Breeze, Tucker, and North Boyce Hills Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Breeze, Tucker, and North Boyce Hills Loop (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: -OO Loop

Distance: 2.91 miles

Elevation: 407 feet

Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike 

We had just gotten 18ish inches of snow, again, and I was really avoiding going hiking becuase the temperatures immediately warmed up, which was going to make for some less-than-ideal snowshoeing. Nevertheless, I pushed myself down to the Blue Hills after work and decided to romp around the Tucker Hill area, hoping to connect some needed trails there. The drive down was delightfully painless, and it was a nice, 43 degree day with sun and some wind. I could hear the snow rapidly melting, and there was a LOT of it. I parked in the visitor parking for the State Police, got suited up at the car, and soon, I was off!

I walked a bit of Headquarters Path, which varied from slippery slush to dry ground to deep mud - nice! There was a tractor working on moving snowbanks for parking at the Bugbee/Skyline entrance, and the Bugbee Path was basically plowed up to the turn to Houghton's Pond. I put snowshoes on for the continuation of Bugbee Path, but I probably could have survived with bareboots. The snow was living up to my expectations - bad!

Once I turned onto the Tucker Hill Path I really had to start working. There were just one set of tracks and they were comically deep post holes. I tried to tramp them down, but found it to simply be easier to make my own fresh tracks instead. 

I turned onto the Skyline Trail and suffered up Tucker Hill, which was covered in slippery slush. The summit was ridiculously wet, and I had a tough time navigating the scrambles off the top in snowshoes (I should have taken them off, but instead I just kept flinging myself down the hill). There were some sled tracks, though, which looked fun!

After Tucker Hill, the Skyline Trail became a posthole nightmare. My relatively strong ankles were no match for these. I did my best to make super intentional steps, but that was only slightly effective. The top of North Boyce continued to be post hole city, and I was more than delighted to finally get off of the Skyline Trail.

I turned onto Doe Hollow Path, which only had one set of snowshoe tracks on it, and it was the best yet! Afterwards, I turned onto the Boyce Hill Trail, which was FULLY unbroken, and now I was back to WORKING. The snow was deep and heavy, and I was moving slowly. The trail remained unbroken on the Barre Trail and Quincy Path, too. The NEMBA bridge was a little sketchy with over a foot of snow on it.

I thought I was going to get relief once on Dark Hollow, but the only thing that had been on it recently was a singular deer! It wasn't until I got near the Skyline Trail again did human tracks begin to appear, and they were postholes by the sledders. I was having quite a rough time (the sled people also went way rogue into the woods, I hope they had fun!). 

Life slightly improved after the Skyline Junction, but then I saw my first flying insect of the season! This hike was TESTING me! Bugbee Path was well broken out with trenches and tire tracks, but I kept the shoes on, even though it was wildly unpleasant in the wet snow. I took the snowshoes off just before the pavement, which turned out to be a mistake. The suffering with them on was better than the suffering without them. 

I slowly worked my way down the Bugbee Path, slipping over four times on the last flat stretch, and exhaled a massive sigh of relief once back at the car. For a 2.9 mile hike, this one kicked my butt!

Step-by-Step

- Park at State Police Visitor Parking near Park HQ.

- Turn left onto Headquarters Path.

- At jct., turn left onto Skyline Trail/Bugbee Path.

- Before 2070, turn sharply left onto Tucker Hill Path.

- At 2072, turn right onto Ayer Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- At 2141, turn left onto Doe Hollow Path.

- At 2151, turn left onto Boyce Hill Trail.

- At 2130, turn right onto Barre Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Quincy Path.

- At 2112, turn left onto Dark Hollow Path.

- At 2096, veer right onto Bugbee Path.

- Follow Bugbee Path back to Headquarts Path, and then the car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album