AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Central Mass Railroad cut west of Wachusett Dam, January 2016.JPG
Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wachusett Reservoir Watershed

Wachusett Reservoir–Lancaster Mill Pond, 5 lakes

2.3 mi · ▲ 234 ft · 53 min

Wachusett Reservoir–Lancaster Mill Pond, 5 lakes is a 2.3-mile out-and-back in Wachusett Reservoir Watershed near Boylston, MA. The route passes Wachusett Reservoir and Wachusett Spillway before reaching Lancaster Mill Pond at the turnaround, 1.1 miles in. It is mostly level, with 234 ft of elevation gain. It scores 2/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi292 – 417 ft2.7 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Mass Central Rail Trail 42.40845, -71.70648
Nearest town Boylston, MA
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Wachusett Reservoir–Lancaster Mill Pond, 5 lakes

2.3 mi · ▲ 234 ft · 53 min

Elevation 292–417 ft

Out & Back · Wachusett Reservoir Watershed

Trailhead: Mass Central Rail Trail · 42.40845, -71.70648

Weather Aug 4: Overcast, high 81°F / low 61° · precip 0% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 5:43 AM · sunset 8:04 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SE.
  2. 50 ftPass Wachusett Reservoir.
  3. 0.5 miContinue straight onto Central Massachusetts Branch (1903-1958), heading NE.
  4. 50 ftContinue straight onto Mass Central Rail Trail, heading SE.
  5. 0.4 miPass Wachusett Spillway.
  6. 150 ftContinue straight onto River Road, heading E.
  7. 0.2 miPass Lancaster Mill Pond.
  8. 250 ftSharp right, heading E.
  9. 350 ftReach Wachusett Reservoir, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  10. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Mass Central Rail Trail, heading W.
  11. 0.4 miContinue straight onto Central Massachusetts Branch (1903-1958), heading W.
  12. 50 ftContinue straight onto Dike Path, heading NW.
  13. 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/lancaster-mill-pond-wachusett-spillway-out-back-3-lakes-3-km

Trail surface

40% dirt23% gravel37% unspecified

Weather

OvercastTemperature 81°F61°
Precip0%Wind5 mphUV7Humidity84%
Rained 0.6″ yesterday (2.1″ over the last week) · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
85°60°
Sunrise 5:43 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PM6 PMSunset 8:04 PM
Wed 83°61°
Thu 89°69° 37%
Fri 94°71° 34%
Sat 93°69° 32%
Sun 94°67° 15%
Mon 91°73° 15%

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.7 mi in (~17 min). Leave by 7:28 PM for the 8:04 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:36 PM — 0 min before dark.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

Hikes near Boylston, Massachusetts