Hubbardston State Forest Loop: Gates Hill, Old Cross, Mill Pond, Canesto Brook, Behind the Chimney Trail
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Many leaves had already fallen, so that contributed to our difficult navigating. But it was so beautiful out that we could overlook the leaves on the ground.
From Gates Hill, the trail wanders downhill and reaches a junction with Old Cross. We took a right here, heading back on a wider road. This brought us onto Mount Jefferson road, where we took a left and then another left onto the Mill Pond Trail.
This section was gorgeous, and brought us through some of the most interesting terrain and some of the best foliage. We kind of got lost and ended up running through a field because we missed our turn, but it was nice to add a little extra mileage. We eventually found it—it wasn’t signed and was obscured by leaves.
Turns out, we were on a trail that isn’t really on the map. It’s a windy mountain bike-esque trail that may not even be good for mountain biking. But alas, we eventually found our way back to the Canesto Brook Trail, which was much wider and nicer than what we were previously on.
We took this to the Behind the Chimney Trail which would loop us back to the parking lot.
This run of Hubbardston State Forest was wonderful—not as exciting as Muzzy Ridge, but without leaves on the trails I think my opinion may change. Until next time!
The Hubbardston State Forest is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to run in Central Mass. For one, there are few if any people on these trails, even on a weekend. We ran into a couple the whole day. The trails are in great shape and aren’t too eroded. This particular system was a little harder to follow than the Muzzy Ridge Trail area, but it made for a good long loop.
Many leaves had already fallen, so that contributed to our difficult navigating. But it was so beautiful out that we could overlook the leaves on the ground.
From Gates Hill, the trail wanders downhill and reaches a junction with Old Cross. We took a right here, heading back on a wider road. This brought us onto Mount Jefferson road, where we took a left and then another left onto the Mill Pond Trail.
This section was gorgeous, and brought us through some of the most interesting terrain and some of the best foliage. We kind of got lost and ended up running through a field because we missed our turn, but it was nice to add a little extra mileage. We eventually found it—it wasn’t signed and was obscured by leaves.
Turns out, we were on a trail that isn’t really on the map. It’s a windy mountain bike-esque trail that may not even be good for mountain biking. But alas, we eventually found our way back to the Canesto Brook Trail, which was much wider and nicer than what we were previously on.
We took this to the Behind the Chimney Trail which would loop us back to the parking lot.
This run of Hubbardston State Forest was wonderful—not as exciting as Muzzy Ridge, but without leaves on the trails I think my opinion may change. Until next time!
Total Time: 1 hr
Total Distance: ~5.59 miles
Total Elevation Gain: ~761 feet
GPS Track
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