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| The author at Blue Hills Reservation. |
This summer I signed up for a Meet Up group called the Blue Hills
Hiking Club. Meet Up is a website devoted to helping like-minded people make
connections. So for example, if you like to kayak but don’t want to go alone
and have trouble finding friends whose schedules match up with yours, you can
join a local kayaking group, and “meet up” with others in the group at
designated times/places.
When I stumbled upon it, the Blue Hills Hiking Club sounded like a
great idea – an opportunity to explore the Blue Hills with people who already
knew their way around. Plus the club offered events nearly every day – hikes on
various trails, with differing levels of ability. It took some time, but I
finally found one that fit into my schedule.
So on a Sunday at the end of September, I headed up to Milton for the
“Easy to Moderate Yellow Triangle Loop,” a hike that would take us up and
around Great Blue Hill, and show us the way to the summit (an extension of the
hike that we would save for another day).
Pulling off Route 93 onto Blue Hill River Road gave me a “not in Kansas
anymore” feeling. One minute I’m on the highway, and the next I’m driving up a road
lined with trees and picnic areas. Turning right into the heart of the
reservation, I saw trailheads and wooded hills that reminded me of the national
parks out west.
Blue Hills Reservation is huge – a 7,000 acre oasis in the middle of an
otherwise bustling urban environment. And it’s varied – there are two large
ponds (Houghton’s and Ponkapoag); rivers, swamps and bogs; 16 historic
structures; and a total of 22 hills. A vast network of trails provides access
to nearly every acre. The most popular feature is Great Blue Hill, which stands
635 feet tall and offers an expansive view of the Boston metropolitan area. Plus
there is a museum and a weather observatory, both of which I will profile in
future columns.
The park dates back to 1893, when the Metropolitan Parks Commission set
the land aside for public recreation. These days the state Department of
Conservation and Recreation (DCR) oversees it. Over the years it’s become a
popular destination for those seeking a variety of recreational pursuits. Blue
Hills offers easy flat trails, as well a steep rocky ones. Some are open to
mountain bikes and horseback riders. Houghton’s Pond welcomes swimmers and
anglers, and features a snack pavilion. Ponkapoag Pond offers a canoe launch
plus rustic cabins for camping. The adjacent Quincy Quarries Reservation,
managed by Boston’s Metropolitian District Commission, is open to rock
climbers. And of course the downhill ski area is a seasonal favorite.
The hike I attended in September served as an excellent introduction to
the reservation itself. We started from the trailhead behind the park
headquarters (next to the Milton State Police barracks) and headed up a wide
and sometimes rocky road. By “up” I mean “uphill.” It was much steeper than the
average walk one enjoys on the South Shore, and I relished the challenge.
From there we turned onto a loop marked by yellow triangles, which went
all the way around Great Blue Hill. I was grateful to be with a group, as there
were numerous intersections on the 4-mile circuit. The DCR’s map describes the
route as “rocky, rugged and hilly,” and indeed it was. I can see why runners
and hikers who are preparing for mountain events do some of their training at
Blue Hills.
Our hike lasted just under two hours. The 20-or-so attendants, ranging
in age from late-20s to mid-60s, formed a loose pack, with a leader at the
front and a “sweep” at the back to ensure that no one got lost. We stopped at
major intersections for questions and quick breathers, but mostly kept moving
at a steady pace. I will definitely be going back for more.
With 125 miles of trails in the Blue Hills Reservation, there is
something for everyone. Maps are available online (see below) and also are for
sale at the park headquarters. Trails marked with a green dot are gentler
woodland loops. Red dots signify the rocky, rugged, more challenging terrain.
Yellow dots mark the shorter loop trails.
Follow this link for more information on, and a map of, the Blue Hills
Reservation.
by Kezia Bacon
September 2013
Kezia Bacon's
articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a
local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration,
maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed.
For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA
at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human
and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
