Park HQ, Buck, Fern Spring Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Spaghetti Figure-8 Loop
Distance: 6.69 miles
Elevation: 988 feet
Time: 2 hours, 39 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace
The Hike
Another weekend of hiking, but with completely different weather! It started off in the low 40’s and windy, with a few flurries falling from the sky, but the hike ended with the sun shining in the upper 40’s, like a new spring day! I started from Park HQ (sadly not my favorite parking spot, but I survived) on the Headquarters Path going around Tucker Hill. The trail is pretty beat up here and right along the road, with occasional wet spots. After hiking some of the short trails on the north side of Tucker Hill, I headed up the Athol Path, which was a quiet trail with a good amount of blowdowns - I was just happy to be away from the crowds. I was heartbroken to realize that my new buff smells like… new buff… and I couldn’t get over the smell so I ended doing this hike unprotected (with two inhaler puffs beforehand, two after, and two an hour later, I was good!).
I was enjoying the shadows cast by the ever-low-on-the-horizon sunlight, and made my way to the top of Tucker! There’s a confusing network of trails here - an unmapped one that goes over the true summit and a few spaghetti moments that eventually lead to the Skyline Trail. There were a couple small views, and then I continued on my hike. I forgot how steep and awkward it was getting down Tucker - but my knees sure remembered. There was some surviving ice, but nothing slippery thankfully. It was also starting to warm up and I was regretting my decision to wear my fleece #sweat.
I passed a few hikers with their unleashed, “friendly” dogs heading up Boyce. The older I get, the more I find myself becoming a cat person. Not because I don’t like dogs, I’m just tired of being literally charged by people’s untrained dogs. The trail gets rocky between Boyce and Buck Hills, and that final push up Buck always catches my lungs by surprise! Thankfully the view was stunning as always. I love being able to point out Mt. Monadnock and Mt. Wachusett in the distance. The Skyline Trail was flooded (as usual) between the Fern Spring Trail turn and the turn for the AMC Footpath, but the rock hop was easy.
I took the AMC Footpath down, which is really a lovely trail, but there were a good amount of criss-crossing mountain bike trails that are not on the map that made things more unclear. Last time I came up this way the extra trails were blazed with white shapes, but those appear to have been taken down. There were some patches of needle ice here, which truly makes the most satisfying crunch when stepped on (think a good crunch leaf x10). After crossing Buck Hill Path I noticed some old orange blazes, and more after I crossed Forest Path - is the “AMC Footpath” the old Prescott Trail? That would make sense since the Prescott Trail led to the AMC Ponkapoag Camp… I wish I had some older maps from the 40s/50s/60s! The woods in this lower half are beautiful, but the trail was hard to follow (very windy).
There was some evidence of riffraff (firepit/garbage) on the lower stretch of the AMC Trail, and then I finally made it down to the Headquarters Path, where I hiked on to the old school house on Chickatawbut Road out-and-back. There was a MASSIVE pile of horse doo-doo, and one man passed me asking “how far do you go?” I replied “just to the school and back,” and he said “good man,” before disappearing into the distance. I guess I had the right answer!
I slowly made my way to the Buck Hill Summit Trail (formerly called the NEMBA trail, which was made in 2013 as a replacement to the old Buck Hill Summit Trail, which is still a clear trail with some blowdowns/brushing in - I love the Friends of Blue Hills trail page for this information), which is MUCH gentler on the ascent, but also much longer. The trail reaches the summit at a nice big rock, and then crosses the Skyline Trail which leads to what is one of my favorite trails in the reservation - the Fern Spring Footpath.
This was my first time going down this trail, and I always find it fascinating how different the experience is traveling a trail in a new direction. The views are excellent, and the burned area north of 2162 is beautifully eerie. I did get a little turned away getting to 2162, but made it unscathed. The trail continued through another burnt area to some smaller views, where I was greeted by three unleashed VERY friendly dogs. It looked like the person who has been making the mysterious yellow blazes also blazed this one, but someone else went over the yellow blazes with white paint… interesting. I’m not again the blazing, especially of the smaller, less-traveled trails (maybe its just because coming from NJ, I’m used to every trail being blazed a different color?).
The last bit of my hike involved meandering my way to Houghton’s Pond via Bugbee, Beech Hollow, Doe Hollow, Bolton, Angle, Burnt Hill, and Andover Paths. The Andover Path was most remarkable by how comically flooded it was. Thankfully I had my steamy winter boots on (I REALLY need to invest in uninsulated waterproof boots…)! I finished my hike on the paved Tucker Hill Path, and then the gravel road Bugbee Path. Like clockwork, the people got noticeably less friendly at 11:30pm. I thought to myself “I need to get started earlier,” but then I remembered I had the runs when I woke up this morning and truly did not have the option of starting earlier. Oh well! Another great hike in the books.
Step-By-Step
Park across Hillside St. from State Police Barracks at Park HQ
Start hike on Headquarters Path toward Hillside Pond.
At junction with green-dot Tucker Hill Path, turn right onto trail.
Hike spur trails.
At 2081, turn left onto Athol Path to Tucker Hill.
At Tucker Hill, turn left onto Skyline Trail.
Follow Skyline Trail to Buck Hill summit.
At 2165, follow AMC Footpath down Buck Hill to Headquarters Path.
At terminus, follow Headquarters Path to Chickatawbut Rd., retrace steps and hike to 2175.
Follow Forest Path to 2153, hike spurs.
At 2153, turn left onto Buck Hill Summit Trail.
Hike all of Buck Hill Summit Trail, cross Skyline, and continue onto Fern Spring Foot Path.
Hike all of Fern Spring Foot Path.
At terminus, turn right onto Bugbee Path.
At 2135, turn left onto Beech Hollow Path.
At 2132, turn right onto Doe Hollow Path.
At next junction, turn left onto Bolton Foot Path.
At terminus, turn right onto Angle Path.
At 2090, turn left onto Burnt Hill Path.
At next junction, turn right onto Andover Path.
At road, turn right onto Tucker Hill Path.
Continue to follow pavement onto Bugbee Path.
Continue straight where pavement turns left to park HQ.
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