AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
NorthernEndOfBreakneckPondfacingsouth.jpg
Morrowlong · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nipmuck State Forest

Cat Rocks–Breakneck Pond, 7 lakes

13 mi · ▲ 692 ft · 4 hr 41 min

Cat Rocks–Breakneck Pond, 7 lakes is a 13-mile out-and-back in Nipmuck State Forest near Westville, MA. The route passes Reservoir No. 4, Reservoir No. 5, Reservoir No. 5 and 3 more. It climbs 692 ft. It scores 49/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: green fringe.

Elevation

0 mi640 – 824 ft13.6 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Opacum Land Trust 42.04797, -72.05887
Nearest town Westville, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Cat Rocks–Breakneck Pond, 7 lakes

13 mi · ▲ 692 ft · 4 hr 41 min

Elevation 641–825 ft

Out & Back · Nipmuck State Forest

Trailhead: Opacum Land Trust · 42.04797, -72.05887

Weather Aug 4: Overcast, high 79°F / low 61° · precip 0% · wind 7 mph · sunrise 5:45 AM · sunset 8:05 PM

Dogs allowed on leash · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Thompson Loop Trail, heading W.
  2. 0.9 miPass Reservoir No. 4.
  3. 150 ftTurn left, heading SW.
  4. 0.3 miBear right, heading W.
  5. 0.5 miPass Reservoir No. 5.
  6. 50 ftTurn left onto Breakneck Road, heading SW.
  7. 0.2 miPass Reservoir No. 5.
  8. 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  9. 1.2 miBear left, heading SW.
  10. 400 ftPass Breakneck Pond.
  11. 50 ftTurn right onto Cat Rocks Road, heading SW.
  12. 0.2 miPass Cat Rocks.
  13. 0.8 miTurn right, heading E.
  14. 0.2 miTurn left onto Breakneck Hill Road, heading W.
  15. 0.1 miBear right onto Bigelow Hollow Park Trail, heading SW.
  16. 1.3 miPass Bigelow Pond.
  17. 200 ftBear left, heading SE.
  18. 200 ftTurn left, heading SE.
  19. 450 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  20. 0.3 miBear right, heading SW.
  21. 0.1 miSharp right, heading S.
  22. 100 ftReach Cat Rocks, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  23. 100 ftSharp left, heading S.
  24. 0.1 miBear left, heading SW.
  25. 0.3 miTurn left, heading NE.
  26. 450 ftTurn right, heading NW.
  27. 200 ftBear right, heading E.
  28. 1.4 miBear left onto Breakneck Hill Road, heading N.
  29. 0.1 miTurn right onto Cat Rocks Road, heading NE.
  30. 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
  31. 450 ftTurn left, heading NE.
  32. 1 miBear left, heading N.
  33. 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
  34. 450 ftBear right, heading NE.
  35. 1.2 miTurn left onto Breakneck Road, heading NE.
  36. 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
  37. 0.5 miBear left, heading NE.
  38. 0.3 miTurn right, heading S.
  39. 0.4 miContinue straight onto Thompson Loop Trail, heading NE.
  40. 0.4 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/cat-rocks-breakneck-pond-out-back-7-lakes-19-km

Trail surface

13% dirt87% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 79°F61°
Precip0%Wind7 mphUV8Humidity83%
Rained 1.3″ yesterday (2.9″ over the last week) · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
80°60°
Sunrise 5:45 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:05 PM
Wed 81°62°
Thu 89°67° 50%
Fri 93°70° 37%
Sat 91°69° 41%
Sun 92°66° 15%
Mon 93°71° 20%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.3 mi in (~60 min). Leave by 6:45 PM for the 8:05 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:18 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Dogs allowed on leash
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from Opacum Land Trust Trailhead

Hikes near Westville, Massachusetts