You Are Here: Middle & South Pawtuckaway

The weekend weather really was too beautiful not to get out again today. I was joined by my friend Laura and we headed for Pawtuckaway State Park so I could grab some new trails for my redlining spreadsheet and she could just enjoy being outdoors. We parked on Reservation Road and were the second car in but upon our return there were cars parked up and down the street. Lots of folks enjoying this beautiful day. Thankfully we didn't really encounter too many people, most groups we passed were heading up South Mountain as we were heading down. We used spikes for the first half mile on North Mountain Trail, but beyond that we were able to bare boot the entire hike. There was some ice here and there but we were able to avoid it, or walk over it carefully without issue. We took North Mountain Bypass to Chase Trail, then followed Round Pond Road around to Middle Mountain Trail. Some sections of Middle Mountain Trail were messy with leaves and ice. Along the ridge there were several blowdowns, many of which we were able to clear, but nothing that caused us to have to get off the trail. I was pleasantly surprised with Middle Mountain. I had heard from another friend who recently visited that there were some nice views, and that there was. The true summit is wooded, but the trail continues up and over to ledges on the other side with clear views across the park and surrounds. We had a bluebird day and stopped and had a snack and enjoyed the sunshine. This area was really pretty with trees and plenty of spaces to sit and relax should there be other people (which there wasn't for us). We headed back down and over to Tower Trail, which is a short and steep little pitch up to South Mountain and the fire tower. This was where we first started to see others, though quiet enough that we were able to enjoy the fire tower by ourselves. There is plenty of space here as well to spread out and sit and relax for a bit, which we did before heading back down South Ridge Trail. We joined up with Tower Road and walked over to Reservation Road where I needed a short out and back on Round Pond Trail to finish that up for redlining. This section was basically a snowmobile trail, and was rather messy, but still easy enough to walk. We reached Reservation Road and walked back to the car. Another area with not a lot in the way of scenic views, although Middle Mountain is definitely worth the hike up. Pawtuckaway overall is a great place to take a quick hike, or get in a lot of mileage if that is desired.

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