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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Tophet Chasm, Oak Hill, Lookout Rock, MA
Trails
Trails: Summit Trail, Boundary Trail, Tophet Chasm Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, June 6, 2016
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Parking area at the trailhead on Oak Hill Road in Littleton. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: One tiny drainage, easily stepped over. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: TCT stopped being maintained starting in the 80s, and was reopened in 2014. I can see why it may have been abandoned. It runs through the floor of the chasm, which is muddy and swampy, but there are "stepping trunks" to help you along. There is little signage on all of these trails, and several of them are blazed the same color, which could be confusing. There are also several unmarked trails. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Sure. 
Bugs
Bugs: Mosquitos were bad down on the floor of the chasm. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Nothing. 
 
Comments
Comments: A very interesting loop through Tophet Chasm, which is a small steep-sided ravine, a steep climb up the headwall, then on to the summit of Oak Hill (508'), which is also the Littleton high point, then on to Lookout Rock, a nice open ledge with a good vista.

The chasm is pretty neat, it feels really wild in there, and the terrain and flora is much different than the rest of the area. It's like a much, much smaller, wooded version of a ravine you'd find in the whites. The floor of the chasm is essentially a swamp, very wet and muddy. The bugs seem to love it down there.

The summit of Oak Hill / Littleton high point is wooded and viewless, but is marked with a cairn, located on a short side path off the ST.

Lookout Rock is a nice open granite ledge (one tiny scramble to get up to it) with a nice view to the east and southeast, with Boston visible on a clear day. Some noise from I-495 which is only about a half mile away.

History, trail descriptions and a map can be found here:
http://littletonconservationtrust.org/trail-guide/browse-trails/?trailid=14  
Name
Name: KenM 
E-Mail
E-Mail: kmacgray@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2016-06-06 
Link
Link: https:// 
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