Back to Leominster State Forest

Last week, my brother met me at work and we drove back to Leominster State Forest. I figure there are only a few more weeks before the sun starts setting too early for afternoon hikes, and I am trying to get in some extra time in the woods before winter sets in. Plus, I love Leominster State Forest because it's so close to home, and it's so easy to feel lost in the woods.

This time, we started off on Wolf Rock Trail, hiking east toward Rocky Pond Road. The trails in this part of the forest were a little better maintained than Ball Hill Trail I took last time. There was a set of logs laid across a low, wet part of the trail, and a boardwalk on another section. The trail is still more rocks than soil and Sean and I felt like we were cheated out of some nice scenery by watching our feet the whole trip.

I wish I could tell you which trail we were on at that point, but I couldn’t figure it out, even with the map in my hand. From Wolf Rock Trail, we took a sharp left up a hill and took a beautiful hike up through fields of ferns, and then came down a steep, boulder-strewn slope. It may have been Berry Hill Trail.

I’m glad Sean grabbed the bug spray, because there were some serious mosquitoes down by the water. But all things considered, this was an excellent after-work hike.

Total time: 50 minutes