| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Borderland State Park, MA |
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 | Trails: |
Billings Loop, Bluff Trail, Bay Circuit Trail, Ridge Trail, Granite Hills Trail, Pond Walk, Mountain Street, Tisdale Road, Pond Edge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, June 14, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Paved parking at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary and room for a couple of dozen cars I think. Maybe only a half dozen around 11am though with the light rain. There's an old sign on the gate saying it closes at 7pm that I hadn't noticed before but considering online it says it's open till dusk, and I've been there past dusk before, I didn't worry about it. I just wouldn't park overnight. Looking online, I guess there's a fee, but I didn't see anywhere to pay or indicating this there. It was empty other than my car when I returned around 9:30pm. Borderland State park says they charge $20 for non-MA residents and $5 for residents online. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
I don't recall anything that wasn't bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
The BCT is marked with circular plastic markers on trees and telephone poles in addition to white plastic blazes in some spots. The markings can be erratic on this trail; blazed very regularly in some spots, and then you can go quite awhile without seeing one. I can tell you that there were hardly any markings along the north and east sides of Lake Massapoag and along the sections in the powerline swaths but obviously if you know the trail just follows the road, it's not an issue. Probably at least a few other places really lacking markings that I'm just forgetting about. I don't recall if Billings Loop and Bluff Trail were marked but they weren't hard to follow. Mid-sized widowmaker followed by a large widowmaker in the Moose Hill area 5-10min later. I think they were on the east side of Moose Hill St along Beaver Brook though. Mid-sized easy stepoer on Beaver Brook Trail east of Moose Hill Parkway Two small-mid sized leaners above the trail just beyond where the BCT splits from Beaver Brook Trail. This was 5-10min before reaching South Main St in Sharon. Some debris, small blowdowns shortly after exiting Gorwin Dr/the north side of Borderlands State Park. Some small tribial stepovers on Rockland Trail (BCT as it leaves Borderland State Park on the south side), then some debris, small leaners around where the BCT enters the powerline swath shortly thereafter. The short section of trail that leads from the woods to the center of the powerline swath could also be cut back. Probably more after that, but my phone was low on battery so no more pictures, sorry! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dogs are not allowed at Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. I think they're allowed everywhere else but probably have to leashed most places. |
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 | Bugs: |
I think I noticed them if I stopped later in the day but between rain and cooler temps I didn't notice them at all earlier in the day. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
This was a redline of the section of Billings Loop and Bluff Trail that I still needed (the section that does not cincide with the BCT from the parking area to just north of Turkey Trail) in Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, followed by redlining all of sections 17 & 18 of the BCT, completing all required trails in Borderland State Park along the way. I did ascended the northern part of Billings Loop, then Bluff Trail, and turned around when it intersected the BCT around the cistern and 0.1mi north of Turkey Trail. I then returned via the southern part of Billings Loop to the BCT across the street which I stayed on until Borderlands State Park. Here, I first did a 0.9mi (one-way) OAB on Ridge Trail and part of Granite Hills (Upper Loop) which are part of the BCT - Granite Hills Trail description on pg 409 of the guidebook. Then, on the south end of Borderland State Park, where the BCT turns south onto Rockland St Trail, I continued east on Pond Walk, doing an OAB on the portion that goes between Leach Pond and Upper Leach Pond, then continued north to Mountain St, Tisdale Rd and Pond Walk on the NW side of the ponds, then returned to the BCT along Pond Edge Trail. As always, if a track would be helpful, please don't hesitate to reach out. I stayed on the BCT from here on to Rt 138. There's a portion of the BCT that doesn't coincide with where it says the trail is on Gaia on the northern end of Wheaton Farm but I think that was it. It rained lightly for longer than it was supposed to but not hard enough that my legs got wet less the brush. Glad for a rain jacket though as it was raining hard enough that it would've been unpleasant without it at times. Never any sun but the trails were dried out by the end of the day. Some mud of course but I think spots were relatively few and far between. Some beautiful woods around beaver Brook, I'd love to learn more about "Volcano Mountain" (?!), and some parts of Borderland State Park looked rather scenic. The cistern in Moose Hill was also really impressive. Gaia had me at 28.5mi, 525ft of elevation, 9hr40min. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-06-16 |
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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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