Blue Hills Reservation (Great Blue Hill - Tucker Hill - Buck Hill): 4/25/2015

I wanted to hike Sunday before I left for Texas, so originally it was going to be Desi, Brian and I and Brian would meet us somewhere for a ride.  Due to a mix up in communication, we actually left our house right when Brian thought we would be meeting him at the trailhead so he was already well into his hike by the time we arrived.

Sadly, we had to do these hikes separate of each other but they were pleasant enough for Desi and I to enjoy on our own.  We both had to use our cell phone camera's to take pictures as weirdly, our regular camera had full battery but we got three pictures in before it died.  

Great Blue Hill

Mileage: 1.95

Elevation gain: 480'

Trails used: Red Dot Loop Trail, Elliot Circle, Skyline Trail.

Neither Desi or I had been here before but with some low lying peaks we thought we would check it out to see what it was like.  We really had no plan for where we would hike as we saw on the trail map that there were numerous trail's so we would not be at a loss for something to do.  When we arrived at the Trailside Museum it was a bit cold but not too bad so it wouldn't be a bad hike weather-wise.

Great Blue Hill is located in Canton and Milton, Massachusetts and also in the Blue Hills Reservation.  The Blue Hills Reservation is a 6000 acre state park with Great Blue Hill being the highest peak along the 22 peak chain, and it is 10 miles south of Boston making it a popular destination.  The Blue Hill Ski Area is also open (during winter) for downhill skiing.  There are also numerous mountain biking trails in the reservation so there is plenty do do. For more information on the Blue Hills Weather Observatory on the summit of Great Blue Hill, go here.

We parked at the Trailside Museum and we would take the Red Dot Loop Trail to the summit of Great Blue Hill.  The Red Dot Loop Trail is well marked and was pretty active today.

The Red Dot Loop Trail is probably the steepest trail in the Blue Hills Reservation but not overly steep.

The amount of rocks in the area was nice so if you wanted a little scrambling to do, you could do it. It also breaks up the monotony of some trails that we hike on.

We crossed the auto road that goes up to the Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory, where we saw people jogging and biking up to the top.

The Great Hill Observation Tower, or Eliot Observation Tower as it is known locally, located just below the summit of Great Blue Hill.  

There are decent views from here of the Boston skyline and the South Shore area.

The Eliot Memorial Bridge, built in honor of Charles Eliot and was built using locally quarried stone in 1906.

The Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory sits on the high point of Great Blue Hill (elevation 640') but was not open for tours at this point.

The views looking southwest off of the Skyline Trail.

The Blue Hills Ski Area which is most definitely closed for the season.

We reversed course and headed back down to the car so we could make the quick car drive to the other side of the park area to do the hike that Brian had done earlier in the day.  We probably passed each other driving by minutes as Brian headed for the Great Blue Hill side, unbeknownst to us.

Tucker Hill - Buck Hill

Mileage: 2.55

Elevation gain: 765'

Trails used: Skyline Trail.

We parked at the parking area on Hillside Street, right across from the Reservation Headquarters.  We made it into the last slot as we noticed car after car trying to park.  What a popular place today, probably due to the nice weather we were having.

Buck Hill is located in the Blue Hills Reservation.  It is a partially wooded summit with almost 360 degree views.  The views from Buck Hill were definitely better than the views from the Elliot Tower below Great Blue Hill, as well as from Great Blue Hill itself.  Tucker Hill has views from a ledge below the summit area and along the Skyline Trail; otherwise it is a wooded summit with no views.

Desi heading up the blue blazed Skyline Trail as we head towards Tucker Hill, and then onwards to Buck Hill.

The Skyline Trail continued up to the west ridge of Tucker Hill on somewhat steep slopes.

Views to the west and south from this ledge below the summit of Tucker Hill.  The actual high point is in the woods a bit and not on the trail.

Desi heading down the Skyline Trail into Dark Hollow.  The trail was fairly steep here as we headed into the col in between Tucker Hill and Buck Hill.

A nice wooded section over the northern ridge of Boyce Hill.

Views of Chickatabut Hill from the summit of Buck Hill (elevation 492').  360 degree views from up here and well worth the hike.

Looking back towards Great Blue Hill from the summit of Buck Hill.

Heading back up to Tucker Hill from the bottom of Dark Hollow.  We then made the quick trip back to the car.

We ran into Brian as he waited in his car for us to finish.  He had finished his hike about 45 minutes prior to us finishing but it was too bad our communication got messed up.  All in all, it was still a good day on some nice trails in Massachusetts.  There were lots of people out enjoying the day and quite a few families too.