June 3rd 2012: Mount Watatic, Ashburnham

Today, I had plans to climb up Mount Watatic in Ashburnham with a friend, but I still had time to do some sightseeing, so I went to do that in Chelmsford. The first place I went to was the Thanksgiving Forest Reservation at the end of Janet Road. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

I took the path to the boat launch area on River Meadow Brook, where there was an okay view of it. Next I followed the Bovey Trail to try to get more views of the brook, but there were none to be had. I then headed all the way to the Thanksgiving Ground Rocks, which was pretty much just a pile of rocks. 

River Meadow Brook

Thanksgiving Ground Rocks

I headed back to my car, following the Russell Trail for the shorter route back. Overall, I think there wasn't much at this place, although the trails were quite well marked, so I won't recommend it.

The next place I went to was the Kennedy Pond area in Westford, where I parked at the end of Trailside Way, where there is a dirt lot specific for hikers. The rough path I took here to go around the pond is shown below in pink.

The trails were not marked at all, but thankfully I managed to find the pond somehow. Views of the pond as I walked around it follow, including a rope I saw hanging over the pond, which is used by little kids to swing into the pond. I was tempted to use it, but I saw that the water looked pretty shallow, so I quickly changed my mind, especially because I'm no longer a small kid.

Next I headed into the town of Dunstable to finish my sightseeing there. I headed first to Blanchard Hill at the end of Skytop Lane. The path I took here is shown below in pink.

I wasn't expecting much at this place, to be honest, but after climbing up to the top of the hill using the Blanchard Hill Trail, I realized the views here were actually pretty decent.

The way back on the 100 Acre Pasture Trail was much more treacherous though, with a lot of muddy spots I had to trudge through, and I actually ended up getting lost, emerging on private property at Century Way. I then followed the road back to Main Street, turning left, then turning right onto Skytop Lane to get back to my car. Along the way, I saw a lot of slugs like this one crossing the grass patches after the rain.

The last place I went to was the Flat Rock Hill area, the parking area located at the end of High Street at the New Hampshire border. This place also contains the Arched Bridge Conservation Area, and the path I took here is shown below in pink.

I first passed by the Salmon Brook on the Quarry Trail, where there is a nice stone arched bridge.









It was hard to find the Flat Rock Trail, and I actually got lost, having to cross over the bare rocks covered in moss to find my way back to the trail, from which I managed to find my way to the top of Flat Rock Hill, where there was nothing to see. I found my way back to the Quarry Trail, heading right and walking all the way back to my car. With that, I was about to head into the town of Lowell when my friend called to tell me that she was ready to go hiking, so I went to pick her up.

My friend and I headed to Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, located at the junction of Rindge State Road and Old Pierce Road. The route I took here is highlighted below in pink.

It was a very easy trail to follow with all the yellow triangles on the trees, and there were several people hiking here today as well, understandable as this is one of the top 50 hiking places in Massachusetts. At the main fork, we decided to head up the steeper path on the right. On the way up, there was a partial view, but we knew there would be better views ahead, and we continued on.

Even at the top, we realized that the views here were just okay, and saw that there was another peak really close by.

 Thankfully, the path there was relatively simple, and the views from here of the various lakes nearby were simply gorgeous. It was also possible to make out the Boston skyline in the far distance. The views all around follow.

After taking a short food break with carrots and peanut butter, Cheetos and sugar biscuits, we headed back down the other way. It was a much easier walk this way, although it was a little longer.

Overall, I would say this hike was nothing compared to the hike at Mount Monadnock. This hike took only about 2 hours in all, and thankfully the weather was perfect. I can see why now this is one of the top 50 places to go hike at.

After the hike, I decided to show my friend some other beautiful places in the area, including Bear's Den and the Quabbin Overlook behind the fire station in New Salem. Unfortunately, it started raining at this point, so we headed to my friend's place, where she cooked a simple but great dinner for us. With that, it completed a perfect day of hiking. I am looking forward to the next one.