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Blue HillsDescriptionThe Blue Hills has over 100 miles of legal trails for riders of all ability levels. Included among these are about 20 miles of VERY difficult singletrack trails. To get a free map of the Blue Hills' trails stop at the ranger station, just up the hill near the State Police barracks. The Blue Hills also has a ski area that runs its lifts for mountain bikers during the summer. It's $10 for a 4 hour lift ticket. The only part of the Blue Hills Reservation that is open to biking is the area bounded by 128 on the south, 138 on the west and 28 on the east. The area you're referring to (east of 28) is known as the Chickatawbut section, it is (unfortunately) closed, part of a compromise reached, I believe, to placate the equestrians. Another large area south of 128, known as Ponkapoag, is also closed to bikes. The open area is about 2,000 acres, the whole reservation is over 7,000 acres. If you ride there, you should pick up a copy (free) of the MTB map, which shows the open areas & trails. If you're unfamiliar with the area, a little studying can help, as single & double track distinctions are shown as well as countour lines to indicate gradients. The best way to learn the trails is to come out on one of the frequent, lead rides (NEMBA, Blue Hills Trail Watch, Friends of Blue Hills, MDC MTB Day, etc.). We had one on Saturday (FoBH, led by Bill Boles) that a bunch of ragers attended (I had a good time even after splitting my helmet on a limb and falling into a patch of poison ivy). The situation at the Blue Hills seems to be continuously improving, with the MDC being very helpful and supportive of biking for the most part. Recently, 2 more areas were opened to biking, the sections of the reservation west of 138, known as Fowl Meadow and Little Blue. While those areas are mostly flat & non-technical, opening them was still a major step forward. DirectionsOption #1: From route 95 (the old route 128) take the Houghton's Pond, Ponkapoag Trail exit. Head North towards the Hills and turn right at the "T' intersection. the houghton's pond parking lot is about 1/8 mile ahead on your right. Option #2: I plan to meet at the Houghtons Pond parking lot. It is an easy ride from Boston or driving take RT. 28 south into Milton just as you enter the reservation lands take a right onto Chickatawbut and continue south about 2mi the parking lot is on the left it is big and easly seen and right on the road. There are bathrooms there. Option #3: Where: meet in the Parking Lot just north of the Trailside Museum on Rt. 138. Take Rt. 128 exit 2 (Rt. 138 north), go straight through one traffic light, meet in the second parking lot on the right (the one just after the Trailside Museum). Option #4: To get to the ski area take exit 2B North Milton off of 128, go straight through a set of lights and its half a mile on the right.
Trail IdeasIf you're looking for a difficult, challenging, but legal ride I'd include any or all of the following. From the Houghton's Pond parking lot head east on Headquarters Path and 'try' to ride it all the way out to route 28. I have ridden every portion of this singletrack, in both directions, but have never done the whole thing without stopping to rest. Maybe some day. J From route 28, retrace you route back to Forest Path and then head south. After about ½ mile bear right and go up an old road which leads to Buck hill Path. Turn right at the Y intersection and after about 30 yards. Hike up the staircase to the top of Buck Hill. This is part of the Skyline Trail, which is closed to bikes unless you're walking. (Which you will be as it's a difficult climb. If you don't want to attempt this difficult hike, just keep going on Buck Hill Path. It's a neat downhill. Then go left until you get to dark Hollow Path.) At the top of Buck hill, take a moment to enjoy the view. Then head West until you encounter the Buck Hill Trail. This is a long, steep, eroded trail that will lead you back down to headquarters Path. Then take an immediate left on Dark Hollow Path and follow that until you get to pavement. Then turn right and take your first right up hill. Follow that back to Headquarters Path. You should come out across the street from the ranger station. This is a long, but not too difficult climb. So far you've ridden about 8 miles. Cross the pavement and go up the hill by the Ranger Station. After about 150 yards take a sharp right on Hancock Hill Path. Which is very Difficult. Turn Left on Braddock path after about 2 intersections and then go left again on Breakneck Ledge Path. Follow that until it drops you down on a dirt road. Go right and then take a right on Bartol Path when you get to '5 corners'. Bartol Path is the downhill singletrack not the uphill climb over the rocks. Follow Bartol Path to Border Path and then turn left. When you get to a paved road turn left and ride to the top of Big Blue. Be sure to check out the weather station, the view and the observation tower at the top of Big Blue. The Ultimate technical downhill is Coon Hollow Path which is located just below the observation tower at the top of Big Blue Hill. Don't miss this one. And watch out for endos. If you follow this trail all the way to the pavement and then turn left. you'll get back to Houghton's Pond parking lot in about 1/2 mile. By now you should have about 15 miles on your odometer and will have noticed dozens of alternative trails that you can explore on another ride. Altogether you 'should' be able to do about 100 miles of legal riding in the Blue Hills. At least 30% of which singletrack and about 20 miles of which would be classified as difficult/dangerous. We mountain bikers have a pretty good relationship with the MDC types in the Blue Hills. Because most people observe the rules and stay off the few trails that are closed to bikes the MDC recently opened two new sections of the Blue Hills to bikes. (The Fowl Meadow and Little Blue sections.) And in addition they just opened the nearby Stoney Brook Reservation to us. If good relations with the MDC continue, I'd expect that in the near future more areas will be open to us. It's not necessary to ride on closed trails to have a good ride in the Blue Hills, and doing so could jeopardize any chance we might have in the future to increase our riding opportunities. Or, it could even detract from what we now have. Links
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