Friday - October 20, 2006

Wachusett Mountain-- Princeton, MA

Skiing and snow shoeing in the winter, hiking in the summer, Wachusett Mountain ("By the Great Hill") is a terrific year round destination. Easy access is provided to the recreation areas via the State Reservation or the ski resort .

There are some seventeen miles of hiking trails thought the reservation including about 4 miles of the Midstate trail. Trials are well marked and provide a verity of lengths and
difficulty.

Wachusett is one of our regular hiking locations because of its easy access, well maintained trails and clean facilities. Restrooms are available at the reservation headquarters and the ski lodge. There are numerous picnicking locations throughout the mountain including the summit.

From the summit you can see as far west as the Berkshires, north to Mt. Monadnock, and east to Boston. It is an amazing view on a clear day and a great place to take a lunch break. Today the summit is fairly desolate except for communications towers and small equipment buildings. But, in the early nineteen hundreds the Summit House hotel provided
accommodations for fourteen couples. The hotel sported such moder conveniences as gas lighting and running water. It was considered a top of the line wilderness hotel in its time. Unfortunately the hotel burnt to the ground in 1970.

The mountain reaches a height of 2006 feet at the top. So keep in mind that the temperature can be a lot cooler at the summit than on the trails. We usually pack light weight
jackets to throw on once we get to the top. Also, many of the trails are rocky and can get slippery when wet, so trail runners or hiking boots are recommended.

A map of the ski trails can be found at the lodge web site and a hiking trail map is available at the reservation web site

Overall:

Food: NA

Restrooms:

Cost: NA

Hours: NA

Getting there: See the Lodge or Reservation websites