Mt. Wachusett is most popular with skiiers, but what about summer sports? I decided to take a trip in early May to investigate this old, Massachusetts classic.
The Reservation is easy to find with ample signage on the main routes. I was able to drive past the overflow parking and get a spot right in front of the office since the season had not technically started. I checked my truck in using the free parking agreement for off-season visits and picked up a free map. The staff were happy and interested in helping me pick the best route, so I decided to take Pine Hill Trail straight to the summit. I would come down Old Indian Trail, believed to be an actual Native American route in pre-colonial days, and finish off with the iconic Balance Rock Trail before walking back. Pine Hill was groomed beautifully into wide, stone stairs with drainage ditches (blog about volunteering with trail crew on this same trail coming later!) and erosion rails.
These shallow stairs turn to climb directly to the summit covering about 540 feet in 1/2 mile. My fellow hikers and the occasional dog-walker smile and wave at me as I huff and puff up the stairs, but really it was over too fast.
The summit is treeless and crowned with a square, wood tower. A largely flat, sprawling landscape surrounds it with each side as featureless as the others and the most impressive aspect being how far you can see the countryside being flat. I highly recommend bringing binoculars, not just because Mt. Wachusett is the highest peak in the area, but so you can enjoy the variety of bird and mammal life found there. The tower is the perfect spot for picnics and I enjoyed a relaxing lunch break before heading down the Old Indian Trail.
The trail is blazed to help you with the tricky sections like this one where the trail goes left, not straight ahead. If you were wondering, that is an active wash during mud season when the snow melts off so you want to avoid this trail in early spring. There were a few short scrambles and I saw most hikers using hiking sticks as the path is rocky and winds in and out of seasonal creeks. The main creek the trail crosses was deep enough for me to filter water for a quick refill on the way to Balance Rock.
Most of the trail is adorned by tiny cairns in a constant reflection of the balanced rocks.
They stand alone in the clearing, but the area is criss-crossed by rock borders and walls. You can see the layers of stone deposited over ages. The topsoil in the area changes as you loose elevation, and the trail winds through gentle hills of pine to the ski area.
It is an uphill walk back to the visitor center along the road. It is a common desination for road biking in the summer, so watch out for cyclists. Overall, I found the hike to be a good experience, but a little boring to go alone. This would be a fun hike to take friends on and good for new hikers.
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