Snow Hill Fire Tower Spaghetti Loop (Glidden Land Preserve & Snow Hill Conservation Area)

Snow Hill Fire Tower Spaghetti Loop (Glidden Land Preserve & Conservation Area)

Hike Type: Spaghetti Lollipop Loop

Distance: 3.65 miles

Elevation: 479 feet

My Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Book Time: 2 hours, 3 minutes

Parking: Very limited parking at trailhead off of Pine Street.
Hiking Challenges: Massachusetts Fire Tower Challenge 45

The Hike 

October is such a complicated month. On one hand, it's my busiest month and I am typically fighting to stay afloat, but on the other, it's ridiculously beautiful in both weather and leaves! This was no exception. I left work at a normal time and started a journey to my friend Nikki's house in Medfield for a fall fire and movie night! The drive was painful, but I found a fire tower on the list just 10 minutes away from her! I parked at a very easy to miss pull-off just before the access gate. There was a sign for the fire tower at the gate, indicating I was in the correct spot and allowed on the land! There was a dog barking it's life away at me as I got ready, and I was off!

The walk along the access road is nice and easy. Another unsigned road (turns out everything is unsigned here) branched off on the right a couple minutes in and then I passed a footpath on the left. I saw a sign prohibiting motorized vehicles by the Dover Land Conservation Trust. The lollipop on the original AllTrails route began at 0.3 miles, but I wasn't married to anything in particular beside following the road all the way up. I passed a handful more junctions with old roads and trails along this delightful ramble, eventually climbing up a comparatively steep stretch that was paved.

The road swung to the right after the short, steep spot (to the right was a herd path to what must have been a view many, many years ago) and followed the ridge right up to the top, passing some tin-can lid blazes on the left with no discernable foot path?

I passed a locked porta potty up top and came to the tower, which was fenced off with no discs to see. The fence was a bummer, becuase there definitely is a view from the tower! A footpath continued into the woods over what looked like the high point to a nice, open area. I lost the AllTrails trail here, but was able to find it a few minutes later. The footpath turned into a trail that descended off Snow Hill to a four-way junction right at the 1.0 mile mark. I noticed horse prints, and I decided to head straight towards "Oak Hill" according to AllTrails - I was officially in exploring mode!

I paralleled a stone wall that marked the boundary of the Preserve and was happy that the exertion to temperature ratio was perfect to keep me from sweating too much. I passed an old metal rusted something off in the woods on the left, and then came to a three-way junction at an opening in the stone wall. I turned right here.

This brought me into the Snow Hill Conservation Area, which is still public land, just owned by a different organization, I think? I passed a hunter's blind high on the right which is never fun to see, but it was thankfully vacant. I continued to follow the horse prints worrying about being on private proterty, but I was definitely still fine.

I hiked near someone's back yard and their absolute palace of a home before continuing on, hiking over some horse poop and see more palaces across the road! The trail eventually descended to its terminus at another road, which marked my turn around point. Somewhere along the trail I noticed a partially hidden sign that read: "HUNTING SEASON October 20 through December 31, 2014 Monday - Saturday, No hunting on Sunday. BY BOH PERMIT ONLY. To help reduce th erisk of tick-borne disease and insure a healthy deer population, bow hunting is permitted on some town lands by hunters authorized by the Dovere Board of Health (BOH) through its Deer Management Program. Hunting takes pace primarily from tree stands located well away from marked trails. Unauthorized tree stands or ground blinds will be confiscated. Please stay on Designated Trails. DOVER BOARD OF HEALTH. LYME DISEASE COMMITTEE."

The return trip felt signifcantly faster and once back in the Glidden Land Preserve, I continued right/straight at the three-way junction and then I continued on a faint footpath up Snow Hill, which was marked wtih old can lids. This trail was steep and to-the-point, passing a rock that had the closest semblance to a view I could manage along this hike. 

This footpath popped out of the woods at the porta potty, and I saw a biker at the fire tower. I turned left here and then right to follow another footpath to descend - the biker rang his bell when he crossed me. I crossed the road again and continued on this trail, whcih was simply lovely! The trail passed some nice boudlers back below the hill. 

I later turned right onto another old road, crossed the four-way junction that marked the beginning of the previous steep climb, and hiked along a narrower old road back to the original four-way junction that I passed coming down from my first climb up. I had an absolutely delightful walk along this old road to the property's boundary. 

At the boundary line, one small sign said "reservation boundary please respect the proeprty rights of our neighbords" while another just below had the Dover Land Conservation Trust logo, name, and an arrow pointing to a footpath on the right. I followed the footpath, which was a little challenging with the leaf cover, up and into the woods.

This footpath was simply a delight to hike. It meandered up, down, and around through scenic woods. This is a really wonderful hike if you're happy getting zero views and just spenind some time in the woods! I eventually crossed the power lines and rejoined the road.

I could have continued from here back into the woods to check out a camping area I noticed on AllTrails, but I was right on schedule for movie night and didn't want to risk it! I followed the road down, eventually exiting the conservation land and hearing that dog barking up a storm yet again.

I took a trip to Shaws for snacks and wine, got the snacks and spent too long at self-checkout becuase it wouldn't process my card. Shwas without wine, so I drove to the nearby wine shop, but the parking lot was gated off, so I had to park at Chipotle and awkwardly walk to get the wine... Eventually I was at Nikki's house and had a lovely night - even if she had us watch a horror movie ("The Univited")!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike on old road (Fire Tower Trail on AllTrails).

- Summit Snow Hill and continue on Footpath over the summit (Fire Tower Trail on AllTrails).

- At jct., continue straight on Fire Tower Trail (on AllTrails).

- At jct., turn right to cross stone wall, entering Snow Hill Conservation Area Land, contniue on Fire Tower Trail (on AllTrails).

- At terminus on Centre Street, turn around.

- At stone wall, veer left.

- At jct. soon after, steeply climb up Snow Hill following tin blazes.

- At summit, turn right onto Fire Tower Trail/road (on AllTrails).

- At jct., turn left onto footpath.

- Cross Fire Tower Trail/Road, continue on footpath (Snow's Hill Trail on AllTrails).

- At jct., continue straight on Snow's Hill Trail (on AllTrails).

- At jct., continue straight on Snow's Hill Trail (on AllTrails).

- At property line, follow arrow to stay on trail, now a footpath (not on AllTrails).

- At terminus, turn left onto Fire Tower Trail/road.

- Return to car.

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