Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Sonya)

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop

Distance: 4.31 miles

Elevation: 1184 feet

Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Great Blue Hill Summits; Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

Sonya season is back! Another fine drive after school brought me to the Trailside Museum south parking lot for a classic Skyline Loop. Temps were in the low 50s and it was sunny with a light breeze. It felt warm when the breeze stopped. My knee was still in a mood, but I planned to keep it relatively tame and listen to my body on this hike. There were more people than usual (which is actually the "new norm" now that we have nice weather again, but it was FINE. 

My hike started by wrapping up a phone call between a coworker to plan our spring chorus trip, and I was up and over Great Blue, Wolcott, Hemenway, and Hancock Hills without much of an issue! I checked Pokemon Go on the way down Hancock and got a shiny Fuecoco - how fun! The Lesser Periwinkle at the base of the Skyline South were in full bloom, and I was soon enough humbled my Houghton Hill agian (I might put "Humbled by Houghton" on a shirt someday...).

At the top of Houghton Hill, I was even more excited to get a notification that I was hatching an egg in Pokemon Go, and a shiny Munchlax came out! Big day for me! Further down the trail, just after hiking through the boulders and just before the second water crossing, I noticed an old footpath goes to the right... I wonder if it's an old branch of Skyline Trail before a reroute? I'm not sure, but it's now on my list to explore someday. 

I made it to the Skyline headwall and noticed my watch was doing an excrutiatingly poor job at tracking my heart rate (there is no universe where my bpm is 90 while fighting for my life, no way!). I got to the top for my second summit and continued down to the ski area for a beautiful descent. Wachusett was looking great from Patriots, and Boston looked great from Sonya. I could even make out Monadnock just barely. 

Back at the car, I did a quick change and got the Strava notification that I was officially the local legend for the Wolcott to Hancock segment - BIG day for me!!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from Trailside Museum parking on Eliot Path (red dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle. 

- At next jct., turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., turn right onto spur trail to Summit.

- Descend summit towards Skyline Trail South.

- Turn left onto Skyline Trail, and then right onto Skyline Trail North.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St.

- After stables, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- Follow Skyline Trail South to Eliot Circle.

- At jct., turn right to summit Great Blue Hill.

- From summit, descend to ski area.

- Follow Patriots and Sonya down.

- Near bottom turn on Sonya, turn right back onto Eliot Path.

- Retrace steps to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album