AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
2010-10-23 Blue Hills 06.JPG
Gareth Wyn Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
Blue Hills Reservation

Wolcott Hill–Great Blue Hill, 10 sights

11.6 mi · ▲ 1,416 ft · 4 hr 34 min

Wolcott Hill–Great Blue Hill, 10 sights is an 11.6-mile out-and-back in Blue Hills Reservation near Ponkapoag, MA. The route passes Great Blue Hill, Path Continues, Wolcott Hill and Hillside Pond. It climbs 1,416 ft, with sections as steep as 27% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 7/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi85 – 623 ft · steepest grade: 27%13.6 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 42.20802, -71.12356
Nearest town Ponkapoag, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Wolcott Hill–Great Blue Hill, 10 sights

11.6 mi · ▲ 1,416 ft · 4 hr 34 min

Elevation 86–625 ft

Out & Back · Blue Hills Reservation

Trailhead: 42.20802, -71.12356

Weather Aug 4: Rain, high 78°F / low 70° · precip 97% · wind 8 mph · sunrise 5:41 AM · sunset 8:02 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading N.
  2. 0.1 miTurn right, heading E.
  3. 0.3 miTurn right onto Skyline Trail, heading E.
  4. 300 ftTurn right onto Accord Path, heading E.
  5. 50 ftTurn left onto Skyline Trail, heading NE.
  6. 0.2 miPass Great Blue Hill.
  7. 50 ftTurn left, heading NE.
  8. 400 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  9. 100 ftBear left, heading E.
  10. 150 ftPass Path Continues.
  11. 200 ftTurn right onto North Skyline Trail, heading E.
  12. 0.1 miPass Wolcott Hill.
  13. 0.2 miTurn right, heading E.
  14. 100 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  15. 0.2 miTurn left, heading SE.
  16. 50 ftSharp right onto Wolcott Path, heading SE.
  17. 0.5 miBear left, heading E.
  18. 100 ftBear left, heading E.
  19. 350 ftTurn left, heading E.
  20. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  21. 50 ftBear left, heading E.
  22. 0.2 miPass Hillside Pond.
  23. 0.1 miBear right, heading NE.
  24. 0.2 miTurn left onto Dark Hollow Path, heading NE.
  25. 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
  26. 0.1 miBear right, heading E.
  27. 50 ftBear left, heading E.
  28. 0.1 miBear left, heading E.
  29. 350 ftBear left, heading SE.
  30. 0.2 miBear left, heading NE.
  31. 0.4 miTurn left onto Red Dot Loop, heading NE.
  32. 350 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  33. 0.6 miBear left, heading NE.
  34. 50 ftBear right onto Headquarters Path, heading NE.
  35. 250 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  36. 0.3 miTurn left, heading NE.
  37. 250 ftBear right onto Crags Foot Path, heading E.
  38. 0.6 miTurn left onto Old Furnace Brook Path, heading NE.
  39. 0.3 miTurn right onto Sawcut Notch Path, heading E.
  40. 0.2 miTurn left, heading E.
  41. 0.1 miBear right, heading SE.
  42. 50 ftTurn right, heading SE.
  43. 0.2 miTurn left onto Quarries Foot Path, heading NE.
  44. 0.3 miReach Wolcott Hill, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  45. 0.3 miTurn right, heading E.
  46. 0.2 miTurn left, heading NE.
  47. 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
  48. 0.1 miTurn right onto Sawcut Notch Path, heading E.
  49. 0.2 miTurn left onto Old Furnace Brook Path, heading SE.
  50. 0.3 miTurn right onto Crags Foot Path, heading W.
  51. 0.6 miBear left, heading W.
  52. 250 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  53. 0.3 miTurn left onto Headquarters Path, heading NW.
  54. 250 ftBear left, heading NW.
  55. 0.6 miTurn left onto Red Dot Loop, heading SW.
  56. 350 ftTurn right, heading W.
  57. 0.4 miBear right, heading SW.
  58. 0.2 miBear right, heading S.
  59. 400 ftBear right, heading S.
  60. 0.1 miBear right, heading SW.
  61. 50 ftBear left, heading SW.
  62. 0.1 miBear right onto Dark Hollow Path, heading SW.
  63. 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  64. 0.2 miBear left, heading S.
  65. 0.3 miBear right, heading SW.
  66. 50 ftTurn left, heading SW.
  67. 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
  68. 400 ftBear right, heading W.
  69. 50 ftBear right, heading W.
  70. 100 ftContinue straight onto Wolcott Path, heading SW.
  71. 0.4 miSharp left, heading SW.
  72. 50 ftTurn right onto North Skyline Trail, heading SW.
  73. 0.2 miTurn left, heading NW.
  74. 50 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  75. 0.3 miTurn left, heading SW.
  76. 350 ftBear right, heading SW.
  77. 100 ftTurn left onto Summit Road, heading SW.
  78. 400 ftTurn right, heading S.
  79. 50 ftContinue straight onto Skyline Trail, heading S.
  80. 0.2 miTurn right onto Accord Path, heading NW.
  81. 50 ftTurn left onto Skyline Trail, heading NW.
  82. 300 ftTurn left, heading NW.
  83. 0.3 miTurn left, heading W.
  84. 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 map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/hemenway-hill-hillside-pond-out-back-3-lakes-15-km-e9bc

Trail surface

60% dirt8% gravel32% unspecified

Weather

RainTemperature 78°F70°
Precip97%Wind8 mphUV2Humidity76%
Rained 0.6″ 5 days ago
Hourly temperatureRain chance
80°65° 12 AM: 4% rain2 AM: 1% rain3 AM: 14% rain4 AM: 47% rain5 AM: 52% rain6 AM: 51% rain7 AM: 40% rain8 AM: 40% rain9 AM: 34% rain10 AM: 65% rain11 AM: 70% rain12 PM: 76% rain1 PM: 97% rain2 PM: 80% rain3 PM: 61% rain4 PM: 51% rain5 PM: 36% rain6 PM: 27% rain7 PM: 33% rain8 PM: 28% rain9 PM: 2% rain
Sunrise 5:41 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:02 PM
Tue 84°63°
Wed 84°64°
Thu 88°70° 26%
Fri 97°73° 29%
Sat 94°72° 36%
Sun 97°72° 15%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.4 mi in (~101 min). Leave by 6:00 PM for the 8:02 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:57 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from this trailhead

Hikes near Ponkapoag, Massachusetts