Cedar Rock & Pasture Run Paths, CCC Camp, Ridge Path, & Nahanton Hill (Blue Hills Reservation)
Hike Type: O-O Loop with Spurs
Distance: 5.32 miles
Elevation: 643 feet
Time: 1 hours, 48 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills
The Hike
First hike in over a week! The weather had been dreadful for the past week and I had what I affectionately call "Chorus Week," where I had a field trip and an after-school concert, so it's been busy! Some friends from New Jersey came up for Memorial Day Weekend, which was wonderful, and the sun FINALLY came out once I dropped them off at the airport, so it was time to get back to the Blue Hills! The drive from Logan to the Chickatawbut Overlook was shockingly docile and easy. I ate like a KING this weekend, so I was looking forward to getting some exercise in. My only plan was to hike some trails I needed for tracing on the Quincy and maybe Chickatawbut side - really just let the wind take me! It was 61 degrees, mostly sunny, I forgot my camera at home, and just after 11:00am I began my hike!
I started by descending along the Cedar Rock Path, which smelled wonderfully of summer. The ferns have officially unfurled and small flowers created a delightful aroma. There's a good number of criss-crossing trails around Cedar Rock Path, but the correct one is always the one that feels the most correct. I continued on Pipe Line for just a second before crossing a wet spot and climbing up Pasture Run, where I saw some Witch Hazel Cone Gall Aphids accoding to the Seek app. They looked like little red cones on the broad witch hazel leafs - pretty cool!
I kept looking at the map, trying to figure out how to most effectively hike this cluster of zig-zagging trails, and eventually got overwhelemd and decided to head to the CCC Camp instead. I had hiked a full mile before seeing other people, which was a huge win for lunchtime on Memorial Day! There were some unleashed dogs on the Pipe Line which annoyed me, but I got well ahead of them.
I turned onto Sawcut Notch Path at a sign that indicated "CCC Camp 800 Yards" and I wondered if anyone actually knows what 800 yards feels like.. (according to Google's calculations, it's 0.45 miles). The undergrowth was strong in a wet area and it looked like an old culvert had finally failed (UPDATE: Yes, I am correct. I have a photo of the culvert from March 12, 2023 where it was still mostly in-tact).
I next hiked Minuteman Path to the border of the reservation. The recent heavy rains effectively brushed the trail, which was nice. I turned around at the state land border and continued onto CCC Trail, which is always a favorite (even if becoming a bit overgrown). The old Sassaman Path was officially marked as closed and I couldn't help but wonder about how the CCC Camp would look without all of the new growth, but I understand why they are letting it grow in.
After the height-of-land on the CCC Trail, the path descended past endless wild geranium which smelled wonderfully. I continued onto Nike Ajax and back to Sawcut Notch Paths where I did some productive work (i.e., responding to emails, tallying up the Venmo charges from the weekend, and actually responding to texts I had forgotten about), eventually crossing an older woman who was holding some of the wild geranium and said "I come here once a year to identify plants, but every year I forget which one is which!" which gave me a laugh.
I had hoped to also get the Pipe Line to Little Dome loop, but the trail was grassy and flooded - not today, satan! I began to wiggle my way back to Chickatawbut Road, and just after getting onto Indian Camp Path, I passed a pink lady slipper! My favorite flower!
The trail got grassier once on Great Dome Foot Path, which soon crossed the outflow stream from the Blue Hills Reservoir (which may or not be Pine Tree Brook proper), climbed up a steep, grassy hill, and then turned onto Pine Tree Brook Trail, which I followed all the way to Chickatawbut Road. I crossed the brook again near the road, and the final bit of trail nearest the road was flooded and required a bit of bushwhacking.
From here, I crossed Chickatawbut Road on Ridge Path, climbed up to Squamaug Notch Path, and climbed up Nahanton Hill via Endicott Path and Skyline Trail. The view was wonderful, but the crowds of people were not. I had dreamt of following Skyline to Chickatawbut, but quickly bailed. There were even a good number of people on the backside of Nahanton, which solidified my decision.
I made my way down to Tower Path on the back side of Nahanton (which showcased a nice view toward Mt. Monadnock) and followed the path to the Tower and back to the car. It felt good to be back and it felt even better to be outside under blue skies!
Step-by-Step
- Start hike on Cedar Rock Path from Chickatawbut Overlook.
- At 4012, turn right.
- At 4030, turn right onto Pasture Run.
- At 4052, turn left onto Chickatawbut Road.
- At 4053, turn left onto path.
- At jct., continue right onto Pasture Run.
- At split, veer right onto Sassaman Path.
- At 4048, turn right onto Pipe Line.
- At 4066, turn left onto Sawcut Notch Path.
- Before 4042, turn right onto Minuteman Path.
- At Blue Hills Reservation boundary, turn around.
- At terminus, turn right onto Sawcut Notch Path.
- At 4042, turn left onto CCC Trail.
- At 4010, turn left onto Nike Ajax Path.
- At 4009, turn around.
- At 4010, continue onto CCC Trail.
- At 4014, turn left onto Sawcut Notch Path.
- At 4011, turn around.
- At 4066, turn left onto Pipe Line.
- In 30 feet, turn around when the trail is too wet.
- At 4066, turn left onto Sawcut Notch Path.
- At 4083, turn left onto Crags Foot Path.
- At split, veer right.
- At terminus, turn right onto Indian Camp Path.
- At 4086, turn right onto path.
- At 4082, turn left onto Pleasant Trail.
- At 4085, turn right onto Indian Camp Path.
- At 4090, turn left onto Great Dome Foot Path.
- At 4073, turn left onto Pine Tree Brook Path.
- At terminus, turn left onto Ridge Path.
- Cross Chickatawbut Road.
- Continue on Ridge Path.
- At 3131, turn left onto Squamaug Notch Path.
- At next jct., turn right onto Endicott Path.
- At 3132, turn right onto Skyline Trail.
- At 3103, continue straight onto path.
- At jct., turn right to descend.
- At jct., continue onto Tower Path.
- At Chickatawbut Tower, turn right and return to car.
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