You Are Here: Pawtuckaway State Park

Black Friday was a rainy, grey day. I had some new cold/wet weather gear that I was excited to try out, so I picked something local. Back to Pawtuckaway State Park to fill in some of the missing pieces I have in completing all the trails there. I had seen a post on Facebook from a hiker referencing a new trailhead with easy access to Boulder Trail.. this was one of the trails I needed to complete, so I punched in directions and headed out. Turns out it's not really a new trailhead, it was an existing trail that ended at the road, they've just added a kiosk and map, and a pull out area across the road for a couple of cars. This was actually a bonus as it reduced my hike by a bit and allowed me to tack on a second hike finishing yet another trail. I drove Reservation Road to Round Pond Road and followed to the new kiosk at the end of Boulder Trail. I just had that last tenth of a mile or so to complete from Round Pond Road to the North Mountain Trail intersection. It's a fun tenth of a mile as it meanders through all those giant boulders that climbers love to learn/practice on. Being a miserable day, I had the area to myself. I did a quick out and back on that section before heading a little ways up Round Pond Road to the North Mountain Bypass that I also needed to finish off, having hiked half of it earlier in the year. From this end North Mountain Bypass climbs a little incline before descending again and meeting up with Chase Trail, which is a snowmobile trail that goes back to Round Pond Road. Lots of here, there and everywhere filling in these blanks today. I followed the road heading back to my car, when I encountered another junction of North Mountain Bypass. Thoroughly confused, as I hadn't been aware of a third end to this trail, I headed up it anyway and it shortly intersected with where I had started just a little way earlier, so now I've definitely covered all of North Mountain Bypass. Back at my car for the second time, I felt I still had more in me, and needed more exercise after those delicious treats yesterday for Thanksgiving, I decided to drive around to the main entrance of the park and do an out and back of the section of Woronoco Trail I needed. You need to park at the main entrance to access Woronoco Trail with a half mile road walk down the hill from the gate to the Mountain Trail entrance. Woronoco Trail starts almost immediately after Mountain Trail at the kiosk. I just had to do the 1.5 mile section between Mountain Trail and Split Rock Trail, which was a lovely up and down wander through the woods with one marked scenic overlook area over a marsh. I saw the one and only person of the day, a trail runner and his pup on this trail. Now I just need to finish Shaw Trail, and I'm complete on all the trails at Pawtuckaway!

Strava Activity - Boulder Trail, North Mountain Bypass

Strava Activity - Woronoco Trail