Reservoir, Nahanton, Cedar Swamp, Squamaug (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Loopty Loops
Distance: 6.75 miles
Elevation: 719 feet
Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace; Blue Hills Grid
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace; Blue Hills Grid
The Hike
This hike ended up being a literal rollercoaster with a seemingly endless amounts of loopty-loops. I waited all day to get outside but the weather would switch from rain, to sleet, to snow, to hail, and back again. Finally the rain was breaking around 3pm, so out I went! I parked across the street from the Blue Hills Reservoir and got right to it. The weather was grey and raw, but it was only me! I started with the loop around the reservoir which is... fine. The loop paralleling the road is very narrow and wet. The dirt loop around the rest of the reservoir is fine, but slightly underwhelming with the road right there. There were a bunch of ducks in the water, but not the normal ducks, cool ducks. The peninsula path is very overgrown, but I survived. Closing out the first of many loops, I headed into the woods onto the Ridge Path toward Nahanton Hill!
From the Ridge Path, I turned left onto Squamaug Notch Path for just a moment to hike the Endicott Path, which was thankfully flagged with pink flagging tape. I remember last time I tried this one I basically bushwhacked around the area until I felt satisfied. Not gonna lie, I really enjoy the lesser-traveled paths that require some sort of blazing. They have a deeper backcountry feel that the wide old roads are missing. At the terminus, I backtracked all the way to the junction with the Ridge Path, and then continued on to the Ridge Path's terminus, turning onto the Slide Notch Path (I also found a new-to-me granite marker for Kitchamakin Hill, which is always exciting!).
There is an unnamed trail on the left of the Slide Notch Path that ascends the back side of Nahanton Hill that is short, steep, rocky, and very slippery in wet weather (which I was lucky enough to be in). At the height of land, the unnamed trail splits - left goes to the Nahanton Hill summit, right links with the Skyline. I made loop #2 out of this, cursed at all the random footpaths around Nahanton (also noticed some old foundation at the summit of Nahanton?), and then followed the Skyline Trail towards Kitchamakin. There are some lovely stone steps going up Kitch, and then a bit steeper going down into Slide Notch.
Back on the Slide Notch Path, I was now descending toward the Bouncing Brook. The upper stretch of this trail is ROCKY rocky, but it calms down after a bit of torture. This stretch of trail was severely burnt last spring, which definitely gave it a spooky vibe. From the terminus, I turned onto the Bouncing Brook Path for a while, and couldn't help but notice how dark the woods got when I neared the Cedar Swamp (spooky!). Turning onto the Hemlock Path, the woods got even spookier with the wind and creeking trees - thankfully the hum of I-93 brought me back to reality and reminded me that I'm not alone in the wilderness about to be transported to another dimention. I made sure to notice the Hemlock Bound, and then made me way to the Cochato Path, which graces the side of I-93 via a hole in the fence. On the other side, there is a small footbridge where the Cedar Swamp drians under I-93, and that bridge was SPOOKY also. It was very talkative, and as a bigger guy, I was not playing along. I got off that thing QUICK. Finally on the other side, now on the Laurel Path, I saw an old road barrier where the trail used to continue on before the highway, and also a memorial for someone who's passed away.
The Laurel Path is a nice walk bordering the Great Cedar Swamp. I couldn't help but wonder where the old cudory path that traversed the swamp crossed (it was briefly described in early editions of the Mass. and RI guidebooks). Loop #3 included the small remaining portion of the Hemlock Bound Trail that gets up close to the swamp. There were both orange rectangle blazes (from when this was signed as the Great Dome Trail, I think) and my favorite mysterious yellow dots. I finished my journey on the Laurel Trail and then rejoined the Bouncing Brook Trail, completing Loop #4.
Loop #5 started right after, combining the Wampatuck, Squamaug Notch, and Bouncing Brook Paths. This section was relatively featureless- just a nice walk in the woods. I noticed the sky was starting to get darker, so I picked up the pace ever so slightly, only getting slightly spooked by a large balloon deep in the woods. Intersection 3160 marked the final stretch of my final loop, Loop #6, on the Squamaug Notch Path. I followed this trail all the way back to the Ridge Path, and then followed that back to my car. Just as I hit Chickatawbut Road, I noticed the tops of the trees were being lit up by a very brief sunset. Of course I wish I was up on a hill to see that (especially since I only need one more sunset for my Sunet Six patch... oh well). Great day in the woods!
Step-By-Step
- Park at Blue Hills Reservoir.
- Start by hiking around the reservoir clockwise, making sure to hike the peninsula.
- Back at the start, now follow trail to Ridge Path and turn left into woods on Ridge Path.
- At 3131, turn left onto Squamaug Notch Path.
- Soon after, turn right onto Endicott Path.
- At 3132, turn around and retrace steps to 3131.
- At 3131, continue along Squamaug Notch Path.
- Follow path left onto Slide Notch Path, hiking spur on the right.
- Follow Slide Notch Path, turn left to steeply ascend the backside of Nahanton Hill.
- Hike unnamed spurs around summit of Nahanton, and then find the Skyline Trail.
- Follow Skyline Trail to junction with Slide Notch Path.
- Turn left onto Slide Notch Path.
- At 3073, turn left onto Bouncing Brook Path.
- At 3151, turn right onto Hemlock Path.
- At terminus, turn right onto Cochato Path (gracing the edge of I-93).
- At terminus, turn right onto Laurel Path.
- Hike mini loop around remaining bit of Hemlock Bound Trail (around 3121).
- Continue hiking along Laurel Path.
- At 3130, turn right along Bouncing Brook Path.
- At 3152, turn left onto Wampatuck Path.
- At 3160, turn right onto Squamaug Notch Path.
- At 3163, turn right onto Bouncing Brook Path.
- At 3152, turn right onto Wampatuck Path.
- At 3160, turn left onto Squamaug Notch Path.
- Follow Squamaug Notch Path all the way to 3131.
- At 3131, turn right onto Ridge Path.
- At Chickatawbut Road, return to car.
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