Northern Lawrence Woods Tracing (Middlesex Fells Reservation)
Hike Type: Tracing Loop
Distance: 3.21 miles
Elevation: 282 feet
Time: 1 hour, 3 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Middlesex Fells Reservation Tracing, 52 Hike Challenge 2025
Hiking Challenges: Middlesex Fells Reservation Tracing, 52 Hike Challenge 2025
The Hike
Time for some more redlining/tracing in the Fells! I had to mentally hype myself up, but I'm glad I did! The mental block of short afternoons and driving home afterwards is always tough. I got to the trailhead with just under an hour until sunset, so I got moving right away! I parked at the trailhead opposite Gate 9, hiked a few spurs on the main side before crossing South Border Road (carefully) to hit the Lawrence Woods area for the first time. I had no plan besides explore!
The trails were a little wet from snowmelt and the treetops were golden with the setting sun. There were occasional sunset views through the trees, which was nice. I hiked mostly along the old roads, making sure to hit the spurs of triangles littered about. I wiggled my way up to Ram's Head Hill, which had a tall pole of sorts up top and the foundations of an old structure at the true summit (naturally I looked for a survey disc, no luck!).
I continued my wiggle over to the "90mm Site," and was first greeted by a large concrete disc with rebar sticking out of the top, almost as if they used the rebar to unscrew the circle from the ground? The trail turned to moss-covered pavement as it passed old foundations and concrete structures - it was a really interesting area! I eventually found an informational kiosk that detailed what exactly I was walking around...
From Missles to Monarchs: Restoring a Pollinator Meadow
Where you are now standing was selected as an anti-aircraft defense site for the United States during the Cold War to house a 90mm battery, though the Nike missiles themselves were never installed. After this site was closed, the state park continued to mow the field, preserving an area "rich in butterflies, with 67 species recorded between the late 1960s and early 1980s." Mowing soon after ceased and invasive plants took over. The butterflies disappeared.
In the spirit of environmental sustainability, Medford Girl Scout Tripp 75198 took on the challenge of reestablishing the pollinator meadow in 2018.
Pollinators (animals, mainly insects that pollinate plants) are crucial to the health of the entire environment; its grasses and flowers, our fruits and vegetables. With cooperation from DCR and the Friends of the Fells, the Girl Scouts planned, researched, planted, and weeded to restore the pollinator meadow over the course of a year.
There were MANY unmapped trails between Ram's Head Hill and the 90mm Site, so I had to check AllTrails a few times to make sure I was on a mapped trail still. My return trip involved Whitemore Brook Road, a few spurs off of that, and then a little wiggling around B6-5/4/9/3/6, before returning back to the car and carefully crossing South Border Road again!
Step-by-Step
- Park at Gate 9.
- Start hike on access road.
- At "No Trespassing" sign, turn around.
- At B5-8, turn left onto Skyline/Reservoir/Bike.
- At next jct., turn right onto path.
- At Gate 9, turn left onto South Border Road.
- At Gate 8, carefully cross the street and hike in on Ram's Head Road.
- Hike network of triangles at B6-7/B6-8, then follow path towards Ram's Head Hill.
- At B6-6, turn right.
- At B6-5, continue straight.
- At B5-12, continue right.
- At B5-13, turn right onto Cross-Fells Path.
- At B6-5, turn right back onto road.
- At B5-12, turn left onto road.
- Just after, turn right onto trail.
- Hike network of trails at 90mm Site, then turn left onto Whitmore Brook Road.
- At Gate 11, turn around.
- Hike spur to Southfield Road, continue on Whitmore Brook Road.
- At B5-5, turn sharply right onto spur to Clearwater Road, then retrace steps.
- Continue straight through B5-5 toward B5-11.
- Hike triangle at B5-11, turn continue left.
- Before B6-5, turn right onto Cross-Fells Path.
- At B6-4, turn left.
- At B6-9, turn right.
- At B6-3, turn right.
- At B6-4, continue right/straight.
- At B6-6, turn right.
- At B6-7, turn left.
- At B5-14, turn right onto Cross-Fells Path.
- Carefully cross South Border Road, follow road to car.
No comments:
Post a Comment