French Road Pond–Ocean By-Pass, 3 sights is an 8.2-mile out-and-back in Memorial Forest near Gleasondale Station, MA. The route reaches French Road Pond at the turnaround, 4 miles in. It is mostly level, with 193 ft of elevation gain. It scores 22/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
French Road Pond–Ocean By-Pass, 3 sights
8.2 mi · ▲ 193 ft · 2 hr 50 min
Elevation 169–269 ft
Out & Back · Memorial Forest
Trailhead: 42.39636, -71.52007
Weather Aug 4: sunrise 5:42 AM · sunset 8:04 PM
- Start at the trailhead, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.2 miBear right, heading SE.
- 0.2 miContinue straight onto Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside, heading E.
- 1.3 miTurn left, heading SE.
- 300 ftSharp right, heading NE.
- 350 ftTurn right, heading SE.
- 0.7 miTurn right onto Pipeline Pass, heading SE.
- 0.6 miTurn right onto Plymton Trail, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Pipeline Pass, heading W.
- 250 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 50 ftBear left, heading W.
- 0.3 miTurn left, heading E.
- 450 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 350 ftBear left, heading S.
- 0.1 miBear right, heading SE.
- 50 ftBear left, heading SE.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading S.
- 250 ftBear left, heading SW.
- 150 ftReach French Road Pond, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 150 ftBear right, heading SE.
- 300 ftTurn right, heading E.
- 100 ftBear right, heading E.
- 50 ftBear left, heading E.
- 0.1 miBear right, heading NE.
- 350 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 450 ftTurn right, heading S.
- 0.3 miBear right, heading NW.
- 50 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 350 ftTurn right onto Plymton Trail, heading W.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Ocean By-Pass, heading W.
- 0.6 miTurn left onto Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside, heading SW.
- 0.7 miTurn right, heading NW.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading NW.
- 350 ftSharp left, heading NW.
- 1.6 miBear left, heading NW.
- 0.2 miTurn left, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 150 ftTurn left, heading W.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading W.
- 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 4.0 mi in (~98 min). Leave by 6:06 PM for the 8:04 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:58 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Other ways to reach this destination
More from this trailhead
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 5.1 mi · ▲ 27 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 5.2 mi · ▲ 27 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 6.6 mi · ▲ 54 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 6.7 mi · ▲ 54 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 7.3 mi · ▲ 27 ft
- Mass Central Rail Trail -- Wayside 7.3 mi · ▲ 27 ft
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Hikes near Gleasondale Station, Massachusetts