Ponkapoag Boardwalk via Exit 3 (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: Loop-ish
Distance: 2.94 miles
Elevation: 128 feet
Time: 1 hours, 12 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills, 52 Hike Challenge
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills, 52 Hike Challenge
The Hike
It's been super dry the past few weeks, and after noticing that the swamps in the Great Blue Hill and Buck Hill areas are all dried up, I figured it was time to tackle the Ponkapoag Boardwalk! I had a relatively easy drive for a Thursday afternoon, landing at the Exit 3/Ponkapoag Trail parking area at 3:45pm. There were a surprising amount of cars, but I saw very few people. I threw on my waterproof boots just in case, and got hiking on this warm, 85-degree, sunny day.
My only goal was the boardwalk plus maybe a few of the extra trails in the area - I'll be heading up to the Whites after school tomorrow to camp at Moose Brook State Park and then hiking Mt. Success (and maybe Mt. Carlo, and MAYBE Goose Eye Mountain, too) Saturday morning, so I didn't want to get into anything too intense (I also wanted to run to Sierra to hopefully buy a cheap tent - no luck, they only had a 6 person for $70 or a 2 person for $200, neither of which I'm particularly interested in). I started along the Ponkapoag Trail and soon turned right onto the Hogdon Foot Path, hiking past (and saying "hello" to) "pee rock" - the name should imply its purpose.
It was buggy in the lower stretches of trail and the very end had some dense vegetation. Now on the Redman Farm Path (everytime I hike this trail I wonder if the name is potentially offense?) - I couldn't help but notice how hot my feet were - these boots, even though not winter boots, definitely insulate! I hiked through the YMCA trails and noticed that they're not yet closed for the season - toys all around the basketball courts and the pool still appeared to be open - not a human in sight, though!
After the YMCA stuff I crossed Redman Farm Path again and hiked the turn-around loop, which had a new sign! Next, I headed for Dorchester Path, which was a spider web heaven (or... it was...), before heading towards the infamous boardwalk.
Starting my adventure inward, I quickly remembered how grown-in the vegetation was - I had to crouch a bit for the beginning. The ground was dry but looked like it was muddy, and the boards were just a touch wiggly. I also couldn't help but notice how incredibly humid it was in here.
Next up was the fairytale forest section, which was equally beatiful and sketchy. The trees were creeking in the wind and there were only a few small pools of water beneath. It was cool to see the old boardwalk infrastructure - basically layers of old wood - a curduroy, a rotted plank, a slightly less rotted tree trunk, and then sometimes a new(er) plank of wood.
Fairytale Forest leads to Meadow #1, which is just beautiful. The ground just before was a little wet with some bouncier planks, but I made it unscathed. The footbed was super narrow at this point, but the early fall grass colors were stunning. I just love this area - it really feels like nowhere else in the park, and truly feels like you're in some remote backcountry instead of a few miles from Boston.
The boards between Meadows #1 and #2 were more slippery and some were covered in mud, implying they're usually submerged. Meadow #2 was full of little cotton puff plants, which was beautiful to see.
The final push between Meadow #2 and The End was the sketchiest of all, with very slippery boards, a good amount of water underneath, and dense overgrowth - almost like a jungle. Thankfully, the end was near, revealing the small, but beautiful view into Ponkapoag Pond.
I was grateful the bugs never got too bad in this area, and I started my slow and steady return trip. Back on Redman Farm Path, I passed many spur-like footpaths that I assume lead to the pond - someday I'll explore these. Then, I turned onto Ponkapoag Trail and was back at the car, heading to Sierra, where I unfortunately came up empty handed.
Step-By-Step
- Park at Exit 3 off of I-93 (Ponkapoag Trail).
- Start hike along Ponkapoag Trail.
- At 5320, turn right onto Hogdon Foot Path.
- At 5218, turn right onto Redman Farm Path.
- At 5176, turn right and hike YMCA trails.
- Hike turn-around loop on other side of YMCA trails, then continue on Redman Farm Path.
- At 5174, turn right onto Dorchester Path.
- At golf course, turn around and veer right at triangle-split.
- Turn left back onto Redman Farm Path toward Boardwalk.
- Veer right and hike boardwalk CAREFULLY.
- At terminus, turn around.
- At entrance, turn right, continue onto Redman Farm Path.
- At 5241, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail, return to car.
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