AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Trail southbound, West Groton MA.jpg
John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0
The General Field

Squannacook River–Dead River, 4 sights

6.3 mi · ▲ 196 ft · 2 hr 12 min

Squannacook River–Dead River, 4 sights is a 6.3-mile out-and-back in The General Field near Ayer, MA. The route passes Dead River and Squannacook River. It is mostly level, with 196 ft of elevation gain, and mostly dirt. It scores 15/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi200 – 328 ft6.8 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 42.58647, -71.58709
Nearest town Ayer, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Squannacook River–Dead River, 4 sights

6.3 mi · ▲ 196 ft · 2 hr 12 min

Elevation 199–326 ft

Out & Back · The General Field

Trailhead: 42.58647, -71.58709

Weather Aug 4: Mostly clear, high 82°F / low 60° · precip 0% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 5:42 AM · sunset 8:04 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading S.
  2. 0.1 miBear right, heading SW.
  3. 0.5 miTurn right, heading N.
  4. 0.6 miTurn left, heading S.
  5. 50 ftTurn right onto Gardner Terrace, heading S.
  6. 0.3 miTurn right onto Wharton Road, heading NW.
  7. 0.1 miPass Dead River.
  8. 50 ftTurn left onto Lawrence Lane, heading N.
  9. 0.1 miTurn left, heading W.
  10. 100 ftBear right, heading NW.
  11. 0.2 miBear left, heading SW.
  12. 50 ftBear left, heading W.
  13. 100 ftTurn right, heading W.
  14. 0.5 miSharp right, heading NW.
  15. 0.1 miPass Squannacook River.
  16. 150 ftBear right onto Ice Line Trail, heading S.
  17. 0.5 miReach Squannacook River, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  18. 0.5 miBear left, heading S.
  19. 0.1 miSharp left, heading SE.
  20. 0.5 miTurn left, heading SE.
  21. 100 ftBear right, heading E.
  22. 50 ftBear right onto Lawrence Lane, heading E.
  23. 0.1 miTurn right, heading SE.
  24. 450 ftBear left, heading SE.
  25. 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
  26. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Wharton Road, heading SE.
  27. 50 ftTurn left onto Gardner Terrace, heading SE.
  28. 0.3 miTurn left, heading S.
  29. 50 ftTurn right, heading S.
  30. 0.6 miTurn left, heading E.
  31. 0.5 miBear left, heading S.
  32. 500 ftArrive 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/groton-school-pond-dead-river-out-back-3-lakes-13-km-4d91

Trail surface

78% dirt22% unspecified

Weather

Mostly clearTemperature 82°F60°
Precip0%Wind5 mphUV7Humidity82%
Rained 0.7″ yesterday (2″ over the last week) · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
85°60°
Sunrise 5:42 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:04 PM
Wed 84°61°
Thu 88°70° 31%
Fri 95°71° 32%
Sat 93°68° 32%
Sun 94°67°
Mon 92°73°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 7:44 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 8:04 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 8:36 PM.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead

Hikes near Ayer, Massachusetts