Eliot, Accord, Houghton, Breakneck Ledge, Border Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Eliot, Accord, Houghton, Breakneck Ledge, Border Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Loop w/ Spurs

Distance: 5.41 miles

Elevation: 1001 feet

Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Great Blue Hill Summits; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

Last hike of winter! I wasn't sure what my plan was going to be, but I ended up doing some more tracing in the Great Blue Hill area, to hopefully complete next winter. The parking lot had many more cars than yesterday, but at least it was 52 degrees and sunny! I climbed up Eliot Path, passing and crossing paths with MANY people. My lungs were hurting from 1) being sick, 2) hiking yesterday, and 3) hiking while already having sick lungs. Oh well! I made it to the top and celebrated my 50th summit of Great Blue Hill!... or so I thought. Apparently, I had already hit #50, and had accidentally counted two #7s... so happy #51! Maybe someday I'll make a patch for it... now onto making it to 100!

It seemd like the observatory was getting a new fence as I continued down to the Skyline Trail South. The skies were so blue above, but there were DARK clouds off the coast and to the south. I could hear wood frogs with a few peepers on my descent and worked my way all the way down to Accord Path, which became my main goal. My legs were wiggly after hiking yesterday and my climb (and the general exhaustion that is March). 

The Accord Path has a lot of PUDs but is pretty fun to meander. I hiked the spur to the Hillside Street/Blue Hill River Road stop sign, which was in better shape than usual, and crossed two streams. The first was easy, the second involved some off-trail rock-hopping. I continued into the burned area around Houghton Hill, which was severely impacted. The damage did open up an old stone wall and highlighted a MASSIVE erratic, which was fun to see. I eventually made it to Hillside Street and did the uncomfortable road walk to Houghton Trail.

First traversed a low, swampy area that was borderline disgusting, and then began to climb on a burnt, eroded pathway. The fire damage was eerie, kind of like when Scar was in charge of the Pridelands in The Lion King. There were lots of dead, orange needles on the black ground. I gassed my way up Houghton Hill, which was equally as exhausting as going up Skyline (I should make this a segement on Strava...), and then continued onto Houghton Hill Path, past the mysterious gravel pit, and onto Breakneck Ledge Path.

Breakneck Ledge Path is a lovely walk and only had a few wet spots. It was chilly in the shade, but lovely in the sun. I did find a granite block in the woods with a drill-hole on the top near the junction with Hemenway Hill Path. I thought it could be a town marker, but it seemed like we were firmly in Milton. A mystery!

Base Path was one long stream and at some point in the past 20 minutes, the clouds had arrived, which made things a bit chillier. I had my long-sleeve base layer on, shorts, and I did add my gloves for the past bit. I made my grand return via Border and Wolcott Paths and noticed a mystery. At 1135, a sign says that the Trailside Museum is 0.25 miles away, but at 1085 it says 0.5 miles away. I was at 4.46 miles at 1135, and 4.90 miles at 1085, and 5.25 when actually at the museum. This means that 1085 and 1135 are 0.44 miles apart, 1135 and the musem are 0.35 miles apart, and 1085 and the museum are 0.79 apart. CRAZY. My guess is the sign at 1135 should be 0.75.

Anyway, I made it back to the car eventually, changed into a dry shirt, and drove home. It was 42 degrees out now and slightly misting, and winter is officially over! I never hit my goal of hiking a 4000-footer in the winter, but that's okay, becuase I've skied an insane amount of days to make up for it.

Step-by-Step

- Park at Trailside Museum south parking.

- Start hike on Eliot Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle.

- At Summit Road, turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., follow spur to summit.

- From summit, hike east to Skyline Trail.

- At jct., turn left onto Skyline Trail/Eliot Circle.

- At 1066, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- At 1083, turn right onto Wildcat Notch Trail.

- At 1093, turn right onto Half Way Path.

- At 1081, turn right onto Accord Path.

- At 1062, turn around.

- Follow Accord Path (and spurs) to Hillside St., after 1151.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St. 

- At next jct., turn right onto Houghton Trail.

- At 1156, turn right onto Houghton Hill Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Wolcott Path.

- At 1160, turn left onto Breakneck Ledge Path.

- At 1185, turn left onto Base Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Chestnut Run Path.

- At 1175, turn left onto Border Path.

- At 1100, turn right onto Wolcott Path.

- At terminus, continue on sidewalk to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Eliot, Dalton, Samoset, Wolcott, Jeffries, Eustis Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Eliot, Dalton, Samoset, Wolcott, Jeffries, Eustis Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing loop

Distance: 5.31 miles

Elevation: 846 feet

Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x); Great Blue Hill Summits

The Hike

Back to normal temperatures! I wanted to get a hike in yesterday, but my body NEEDED a nap instead. Today, I made my way down to the Blue Hills after work, either planning for a Skyline Loop or some tracing. I opted for some tracing when I got to the trailhead and saw a dozen other cars. It was 44 degrees out with a chilly breeze. I was wearing a long-sleeve merino/hybrid shirt and running shorts, which was perfect for the ascents but chilly on the flats. I put on my buff and off I went!

I started by launching myself up the Eliot Path, noticing a relatively new "no trespassing" sign near the bunny hill of the ski area, and dipping into the woods for a quick bathroom break. I immediately warmed up once climbing, and was delighted to see the remaining glaciers  before and after the summit road were melting! There were some wildly annoying teens screaming ahead of and then behind me, but hike your own hike I guess?

I summited Great Blue Hill and started my descent down Skyline South, which is rough on the knees. I was delighted to hear the wood frogs loudly quacking from before the main scramble, though, which was super fun! I continued on past the vernal pond, up Wolcott Hill on the Skyline Trail, and then followed Dalton Path to Puddle Path, both of which were in excellent shape. 

From Puddle Path, I turned onto Samoset Path, which was covered in twigs, sticks, and off-trail blowdowns. Really pretty! Next up was Wolcott plus a few spurs. Wolcott was medium-muddy, with some deep tire ruts of either an ATV or a DCR ranger truck. I followed Wolcott up to Downtown Crossing and then climbed up Hemenway via Skyline before jumping onto Jeffries - one of my favorite trails! I got some nice tree-views to Boston and the ocean before hiking past the caged well and onto Base Path Connector, which has a very wild feel to it, and I saw a deer who stopped for a photo!

I wiggled over to Eustis Trail, which was leafy and wet to begin but turned to just leafy after crossing with Base Path Connector. The later half of Eustis was beatiful, with wide-open forests. I eventually made my way onto Rotch Path, where I heard a few actual spring peepers (not wood frogs) and an owl! Soon enough I was back on Wolcott heading to the car. I feel like the trails were much more wet last spring? Not sure, but today was a treat, especially now that we're finishing up this BRUTAL week!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Trailside Museum Parking

- Start hike on Eliot Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle.

- At Summit Road, turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., turn right onto spur path to summit.

- From summit, descend on gravel path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Eliot Circle/Skyline Trail. 

- At 1066, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- At 1083, turn left onto Wildcat Notch Path.

- At 1092, turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- At 1117, turn left onto Dalton Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Wildcat Notch Path.

- At 1103, turn right onto Puddle Path.

- At 1105, turn right onto Samoset Path.

- At 1100, turn right onto Wolcott Path.

- Hike up and down spur at 1115, then continue on Wolcott Path.

- At 1122, hike out and back on Rotch Path to 1121, then continue on Wolcott Path.

- At 1141, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- At 1150, turn left onto Jeffries Trail (hike triangle near height of land in woods).

- At 1182, turn left onto Base Path.

- At 1183, turn left onto Base Path Connector.

- At 1165, turn right onto Border Path.

- At 1175, turn right onto Chestnut Run Path.

- At next jct. turn right onto Eustis Trail.

- At 1140, continue onto path.

- At 1121, turn right onto Rotch Path.

- At 1114, turn left onto Border Path.

- At 1100, veer right onto Wolcott Path.

- Follow Wolcott Path to Trailside Museum Parking North.

- Follow sidewalk to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Spurs) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Skyline Loop via Trailside Museum (w/ Spurs) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop-ish Loop

Distance: 4.65 miles

Elevation: 1,224 feet

Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Great Blue Hill Summits; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

Another warm day in the Blue Hills! I was riding solo today, since Sarah had her last day of PT! My drive was a little more trafficky than usual, in part becuase I was a few minutes late in getting out the building and there was apparently a fight on the after-school playground between a 2nd and 5th grader (wild), but eventually I made my way down! I was looking forward to this hike truly just to blow off some steam - it had been a tough week, and it was only Tuesday!

I changed into my shorts and got right to it on the Eliot Path, immediately going a little faster than normal to get past a few groups of hikers. I'd say the fair weather hikers are officially back! It was breezy and cool air was coming off of the leftover snow on the ski slopes, which closed for the season this past weekend. I also found myself wishing the Eliot Path was a Strava segment... 

There were very small traces of ice left on either side of the Summit Road crossing, but none that required traction or even avoiding. On the Eliot Circle, I really had to pee, but with how many people were out and about, I was going to try to wait until the porta potties at the headquarters. I passed a guy skateboarding down the Summit Road, took a sip of my first warm Nalgene of the year, and made it up top for summit #1 of the day!

I followed the gravel road down to connect a segment of the Skyline/Circle that I still needed, and then worked my way to the Skyline Trail North. By the time I reached the Eliot Tower, I think I had seen more people than I had seen the entire cumulative winter - it was wild.

Descending Skyline Trail North, I heard a sound I wasn't expecting with still-partially-frozen swamps... FROGS!!! I always thought the sound was made by Spring Peepers, but I recently learned that they're Wood Frogs. I turned left in the Great Blue/Wolcott col to get closer and enjoy before continuing up and over Wolcott's burned summit and down into Downtown Crossing.

The Downtown Crossing junction was covered in craters from people and horses going over the melting frost heaves, which was kind of cool to see. I made my way up Hemenway and around a new blowdown just after the view, and continued up to Hancock, still having to pee desperately. I wiggled down Hancock Hill, now with my sweat-soaked shorts falling down, and basically stumbled into the bathroom for sweet relief.

Continuing on, I hiked into the headwind on Hillside Street and then climbed up the burnt-smelling Houghton Hill (apparently quickly, I made a new PR on Strava!), which only left me slightly fighting for my life. At this point in the hike, the only thing on my mind was the Kirby Dreamland Theme, which was very silly to hike to. The streams were flowing gently and I saw the first budding tree of the season before starting to climb again!

The final climb was also ice-free and I apparently zoomed up, because I hit another Strava PR! It felt super good and validating to PR the two toughest climbs of this hike, and I'm proud of it! I made my way back to the top, checked out the ski area from the spur path, lamented about the rotting snow, and then made my way down. Throughout this hike, I had crossed paths/passed at least two dozen people, many of which were younger folks like 15-21 years old who definitely said "wow its so nice out lets go for a hike!" - which isn't said unfavorably, just an observation! I do miss the quiet of midweek winter hikes though...

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from Trailside Museum parking on Eliot Path (red dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle.

- After crossing Summit Road, turn left onto Summit Spur.

- At summit, descend summit on gravel road toward Skyline Trail South.

- Turn left onto Skyline Trail, and then right onto Skyline Trail North.

- Follow Skyline Trail North to Hillside St.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St.

- After stables, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- Follow Skyline Trail South to Eliot Circle.

- At jct., turn right to summit Great Blue Hill.

- Follow spur to top of ski area from summit.

- At ski area, turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto Eliot Circle.

- At jct., turn left onto Eliot Path.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Buck Hill via AMC, Fells, Beech Hollow, Monatiquot, & Forest Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Buck Hill via AMC, Fells, Beech Hollow, Monatiquot, & Forest Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: ooO loop

Distance: 4.20 miles

Elevation: 469 feet

Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

Happy Monday! I had a super easy drive after work on a beautiful, 60 degree day. I made a plan to do some tracing around Great Blue Hill, but I left the map I doodled on at school, so I pivoted over to Buck Hill, where I had more open trails (and therefore a smaller chance of accidentally repeating). I was SUPER sleepy (blame daylight savings time), but I was parked around 3:25, so no complaints there! I suited up in my t-shirt and shorts, and was off!

I parked at the Forest Path trailhead but walked on Chickatawbut Road to the Buck Hill Path trailhead to officially get started. I noticed a "no atv" sign posted by the MDC I hadn't seen before (or saw and forgot about...) and dodged my first horse poop of the year on the Headquarters Path. There was an occasional breeze that felt cool in the shade but the sun felt AMAZING. 

I made my way over to the old school house on MA-128 and then hiked up the AMC Footpath to Buck Hill, which was a little hard to follow down low, easy in the middle, and tricky up top again because of criss-crossing mountain bike trails, and a few old orange blazes throughout (circles, not the rectangles seen elsewhere). Buck Hill was magical as always, even with the guy loudly talking on his phone. I could see Mt. Wachusett prominently, followed by the round Mt. Watatic with Mt. Monadnock behind (Watatic looked huge compared to Monadnock from this angle which was fun), and then the Pack Monadnocks further on the right. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I just love that I did the Wapack Trail - I have such a new, deeper appreciation for that range now.

I continued past a blue arrow painted on a rock that I had never seen before and started my trip down to Old Route 128, down the Doe Hollow, Fells, Bugbee, and Beech Hollow Paths. All were a little muddy, but never were any a problem. I saw a bunch of deer tracks on Fells Path and I was just enjoying the warmth. I made my way onto Old Route 128 and giggled at how they basically just baried the rest of the road underneath the new one.

After Old 128 went under the current highway, I continued onto Monatiquot Path, which had plenty of highway litter on the right side. Nearer to Bugbee Path, I heard some commotion off into the woods followed by heavy breathing. I'm assuming it was just a few deer, but it was spooky! It could have been a sasquatch, though...

Once I saw the time, I decided to not do a second summit of Buck and follow the Forest Path all the way back - I had my Monday rotisserie chicken on the mind. There were some large mounts of horse poop on Forest Path that I had to creatively dodge, and I did see a final remnany of ice in a rut. Soon enough I was back at the car and off to Costco!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Forest Path trailhead.

- Walk westbound on Chickatawbut Road.

- Turn left into woods at Buck Hill Path. 

- At 2164, turn left onto Headquarters Path.

- At MA-28, turn around.

- At jct., turn left onto AMC Footpath.

- At 2165, turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- At 2141, turn left onto Doe Hollow Path.

- At next jct., turn left onto Fells Path.

- At 2140, turn right onto Bugbee Path.

- At 2135, turn left onto Beech Hollow Path.

- At second jct., continue straight to Old Route 128.

- At terminus, turn left onto Old Route 128.

- At terminus, continue onto Monatiquot Path.

- At 2190, turn left onto Bugbee Path.

- At terminus, continue onto Forest Path.

- Follow Forest Path back to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Chickatawbut & Hawk Hills via Chickatawbut Overlook (Blue Hills Reservation)

Chickatawbut & Hawk Hills via Chickatawbut Overlook (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Figure 8-ish Loop

Distance: 4.40 miles

Elevation: 981 feet

Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x); Blue Hills Grid

The Hike

First accidental rain hike of the year! This would also be the last hike of my March-Marathon, as I needed a day of rest or my knees and a potential trip to the Whites on Saturday (tbd - update 10 minutes after writing this, we opted to not hike Carter Dome because winds are forecasted to be actively insane). I made my way, somewhat easily again (traffic has been very easy this week), to the Chickatawbut Tower parking, and got right to work! The plan was to get to Hawk Hill, and everything else would just be random at my discretion. I hiked up to the tower in the warm, humid, 61-degree air while accidentally wearing short shorts, and then made my way over to Thayer Path.

I hiked past the old MDC "No Tresspassing" signs, crossed the road, lamented about how the true summit isn't accessible, and then encountered my only patches of ice as I started my descent. I hit the water tower road via an unmarked spur that kind of followed the power cut, and then meandered my way down to the Braintree Pass Path trailhead. So far I had only passed two people: one guy staring into the void in the pavillion at the Chickatawbut Tower, and now another who was staring at his own reflection on the flooded section of the pipe line. 

There was some pink flagging tape on the right side of Braintree Pass Path, I hiked the Headquarters Path spur, and then made my way over to the Stokes Foot Path, one of my favorites in this area of the reservation - for no other reason than it hikes like a bigger mountain trail. The rocks were slippery, though! Once on the Skyline Trail, I continued to climb back up Chickatawbut Hill, past a burned area, and then followed at least a dozen large cairns down Carve Path. I can't imagine they were built for navigation. Maybe for building the pathway/old road?

I noticed some dark clouds in the near distance, but my weather app said there was a SMALL chance of LIGHT rain at 5pm (it was around 4:15 at this point) and then actual rain at 7pm. I continued down Bouncing Brook Path and Slide Hill Trail down to the Hemlock Bound Foot Path, where it smelled like wet forest, which was just wonderful. It was super dark in here because of the clouds which gave it a neat spooky vibe! I followed the mysterious yellow blazes and carefully scrambled up Hawk Hill (super slippery). There were just a few drizzles of rain at the lookout to Buck Hill, but it soon subsided. I passed an old orange blaze on a rock, made it to the summit, and carefully made my way down.

A light drizzle started up again on my descent - I really love the gentle pitter-patter of the rain in the woods. Only issue, is that once I was on the Hawk Hill Path, the drizzle turned to rain. I stood under a tree for a bit, but the rain turned to RAIN. Oof. This was NOT light rain. After a couple minutes of contemplating my life choices and laughing at how I'm at the furthest point from my car, I eventually just started moving again, accepting my fate as a wet dog. 

I made the decision to skip Kitchamakin Hill because of the wet slabs, which was a good call because it kept raining harder and HARDER. It downpoured for the entirety of the Glover Path. I put my camera in my pack to keep it as safe as possible. The good news was that my body temperature was still good - only the skin on my triceps were cold. I was getting a little chilly at the end of Glover, but I warmed back up as I climbed back up Chickatawbut via Carve Path. I also got a FaceTime call from Elizabeth and Emma here, which was fun and silly. 

FINALLY, the rain started to settle once I was back on Chickatawbut Hill, and I made my way down Stowe to Tower Paths and back to the car. I couldn't see Boston from the viewpoint because of the rain and clouds, but on the bright side, at least 99.9% of the hike was snow/ice-free!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Chickatawbut Overlook.

- Hike to Chickatawbut Tower (yellow blazes).

- At tower, turn right onto Tower Path (yellow blazes).

- At 3075, turn left onto Sassaman Notch Path.

- At next jct., turn right onto Thayer Path.

- At Water Tower, follow power cut and footpath to water tower road.

- Follow power cut down to 3024.

- At 3024, turn left onto Braintree Pass Path.

- After 3022, turn left onto Stokes Foot Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Skyline Trail.

- At 3065, turn right onto Carve Path.

- At 3051, continue onto Bouncing Brook Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Slide Hill Trail.

- At 3013, turn left onto Hemlock Bound Foot Path.

- At 3030, turn left onto Hawk Hill Path.

- At 3044, turn left onto Glover Path. 

- At 3040, turn right onto Slide Hill Trail.

- Follow paths to 3051. 

- At 3051, turn right onto Carve Path.

- At 3065, turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- After Skyline Trail turns, turn right onto Stowe Path.

- At jct., turn left on Stowe Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Sassaman Notch Path (yellow).

- At 3075, turn right onto Tower Path (yellow).

- At Chickatawbut Tower, turn left to return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skyline Loop via Trailside Musuem (w/ Summit Road) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Skyline Loop via Trailside Musuem (w/ Summit Road) (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Lollipop-ish Loop

Distance: 4.40 miles

Elevation: 1181 feet

Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x); Great Blue Hill Summits

The Hike

Monday afternoon hike at the Blue Hills! I had a delightfully easy drive, it was 33 degrees and sunny! The plan was to hit the Skyline Loop for the first time in 2025. I had my rock spikes on deck and was hoping for somewhat reasonable trail conditions. Time well tell!

The Eliot Path  was in good shape with some avoidable ice up until the first plateau and sag before the Summit Road, which required spikes. The second stretch after the road had more avoidable ice, but required spikes again for the upper plateau again (this was going to be a theme). Once at the Eliot Circle, spikes stayed on until the Summit Road, and then I bare-booted up for my first summit of the day!

It felt like the warmest 32 degrees I had ever felt at the summit, especially after the heat in my classroom had been broken all day and my body was CHILLED. I meandered over to the Eliot Tower, where I had a lovely view with no humans. 

Descending on Skyline North, I had to rock hop a bit, but made it down no problem, and cautiously put my spikes away for the Wolcott Hill climb. My body could definitely tell that it had been a minute since I had done this climb, because getting up Wolcott had me within an inch of my life (that might be a bit dramatic...). The burned area on Wolcott was definitely burnt, and then it got icy again on the descent. I put my spikes back on up until after the first climb up Hemenway, which was frozen/wet as always. 

Spikes stayed off for the rest of Hemenway and Hancock, and the sun felt absolutely incredible on Hancock. It was super muddy on the descent, and I naturally had my only slip on this stretch, but not on snow or ice, just some pebbles (*facepalm*). I did the road walk on Hillside Street and heard some woodpeckers cheering me on as I started my climb up Houghton Hill, which was slow, but I did make it in one tank of gas! The burned area was pretty much only on the left side of the Skyline Trail, and it even exposed an old section of steep trail down low that has been rerouted, which was neat. 

Continuing on, I descended without a problem past the burn zone and got spooked when I found a guy talking to himself while climbing a boulder? I did not stop to ask questions. The trail turned back into an ice rink at 1123, but I stubbornly refused to put spikes back on at this point. Both streams were running beautifully and their crossings were easy, and then I made it to the headwall!

I had two thoughts on my mind: I might make it up for sunset, and I REALLY wanted my Costco rotisserie chicken! The ice flows were extreme on the steps of the climb, but it was bypass-able on the right side of the trail. I shimmied across the scramble, and continued the rest of the climb by rock hopping. I did something weird to my knee in this stretch, but thankfully the pain was only for a few steps. 

Turns out I am super dramatic and made it around this loop completely fine and only a little slower than usual. I was soon back at the top of big blue, baithing in the warm sunlight. I totally could have made it for sunset, which was about 20 minutes away, but I didn't want to get cold and I wanted my chicken! I followed the Summit Road down to avoid some ice, and noticed the ski area was closed! I guess they're on the their "preserve the snowpack" schedule now. I followed some paths in the woods at 1051, and then followed the Eliot Path back to the car. What a lovely hike!

Step-by-Step

- Start hike from Trailside Museum parking on Eliot Path (red dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Eliot Circle. 

- At next jct., turn left onto Summit Road.

- At next jct., turn right onto spur trail to Summit.

- Descend summit towards Skyline Trail South.

- Turn left onto Skyline Trail, and then right onto Skyline Trail North.

- Follow Skyline Trail North to Hillside St.

- At Hillside St., turn right onto Hillside St.

- After stables, turn right onto Skyline Trail South.

- Follow Skyline Trail South to Eliot Circle.

- At jct., turn right to summit Great Blue Hill.

- At summit, follow summit road down. 

- At 1051, turn left onto Eliot Path.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Hogdon, Madden, Duck Pond, No Name, and Prescott Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hogdon, Madden, Duck Pond, No Name, and Prescott Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: oo-o Loop

Distance: 3.75 miles

Elevation: 308 feet

Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x)

The Hike

After the trail conditions on Monday's hike, I cautiously approached the Blue Hills again. I had a decent drive after work, landing at Exit 3/Ponkapoag Trail just before 4pm (Wednesdays are my late days leaving school. It was a WARM 50 degrees out with bountiful sun and some wind. I was mentally prepped for some brutal trail conditions a la Monday, and I was off!

The YMCA gate was open which was surpring, and the road section of Ponkapoag Trail was nicely plowed and melted. My spikes went on once on teh Hogdon Foot Path, and the temperature dropped once I was in the woods surrounded by snow. Overall, traction was good. It got messier/more variable once near the Redman Farm Path, and my spikes came off once back on the road grade, which in FULL mud season.

Once back in the woods on No Name/Prescott my spikes were back on, and I noticed there were more bare spots than Monday and there was also less slush, which was a delight. I even noticed an old orange blaze on the Prescott Foot Path, which is one of my favorite things to stumble upon. There were nice tree views to Ponkapoag Pond in these woods, and I continued to meander my way over to Madden Road, which was unfortunately a firm layer of slush on top of water. Also, someone left a fur-lined headband on a tree that nearly scared the life out of me. 

I missed the turn for my intended route (which I have already forgotten) and continued to meander my way around Duck Pond, onto Fire Trail, and then along Swamp Path. Swamp was in great conditions for spikes, but seemed like it'll be living up to it's name once the ice melts. Back on the No Name/Prescott criss-cross, I found a couple of deer and made my way back to the car, where I was the last one to leave for the day. This was a MUCH nicer day in the woods!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Exit 3/Ponkapoag Trail parking.

- Start hike on Ponkapoag Trail

- At 5320, turn right onto Hogdon Foot Path.

- At 5218, turn left onto Redman Farm Path.

- At 5241, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5311, turn right onto No Name Path.

- At 5330, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path.

- At 5343, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5371, continue onto Madden Road.

- At 5383, turn left onto Three Pines Path.

- At 5382, turn right onto path.

- At 5381, turn right onto Fire Trail.

- At 5365, turn right onto path (green blazes). 

- At 5370, continue right onto Swamp Path.

- At 5371, turn left onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- At 5344, turn right onto No Name Path.

- At 5330, turn right onto Prescott Foot Path.

- At 5322, turn right onto Ponkapoag Trail.

- Return to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Houghton's Pond, Angle Path, Tucker Hill, Burnt Hill Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Houghton's Pond, Angle Path, Tucker Hill, Burnt Hill Path (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: oooo Loop

Distance: 4.85 miles

Elevation: 518 feet

Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Blue Hills Winter Trace (2x); Blue Hills Grid

The Hike

February break is officially over and I'm back at the Blue Hills! It was a 45 degree, sunny, and breezy afternoon. It felt kind of warm after the past week of skiing in comically cold temperatures! There was a lot of snowmelt happening and I forgot my spikes - going to be interesting! I also realized I forgot to take a photo of the map I'm tracking my progress on, so I'm guessing what trails I still need...

Hiking in from the B lot at Houghton's Pond, the exposed grass was SUPER soft and the leftover snow and ice was super slippery. I made it halfway to the loop around the pond before turning around to grab my spikes from the car to give myself a sliver of a chance to enjoy the hike. Take-two! I successfully made it over to the visitor center area and noticed some guys out on the ice which was... brave. I briefly took my spikes off at the bathhouse but they soon went back on. I was basically experiencing every trail condition imaginable besides dry. To make things more fun, my legs were super wiggly - probably in part due to the slushy conditions and also from skiing the past 9 out of 10 days.

I eventually made it along Andover, Angle, and Bugbee Paths unscathed and then onto the red blazes, which was steeper and slushier. I was taking very small steps and really digging my spikes into any base that was left. I was thankful to actually find some solid ice when I made my way up Tucker Hill (also proud of myself for actively working on my Blue Hills Grid for this very brief moment!

On top of Tucker Hill, I followed the mysterious yellow blaze to the true summit (or my best try at it) and an overgrown view before heading down Athol Path - where I saw people! I've never seen people on this side of Tucker, so that was jarring. After crossing Tucker Hill Path, I was only the second set of prints going down the steepest stretch of Athol, but I took it slow and only faced death once or twice. There were lots of deer tracks, though! 

I then meandered my way around the Tucker Hill Path over to the Burnt Hill Path - delighted to find out that I had already summited Burnt Hill for February - yay! I followed more deer tracks as I descended on Burnt Hill Path, which had just brutal slushy trail conditions. I eventually found the family of deer right before Old Route 128, which was fun, but then the fun ended when I discovered Old Route 128 had equally, or even worse conditions than Burnt Hill Path. Hiking is a mental game!

I made my way over to the picnic area, which was a slushy ice rink, but the rest of the Houghton's Pond loop was fully frozen, which was nice I guess? Only downside was that it was frozen and covered in post-holes, so it was truly an ankle buster. Yikes! This was a surprisingly brutal hike, but as always, no regrets and I was just happy to have been outside!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Lot B at Houghton's Pond. 

- Start hike by hiking entry trails.

- Turn left to follow yellow blazes.

- Follow footpath hugging the pond, then climb stairs.

- Resume following yellow blazes. 

- At split, continue to follow red/green blazes. 

- At 2053, continue to follow green blazes. 

- At next jct., turn right/continue onto Andover Path. 

- At 2092, turn left onto Angle Path.

- At 2075, turn left onto Bugbee Path.

- At 2071, turn right onto red blazes. 

- At 2094, turn left onto Ayer Trail.

- At next jct., turn right onto Athol Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- At next jct., turn right onto Tucker Hill Path (green blazes). 

- At 2072, turn left onto Ayer Trail.

- At next jct., turn right onto Athol Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto red blazes. 

- At 2094, turn right onto Dark Hollow Path.

- At 2111, turn right onto Burnt Hill Path.

- At 2085, turn right onto Old Route 128.

- At gate, follow path to yellow loop around the pond.

- At the pond, turn left and follow yellow blazes back to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

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