Burns Hill Loop (2x) and Heron Rookery (Westford Conservation Trust)

Burns Hill Loop (2x) and Heron Rookery (Westford Conservation Trust)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop-Loop w/ Spur

Distance: 2.74 miles

Elevation: 371 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 2 minutes

Book Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Parking: Very limited roadside parking (unclear if even allowed).
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2026

The Hike 

Back to Burns Hill! It was a beautiful afternoon in the upper 50s with sunny skies AND a breeze before band. I had a classic t-shirt and shorts, and it was actually a little chilly! This would be my first hike with a 'lil elevation since the sciatica (and the breakup), so I was taking it easy and really reading my body, beacuse if it goes well, I'll be heading to the Whites tomorrow... The leaves were starting to look nice as I hiked in through the access trail, AND I remembered my camera!

Sometimes I feel a little built of guilt for editing my photos, but this season in particular reminds me how much my camera washes the color out of my photos, so I maintain I'm not necesarily enhancing them, but I'm just making them look like they're mean to!

Parts of the trail began to get leafy and my sciatica was feeling pretty good at Top #1. I was aware of it for the first five minutes of the hike, and if I took an awkward step I'd notice it, but otherwise I was feeling good! I really spent the time on this hike enjoying the fall weather, the bright colors of the leaves, and processing the breakup.

If anything, I'm hoping to "lock-in" next week for the forseeable future to get my physical and mental health back on-track, because it's been rough out here. Coming out of Low #3, the leaves were bright and beautiful! My processing throught of this moment was: "I want to make it at least four weeks without any apps. I'm feeling like I'm desperate for attention and I want to get comfortable back being myself before any funny business."

I finished Lap #1 and was feeling good for a second - here we go! I heard some weird sounds at Top #2, which was either wind-related OR a sasquach. Who knows? I happily made my way around, and decided to make a side trip to the Heron Rookery, especially since I now had my camear!

The Heron Rookery trail followed blue blazes along an old stone wall, eventually coming to a low point with a nice view of the wetlands. It had a bench and the water levels were low, but there were some nice reflections in the water. The path continued from the bench, but narrower, before abruptly ending at what seemed like either a natural or beaver outflow dam. I could have explored more, but I was not feeling overly adventerous.

On the way out, I opened up Pokemon Go (classic) and just missed being able to take over the trailhead gym by one second thanks to a raid! Curses!

I WAS feeling good after this hike, so I guess I'll be heading to the Whites tomorrow! This may or may not be a borderline irresponsible decision, but my mental health NEEDS it.

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on Burns Hill Conservation Area Trail.

- After power cut, turn right onto Burns Hill Loop.

- Hike loop two times, then retrace steps back to car after side trip to Heron Rookery.

Burns Hill Map

Photo Album