Blue Trail.

- At terminus, turn left onto Class VI Road Trail.

- At Mountain Road, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Red Dot Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto White Dot Trail.

- Follow White Dot Trail over summit and descend.

- At jct., turn right onto Orange Trail connecting spur.

- Follow Orange Trail back to Mountain Road and car.

Uncannonuc Trails Map

Photo Album

Little Blue Hill Area (Blue Hills Reservation)

Little Blue Hill Area (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing Loop

Distance: 3.44 miles

Elevation: 292 feet

Time: 1 hours, 22 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills; Blue Hills Grid

The Hike 

After an extra sleepy drive, I was back at the Blue Hills with Sarah to hit the trails around Little Blue Hill! We were both super low on energy, so we decided to keep it easy, and she's a good sport about tagging along for my tracing hikes, even if they trend boring. We suited up at the park and ride on MA-138 with it's many... interesting characters, and turned onto MA-138 to get to the Skyline Trail!

We followed the Skyline Trail and made our best guess as to which of the many paths was the actual Cosmos Path... whichever one we chose had a boyscout-style fortification made out of limbs and sticks and a massive pile of poop... ANYWAY we continued onto the spur at 6877 and then worked our way over and up Little Blue Hill by the signed but unmapped path on the north side of the hill, which was actually quite lovely!

There was some graffiti on the summit of Little Blue Hill, but nothing overly insane. We continued along the mossy path down towards the Hemenway bench at 6880, and then hiked towards the Cosmos and K Paths for a long wander around the area. Naturally, we were daydreaming about future hikes during this stretch, which was not overly visually or physically stimulating.

We heard the TERRIFYING sound of a Donkey while on the far side of the Cosmos Path, and once on the K Path for a second time we heard an Eastern Towhee and a Red-shouldered Hawk (thank you, Merlin Bird ID), which was really cool! That gave us a little boost to make it up Skyline, back up most of Little Blue, and to finish out Moulton Path. We took Skyline back to the cars, past a few more interesting, but harmless characters, and then we were all done! For a short, easy hike, we were both exhausted! Thankfully, it's almost April break!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Park and Ride on MA-138.

- Turn right onto MA-138.

- At jct., turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Cosmos Path.

- At 6877, hike spur to driveway.

- At terminus, turn around.

- At 6877, turn right onto Cosmos Path.

- At 6830, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto unmapped path.

- Summit Little Blue Hill, continue to Moulton Path.

- At 6880, turn right onto Moulton Path.

- At 6830, turn left onto Cosmos Path.

- At jct., turn right and hike spur to Green Street.

- At Green Street, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Cosmos Path.

- At 6670, tun left onto K Path.

- At Royall Street, turn around.

- At 6850, turn left onto Cosmos Path.

- At 6670, turn right onto K Path.

- At 6895, turn left onto path.

- At jct., turn left.

- At 6880, turn left onto Moulton Path.

- At 6891, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Cosmos Path.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Fowl Meadow & Swamp Trail (Blue Hills Reservation)

Fowl Meadow & Swamp Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop

Distance: 5.96 miles

Elevation: 82 feet

Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

Time for a Blue Hills hike with Sarah, the first in a while! I'm working medium-hard on completing my three-season tracing map, so I proposed a relatively flat hike at Fowl Meadow, and Sarah was on board! We met at the Burma Road trailhead around 3:45pm, about 30 seconds apart from each other. It was an obnoxiously warm 80 degree April afternoon and we were SWEATY from the start. We got right to work hitting the various paths around the parking area and then started a long walk down Burma Road.

Birds were chirping and flying around the reeds as we walked in and over the footbridge. The path was starting to grow with greener grasses, but still unproblematic. I was HYPERvigilant about ticks the whole time. We caught up about hiking, skiing, various life events, and eventually made our way onto the Fowl Meadow Path (one of my favorites - a bit more narrow than Burma Road lined with tall trees) and hiked the little spur former trail at 6009 (I did not notice the usual weird items in the woods - maybe they were removed by humans or water?). We came to the terminus and Sarah went "IS THAT THE TRAIL?!," staring directly at the Neponset River, and I happily reassured her that it was not, and we had to turn onto the Indian Path.

The Indian Path was drier than expected and a little more grown-in than expected. The first "crossing" was just a pit of mud, which was truly a wonderful sign for the rest! The Neponset River Gague listed 8ft, which is below the benchmark level for water-on-trail of 9ft. On the trail, we followed the meandering path for what felt like a long time, hiking over three piles of deer poop and getting passed by two Acela and two MBTA Commuter Rail trains. We even saw a turtle! It would really be a lovely hike if it was better maintained! We turned back onto Burma Road, signed by some flagging, and then finished up the tail end of Burma Road (naturally I yapped about how this was all going to be I-95, roughly). I almost stepped on a garder snake, which sent me at least 30 feet into the air!

To be kind to future me, I also proposed we hit the little loop off of the Swamp Trail, and thankfully Sarah is down for a nice little lackluster hike! The footbridge on Fowl Meadow Path was back where it was supposed to be (last time I was here it was washed down a few feet) and I noticed some large bird houses on top of shiny metal sheets wrapped around a few trees in the swamp proper... interesting!

We squished past the always-flooded stretch and continued through the area that has been absolutely enveloped in what I assume are invasive vines. We saw a car door? I always wonder if the weird stuff in this area 1) has just been dumped here, 2) has been washed-in from floods, or 3) are leftovers from when the state took this land to build 95? A mystery!

We made our way onto Green Hill Path and hiked towards Field Path, and then back towards the spur on 6106. We then followed the Green Hill Path out to the unmapped trails that connect back to Fowl Meadow Path. We were swatting bugs! By far the biggest bummer of spring...

Back on Burma Road, we had a nice long walk out, past a toad, and soon enough were back at the car with another hike in the books!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Burma Road parking.

- Hike paths around parking area, then start hike on Burma Road spur.

- At end of spur, continue onto Burma Road.

- At jct., turn left onto spur to Brush Hill Road.

- At Brush Hill Road, turn around and turn left to continue on Burma Road.

- At 6005, turn right onto Fowl Meadow Path.

- At 6009 (not on map), turn left onto path.

- At large tree, turn around.

- At 6009, turn left onto Fowl Meadow Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Indian Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Burma Road.

- At terminus, turn around.

- At 6005, turn right onto Fowl Meadow Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Swamp Trail.

- At 6105, turn right onto Green Hill Path.

- At 6104, turn around.

- At 6106, turn right to hike path.

- At height-of-land, turn around

- At 6106, turn right onto Green Hill Path.

- Follow trail outside of Blue Hills Reservation, turn left at every jct.

- Continue onto Fowl Meadow Path.

- At 6005, turn right onto Burma Road.

- Follow Burma Road to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Cannon Mountain (Day 42/Indy Day 32)

Skiing Cannon Mountain

Sunday, April 12th, 2026

Runs: 18

Distance: 13.86 miles

Elevation: 17,172 feet

Max Speed: 29.9 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.5 mph

Moving Time: 1:26:00

Total Time: 2:51:34

After a nice, but ultimately disappointing-due-to-Strava-technicalities morning hike, the sun worked its magic and warmed Franconia Notch into the 40s, so I made my way over to Cannon to help celebrate their closing day! The drive was expectedly super simple and I parked very close to the road on the Artist Bluff side. I did my chores at the car, reloaded my Indy online, and headed into the lodge to use the bathroom and start my adventure of the day! There were endless people outside on the deck just enjoying the day. Vibes were excellent!

Mountian Report

"If you're brave enough to say goodbye to this season, Cannon will reward you next season." - Paule Coelho

It is hard to belive that just a few months ago, we sat around the conference table with our Mountain Ops team planning out winter operations. There is a sense of hopeful optimism for the season that is to come. It energized our team as much as it energizes you. Writing this today, those conversations, that planning, that energy turns into nostalgia. This season will be talked about for years to come as "that one season where it snowed almost every day in January and February, it was consistently cold and DJ's Tramline was open for weeks intead of days." To everyone who skied with us this season, you are a character in the Cannon story, and we thank you for makung us part of your ski season. As we turn to the final page, today isn't about saying goodbye, it's about remembering this legendary season, about taking some laps in the sun, enjoying a cold beverage on the deck with friends and reenergizing our optimism for next season. Alright, I'm done pratting, let's go skiing.

Our final day of the 25/26 season, we are locked in with a classic New England spring skiing day. Temps are chilly this morning as we wait for the sun to warm us up. We are looking at highs in the mid-thirties at the summit and the high-forties at the base. Wind will be light and variable. We are starting the day with mostly clear skies.

Zoomer Triple, Peabody Quad, Cannonball Quad, and Tuckerbrook Quad will spin at 9:00am. Groomers were out on 26 trails overnight. Snow surfaces will be firm in the morning before softening up by mid-day.

Ski and ride with caution! The spring skiing hazards have returned, including rocks, ice, and bare spots. Please keep your eyes peeled and watch your speed. Conditions on trails can and will change over the course of the day.

Heads up: Our Cannon Mountain staff party will take place tomorrow afternoon in the Cannonball Pub. It's our way of saying thank you to all the folks that keep this mountain running every day! The pub will still be open for the public for our regular apres hours.

While you're here: Cannon Sports Shop is having their End of Season Sale, now thru Closing Day! Stop in, shop around and score 30% off all apparel! #treatyoself

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Missing Link - Spookie - Gremlin - Rock Garden - Mickey's Margin - Gary's

[1.48 mi; 8:35; 1,400 ft; 29.0 mph max; 10.3 mph avg]

Run 2: Zoomer Triple - Rocket

[0.39 mi; 2:10; 682 ft; 23.3 mph max; 10.7 mph avg]

Run 3: Zoomer Triple - Zoomer

[0.38 mi; 2:34; 689 ft; 26.4 mph max; 9.2 mph avg]

Run 4: Zoomer Triple - Lower Cannon

[0.63 mi; 3:37; 591 ft; 29.4 mph max; 10.5 mph avg]

It made me smile seeing so many people out and enjoying the day - it was such a picturesque spring ski day! I didn't have much of a plan today besides see how I feel. The first stop was the Peabody Express Quad - the skiing sounded great with a few harder spots. The link trails were a little bit of a mess of "here's what's left!," but all navigable. Big Link was half closed, Easy Link was full of cookies, and Missing Link was super bumpy with rocky troughs. Either way, I went down Easy Link to Missing Link and got some speed to get on Spookie, which was the only artery linking the upper and lower mountains. The last bit of Spookie was full of fun, soft bumps, and then I continued through the upper reach of Gremlin to Rock Garden, which was... just okay. Definitely was boilerplate ice this morning, but has softened up. I cut over to Mickey's Margin, which was in varigous stages of disrepair, but then had a GLORIOUS trip down Gary's! Soft turns that made me feel like a good skier - I giggled the whole last bit!

Music was playing at the bottom of the Zoomer and there were flocks of people skiing down what was left of the Zoomer Run, many in Hawaiian leis. I took Rocket down Run #2, which was just as wonderful as Gary's. Zoomer was a mixed bag - some nice slushy bumpy turns with two comically narrow chokepoints where a little bit of grass skiing was nearly mandatory. I made it down fine, maybe not glamorously, but fine! Run #4 was back up the Zoomer and down Lower Cannon and all the way back to my car to shed some layers and swap my goggles for Pit Vipers!

Runs 5-10

Run 5: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.15 mi; 189 ft]

Run 6: Cannonball Quad - Taft Slalom - Upper Ravine - Spookie - Gremlin - Rock Garden - Gremlin - Lower Ravine

[1.60 mi; 2,000 ft]

Run 7: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.15 mi; 189 ft]

Run 8: Cannonball Quad - Upper Ravine - Spookie - Gremlin - Lower Ravine - Chute - Lower Ravine

[1.60 mi; 2,000 ft]

Run 9: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.15 mi; 189 ft]

Run 10: Cannonball Quad - Upper Cannon - Big Link - Easy Link - Missing Link - Spookie - Gremlin

[1.60 mi; 2,000 ft]

My next series of runs focused on the Cannonball Quad and top-to-bottom runs. Runs #5, #7, and #9 were up the Peabody and down Easy to Big Link, which seemed to be the least popular route off the Peabody, which is why I preferred it! Run #6 was down Taft Slalom which was a DREAM - so much fun to cruise down making wide, slushy turns. The second half of Upper Ravine was also an absolutely springtime delight. I flew up into Spookie, Gremlin, Rock Garden, and then found an open cut-through back to Gremlin and then Lower Ravine to finish strong. I was giggling the whole way down!

Run #8 brought me down the entirety of Upper Ravine, which again, was a DREAM. So much fun. The trail itself is delightfully windy, and it just became even more fun with the playful snow. From the end of Spookie, I noticed that there was a bit of Gremlin that was technically closed, but very skiable and many others were taking it, so I took it to skip Rock Garden, and it was great! This time, I turned onto Lower Ravine and finished on Chute.

Run #10 brought me to the other side of the upper mountain. Upper Cannon is cut very similarly to Upper Ravine, but it was much more frozen than Upper Ravine. Nonetheless, it was still super fun! I followed the Links to Spookie and then followed Gremlin all the way back to the Peabody.

Runs 11-14

Run 11: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.15 mi; 189 ft]

Run 12: Cannonball Quad - Profile

[0.48 mi; 880 ft]

Run 13: Cannonball Quad - Tramway - Big Link - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.63 mi; 880 ft]

Run 14: Cannonball Quad - Vista Way - Big Link - Easy Link - Missing Link - Spookie - Gremlin - Rock Garden - Lower Cannon - Gary's

[1.67 mi; 8:53; 2,110 ft; 29.9 mph max; 11.3 mph avg]

#11 was back up the Peabody and Easy/Big Link, and then I noticed the opened Profile! I was wondering about that. It looked VERY hard and frozen when I first took the Cannonball, but now that it was open folks were harvesting the corn quite nicely! I followed a comically narrow entrance chute to a shockingly delightful run! There were two choke points that were pretty easily navigable. By far the best run I'd ever done down Profile!

I got back on the Cannonball for #13 and went down Tramway, which was similarly as frozen as Upper Cannon - still fun though! Tramway spat me onto Big Link, which I wiggled onto Easy Link and then back to Big Link. 

Run #14 was down another run that had JUST opened - Vista Way. It had the famous "thin cover" sign up, and boy, they meant it! There were some really nice turns to be had. and also a little bit of truly unavoidable grass. As I was literally walking across the grass in my skis, I saw a patroller who said without prompting, "I was not the one to open this." I was glad they did! Still a fun little spring adventure. Once I survived, I followed the Links to Spookie and then cut over all the way back to Gary's to start my farewell tour!

Runs 15-18

Run 15: Zoomer Triple - Rocket

[0.39 mi; 2:05; 564 ft; 25.4 mph max; 11.3 mph avg]

Run 16: Zoomer Triple - Lower Cannon

[0.53 mi; 1:51; 505 ft; 29.0 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]

Run 17: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link

[0.15 mi; 189 ft]

Run 18: Cannonball Quad - Taft Slalom - Upper Ravine - Spookie - Gremlin

[1.73 mi; 5:21; 1,926 ft; 28.0 mph max; 19.4 mph avg]

Gary's was still a dream, as was Rocket. So much fun!! If it wasn't Sunday I would have rallied for more... alas... Run #17 was back up the Peabody and I wrapped up with a final full-mountain run connecting some of my favorite trails of the day. I flew down Taft Slalom wiht a smile on my face and giggled on the winding Upper Ravine. I shot up Spookie and skied all the way down Gremlin, both the closed and open stretch.

It was definitely bittersweet to be there for their closing day. The skiing was so fun and the vibes on the whole mountain were just immaculate but it's sad to say goodbye! Thankfully, Jay plans to be open until at least May 10th unofficially, so more weekend to be had! Now, time to work my way home for the last week before break.

Map of Cannon Mountain

Mt. Pemigewasset (2x) (Double Pemitration) (White Mountain National Forest)

Mt. Pemigewasset (2x) (Double Pemitration) (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Out-and-back-and-out-and-back

Distance: 6.85 miles

Elevation: 2,497 feet

Time: 2 hours, 55 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

How this hike came to be: I knew I wanted to hike either before or after skiing Cannon, and while perusing Strava I came across a local athlete who did Mt. Pemigewasset eight times (insane). Naturally, I looked at his segments, and to my DELIGHT I saw that the segement for doing it twice in a row is called "Double Pemitration." Now, I love two things: a segment, and a silly and slightly dirty play on words. I was sold! I knew Mt. Pemi wasn't that difficult of a hike, so it was fully within my wheelhouse (plus the full trip would be just over six miles and 2000 feet - so doable. Since there was an overnight freeze, I decided I'd let Cannon thaw out in the morning and do my hike before skiing. I woke up around 5:00am (after a lousy night of sleep - I blame mostly the ramen) and started my drive, landing at the Flume Gorge parking lot just around 7:30am.

[7:42am - Franconia Notch Bike Path]

I suited up at my car with only one other car in the parking lot and soon walked right up to the Franconia Notch Bike Path, past an informational sign that read:

"Constructed as part of the Franconia Notch Parkway this path, completely separate from the Parkway, traverses the length of Franconia Notch and provides access to all park facilities and natural treasures."

After a very short walk easily uphill and almost slipping on black ice, I came to the Mt. Pemigewasset trailhead.

[7:44am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail]

Mt. Pemigewasset was the first mountain I ever climbed in the Whites (and the third hike, after Lonesome Lake and Artist Bluff) back in 2020, so it was fun to be revisiting. The Mt. Pemigewasset Trail easily descended with some icy footing to cross underneath US-3, and then rose again to cross a brook on a bridge that featured both forest fire prevention and bear prevention signs. 

The trail turned after the bridge onto a stable monorail that faded in and out, eventually dipping and turning to cross underneath I-93 Northbound, which had a few inches of ice on the ground, and then rose gently to cross I-93 Southbound, which had much friendlier footing. 

I continued to follow the seemingly fresh blue blazes up some stone stairs for about 20 feet until I pulled over to shed my layers down to my long sleeve base layer. It felt delightfully warm in the sun - so warm that I wished I wore shorts instead of long pants!

The Mt. Pemigewasset Trail continued to climb at an easy to moderate grade, easily crossing three streams that are likely dry in other seasons. The trail meandered for a bit, sometimes over not-too-slippery monorail, eventually crossing a slightly larger stream than the previous three (still easily, though). The forest was really pretty, too!

I climbed up through some unproblematic mud - the kind where you're not fighting for your life but you're glad that you wore waterproof boots! There were some tree views over to the Franconia Ridge, but not for much longer - spring is on its way!

I started to get a bit sweaty as the grade increased again and I finally put my spikes on. After the muddy section, the snowpack is pretty consistent for the rest of the climb. On average, there was probably 6" of snow, with some bare spots and some deeper spots. The monorail was doing it's thing, though! It made me glad I started with the hike instead of skiing because I feared this would turn to mush in the coming hours. 

The trail continued it's easy-to-moderate climb and steepened a bit more as the forest transitioned over to mostly coniferous trees - I remembered this part vividly becuase Emma and I kept talking about how much we love it when the "biomes" change on hikes! The snow in the coniferous stretch was very much spring snow - frozen, but covered in needles and twigs. It smelled like a Christmas Tree! I missed this smell.

[8:28am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Indian Head Trail]

Not long after entering the coniferous forest, I came to the junction with the Indian Head Trail. I very much do want to do the hike from this side, or at least the loop, but I was hellbent on getting the Double Pemitration Strava segment! The final push involved a small bit of navigable ice and one pseudo-scramble, but soon, I made it!

[8:31am - Mt. Pemigewasset Summit]

The summit area really is just wonderful. I dropped my spikes on a tree just before it opened up, and the view is vast on a huge open ledge. On the right was South Kinsman followed by Mt. Wolf and Mt. Moosilauke just after Mt. Wolf - Mt. Wolf really looks huge from this vantage point! Next on the left was I-93, Lincoln, and Loon. 

I noticed that the blue blazes continued around the corner of the ledge, so I followed them with a little "bushwhack" in the woods to avoid some icy ledges. From a second obstructed viewpoint I could see Loon Mountain Ski Resort, and from a third, which I believe is the true summit (no disc to be found under all the snow), was a tree-framed view toward Liberty and Flume. I didn't stick around for long, because I had a second lap to do!

[8:38am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail]

[8:39am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Indian Head Trail]

I put my spikes back on and started my descent, passing the Indian Head Trail after just a minute, and eventually existing the conifer forest. I had my first crazy red squirrel yelling at me of the year! The tops of my feet were hurting on the descent, likely from my ski boots, but they felt better once I took my spikes off further down. It was warming up NICELY down low - I was a little nervous about the softening snow. Slowly, the sounds of running water were replaced with the cars on I-93, and before I knew it, I was back at the Bike Path! Lap #1 took me 3.46 miles over 1 hour and 31 minutes (I guess technically 1 hour and 29 minutes if we're just counting the trailhead sign). 

[9:13am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Franconia Notch Bike Path]

Up #2 started with a bunch of birds cheering me on. I went under the three tunnels and began to climb. I noticed once my spikes were back on that the snow was DEFINITELY feeling softer - I kept just hoping that the monorail would hold! I was starting to feel HUNGRY on this climb - thankfully I had a breakfast sandwich back at the car. The squirrels and chipmunks were all waking up to do their morning chores as my legs were definitely starting to feel more tired. 

I noticed a white-capped Lafayette through the trees, which brought me joy. The warm temperatures of the sun-drenched deciduous forest gradually got replaced by a cold breeze in the coniferous forest, and soon enough, I passed the Indian Head Trail and was back at the top!

[9:54am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Indian Head Trail]

[9:57am - Mt. Pemigewasset Summit]

Naturally I took a bunch of the exact same photos as before. The only thing that had changed over the past hour and a half was the lighting! The first summit visit was angled direct sunlight, and this time it was leaning slightly overcast. Either way, it was a delight! If I didn't have skiing to do (I say like I wasn't itching to get skiing...) I would have stayed for a bit.

[10:02am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail]

[10:03am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Indian Head Trail]

I put my spikes back on and went into the woods for a nice, quick descent. The snow was even softer than before, to the point where I wish I had my gatiers. I took my spikes off at saw my first people du jour at 2 hours, 32 minutes and 5.78 miles. They looked wildly unprepared for a winter-esc hike. They probably could make it to the top in bareboots, but it would not be a pleasant time!

Further down, I began to hear the highway and began to pass MANY more people (I guess the (9:30/10 start time is alive and well). I passed another duo and then another, the second of the two was an older couple in jeans and normal shirts who appeared to be having a BAD time. I crossed the largest stream and crossed a trio followed by a solo, all of whom looked prepared. Two more just after them, and another two following the last small crossing. Everyone since the jeans were looking well prepared, at least! I went under I-93, passed a solo hiker in jeans and a leather backpack, and then I went under US-3 and passed a prepared hiker with her leashed puppy clearly training the puppy to be a good hiking companion - cheers!

[10:35am - Mt. Pemigewasset Trail/Franconia Notch Bike Path]

[10:37am - End of Hike]

I passed one more on the Bike Path, stomped over the previously frozen portion, and was back at my car! I did all of my changing at my car for skiing (I parked far away from the main spots for this reason), had my second breakfast, and synched my watch. To my HORROR I didn't see the Double Pemitration segment! Turns out, that is a running segment and NOT a hiking segment. I was FURIOUS. I'm still deciding if I'm spiteful enough to pay for a Strava subscription just so I can make it a segment... to be determined...

Step-by-Step

- Park at Flume Gorge parking lot.

- Start hike on Franconia Notch Bike Path.

- At jct., turn left onto the Mt. Pemigewasset Trail.

- Hike to summit, and back, and to the summit, and back.

- At Bike Path, turn right and return to car.

Photo Album