AMC Path, Buck Hill, Monatiquot Path (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Kind of a Figure 8
Distance: 4.46 miles
Elevation: 538 feet
Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills 125 Mile Club (2x)
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills 125 Mile Club (2x)
The Hike
Another after school ramble in the Blue Hills - the last before I head on vacation to Atlantic City, Washington D.C., and Shenandoah National Park! I was feeling tired, a think a bit of work burnout, exhaustion, and hiking burnout. The bugs didn't help. Either way, it was a beautiful, warm day, and my journey started on the Forest Path, and then along the Headquarters Path over to the old school house, which for some reason always has horse poop lying about. Once I hit MA-28, I backtracked and took the lovely AMC Footpath all the way up to the top of Buck Hill. I think this is my second favorite way to climb Buck - the first being the Fern Springs Foot Path (third probably being Skyline from the Houghton side, fourth the long NEMBA Trail, and last skyline from MA-28, but I will say I've never gone up from 28, it just seems awful).
The sun was hot up on top of Buck Hill, but there was an occasional breeze that felt great. I had a hard time finding the Fern Spring Foot Path at first due to the network of unofficial trails, but once I found it I made my way into the mysteriously beautiful burnt forest, and then continued my meander to Fells Path, Pig Rock, Bugbee, and finally Monatiquot and Pipe Line. The Pipe Line is impressively hilly in this area. Then I had a short burst of Old 128 before Monatiquot, and it looked like instead of ripping up the asphalt of Old 128, they just buried it under I-93. The Monatiquot Path ascends and parallels the highway for a bit, which made for some unique hiking, and the second half of the trail veered away and was actually quite lovely, even though I fully inhaled a bug.
My legs were feeling heavy, I was really excited for a change of pace and scenery with break coming up soon. My return trip along the Forest Path was realtively quick and easy, minus the short section of Skyline that I had been missing that was annoyingly steep, but I got it! Soon enough I was back in my car and on my way home for a shower and horizontal time.
Step-By-Step
- Park at Forest Path Trailhead.
- Start hike along Forest Path.
- At 2175, turn left onto Headquarters Path, hike to terminus with spur, turn around.
- At junction, turn left onto AMC Footpath.
- Summit Buck Hill.
- Continue onto Fern Spring Foot Path.
- At 2162, turn right onto Buck Hill Trail.
- At 2152, turn sharply left onto Fells Path.
- At 2149, turn left onto Pig Rock Path.
- At 2172, continue left onto Bugbee Path.
- At 2190, continue straight onto Monatiquot Path.
- At next junction, turn right onto Pipe Line.
- At terminus, turn right onto Old Route 128.
- Near 2150, turn around.
- Continue onto Monatiquot Path, hiking spurs.
- At 2190, turn right onto Bouncing Brook Path.
- At next junction, continue onto Forest Path.
- At next junction, turn left onto Skyline Trail.
- At 2210, turn right onto Buck Hill Trail.
- At terminus, continue onto Forest Path, return to car.
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