| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Rocky Narrows, MA |
|
 | Trails: |
Forest Street, Bay Circruit Trail, Hospital Road, Route 27, Yellow Street, Snow Street |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, June 1, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I parked in the small-mid sized dirt lot on Forest St by its intersection with Lake St and Goulding St. Room for a half dozen plus cars here. It was mostly full around 1:45pm when I returned and was maybe half full around 10am when I arrived. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I don't think there were any. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The BCT is marked with circular markers and sometimes with white plastic markers as well. See my notes in the comments section about why the section around Rocky Narrows is rather confusing. I do not recall any blowdowns. Jct in Rocky Narrows are well signed. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are allowed and can be off-leash so long as they are under control at all times. |
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 | Bugs: |
Surprisingly none! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
First hike of the day to finish up the BCT in and around Rocky Narrows which proved to be rather confusing last time. Beautiful, cool day, with a mix of sun and cloud :) Between the guidebook, what the BCT says online (which is presumably the most accurate), and my own observations, here is what I've found:
1) The BCT no longer follows Forest St and Snow St to cross the Charles River on Rt 27 just east of Rt 115 like the 11th edition of the AMC guidebook says it does. Roughly half of the maps in Rocky Narrows indicate that it still does which could lead to confusion.
2) The other half of the maps in Rocky Narrows show its current location which is that from the easternmost jct of the Red Trail with the Orange Trail, it follows the Orange Trail a short distance north, then continues north along the Charles River along an old road.
3) While this new section of the BCT IS marked, there is no visible marker at the jct with Orange Trail where Red Trail/BCT turns sharply but it IS still blazed in that direction thus one would very easily follow the Red Trail here back out Forest St as I did.
4) To add to the confusion, IF the road that heads NE along the Charles is flooded (which seems to happen often enough), you DO follow the Red Trail back out to Forest St, then take Forest St and Sherborn Farm Rd to where the road comes out on Sherborn Farm Rd just south of Forest St. There are no markers along Forest St even though Red Trail is marked out to it (so it's as if the trail just disappears into thin air here).
The road that parallels the Charles was not flooded luckily but recently was and so was still very muddy and wet in parts. I heard that parts of the Red Trail were still flooded too which would be another reason to access these trails from the northern section of the Red Trail which the BCT does not follow but is still marked.
My route: Forest St --> Sherborn Farm Rd/field --> OAB on road that parallels the Charles (part of the new BCT) and the Canoe Launch Trail that I missed part of last time because it was flooded --> current route of BCT from road that parallels Charles to where BCT crosses Hospital Rd --> old route of the BCT back to my car, redlining Yellow Trail in Rocky Narrows along the way. Because the old route of the BCT is the one currently described in the 11th Ed. of the guidebook and I needed Yellow Trail anyway, I decided to do it. Parts of the road walk were very pleasant. Some severe mud along the trails. The walk along the Charles was also very nice. There's some washout along a section of trail that says it's close due to unsafe conditions but it was fine to cross; just don't want to be speeding across on a bike where there's no longer a bridge. Gaia had me at 10.7mi, 450ft of gain, 3hr41min. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-06-03 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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