Hiker Information Source for Massachusetts' Mt Watatic and the Mid State Trail

This section is for hikers to contribute stories of adventures they have had, pictures and trail conditions for others to enjoy. Contributions to this page are appreciated.

Hi, Don --
After much advance research about permissions, and many hundreds of miles driving & hiking to reconnoitre the trail at certain spots in advance, I completed the Mid State Trail on horseback last Saturday, November 10, going South to North. Can we each get a badge? How?

This was a project I started in April, 2006, trailering out from my home ranch in Grafton, MA for day trips. Waiting to write til I was truly done, I don't have a full report yet, but I agree with various posters on the web site about places where the trail markers are hard to find, often just as dark is approaching, it seemed. Also, I too never saw a footprint, or _any sign_ of anyone else, anywhere on the trail, in the course of two springs and summers -- except on Mt Wachusett in late August 2007, and at Mt Watatic last weekend. And, yes, the shelters were in terrible shape.

There were only 3 spots where my Quarter Horse mare Sandy had to turn back, or go far around -- at two simple ditches (34.20N btw Rte 9 & Jones Rd, and 33.47N Burncoat Pond), and at the Crow Hills (approx 70.5N), where we bailed to the parking lot on Rte 31. Yes, Sandy followedthe yellow triangles up Mt Watchusett, Mt Hunger, and Mt Watatic! The people atop Mt Hunger were pretty shocked to see us come out on the overlook ledge, about two months ago. We are a very experienced long-distance team, and while we were fortunate to have no accidents or injuries on the MST, much of it qualifies as Extreme Trail Riding -- over half of it is definitely not for the average rider, and, having done it all, I would not recommend that half to _any_ rider. I will be writing an article for horsemen soon about where and where _not_ to try the MST. When it is done, I will let you know, in case any of your readers want a copy. If anyone has questions or concerns about this ride, do email me.

I want to volunteer for trail maintenance, will someone please contact me?

Bet MacArthur

I recently completed a thru-hike of the Mid State Trail (very enjoyable) and thought some notes from my journal might help you and others associated with the trail. I have no criticisms; the trail was, for the most part, well marked. Just trying to be of help.

1. For food, there is a good pizza shop in town at Oxford, Mass. It is just to the left of the trail as you head north. (Police Station is to the right of trail)

2. I got lost crossing under Rt 20. First, there was a no trespassing sign near a home owner's yard so I had to go to further away from the actual trail and down a steep embankment and then circle back to find the tunnel under Rt 20. This wasn't too bad, but then I got lost coming out the tunnel on the other side. I couldn't find the marker directing me back into the woods and, instead, went left on Rt 20. I suggest clearer yellow triangles here.

3. A perfect restaurant awaits on Rt 31. As you head north on the trail, take a left on Rt 31 and five minutes later, on top of the hill, is the Black & White restaurant.

4. A variety store with deli awaits at the juncture of Rt 68 and road. It's only a tenth of a mile to the left of the trail as you head north.

5. Just after Barre Dam, two concrete slabs prevent cars from driving over a plank bridge, BUT they were switched somehow so that the markers/directions are reversed/opposite. I suspect that when the slabs were removed and put back, someone didn't notice that the triangles/directions were wrong.

7. My notes say that there aren't many triangle markers as you climb up the hill on Davis Street from Rt 68. I kept climbing and because I was used to seeing frequent markers, I walked back down to Rt 68, figuring I had gone the wrong way. More markers needed here, I think.

8. I'm sure you are aware that the trail emerges into the parking lot of the Wachusett Inn, where I stayed the night. Got a single room for a reduced rate and the meals were good. I had no trouble as a single hiker and find it odd that this was not listed in the guide book.

I did my thru thru-hike in the middle of June and did not encounter one other person the whole time I was out there. Truthfully, the shelters, except for Long Pond, were pretty messy. Not your fault and a shame hikers can't clean up a little bit. Trash all over, and many unburnables dumped in the fire pits.

Again, please interpret these as constructive comments. It was a splendid little hike. There is only one thing I would urge you to do in your next revised guidebook. Hikers, especially thru-hikers, need to know water availability. A lot more of the streams, in my opinion, need to be listed in the guidebook.

I finished the Midstate trail going north-bound on Thursday,
August 15th. As you can see in the attached photo, it was
getting dark at 8PM and I had to hustle to get back to the
Mt Watatic parking lot without flash light.

   Now that I have finished, I would like order the trail patch.
Where do I send the $5?
    I would also like to thanks the volunteers who have worked
hard to make this trail possible. I used the trail to train
for a trip to Scandinavia where I climbed the the highpoints
of Sweden, Finland, and Norway as well as the tri-point where
the three countries come together, all in 7 days.
   I had many places where I lost the Mid-state trail and spent
a lot of time backtracking to find it again. I lost the
trail four times just in the stretch from Oxford to Rte 20.
The north-bound blazes could use work here.
   Another problem place is the southern end of Browning Pond.
The map in the guidebook erroneously shows the trail going
west up the paved road. If you follow the trail north besides
the pond, the markers turn to pale yellow triangles and peter
out. Only, if you happen to be looking left at the correct time,
can one see the trail going into the woods. It took four
tries to find this out.

Thanks,
Bob Anderson   8-26-02

for the record---

In early May of 2000, I crossed paths with a moose (no rack) while pedaling
my bicycle up the "up" summit road at Wachusett Mtn., where the Westside
Trail crosses just north of the Midstate junction. He/she looked at me with
ambivalence and slowly ambled down Westside Trail.

In late November of 1999, we were riding the summit chair lift just around
dusk and spotted a black bear ambling downhill on the west edge of Upper
Tenth Mountain (ski) Trail -- which had no snow made on it yet. It's like he
walked off the Midstate Trail where it meets the top of the ski trail. The
quad chair moves fast so we were whisked from the scene before the bear left
the scene. This bear was good-size, maybe 200 lbs.

Everyone's seeing plenty of turkeys all over the range of the Midstate, they
tend to browse in groups and are good at stopping traffic. They seem
unexpectedly fearless, since I know plenty of people hunt them.

Porcupines are rampant in north county and the Wachusett Reservation--
they're often seen up in trees. Their only predator-- the fisher cat -- is
growing in population in north county, and I know locals who've spotted this
elusive weasel.

thanks for your attention to a great web site,

Marie Auger -- Midstate Trail Committee; Westminster Conservation Commission

A friend and I started hiking the Mid State trail today. We parked at Wallum Lake with the goal of going south to the RI/MA marker as a starter. Went north instead, and got as far as 4.15. We had lunch there and hiked back to the Lake parking lot. The day was warm, and that cold lake water felt good on our tired feet when we returned.

We thoroughly enjoyed the hike. Never saw a soul, even though it is a school vacation week. We were,however, fascinated by the small blue moths. We saw several pairs mostly at the southern end of the trail. The yellow blazes are great, easy to follow and kept us on the trail in both directions. The trail maintenance is fantastic. We are from Cape Cod where our trails are mostly covered with pine needles or are sand.

The trail hiking guide is nicely done. Coming back, going North to South, we were able to follow the guide's points of interest and enjoyed them. We did find the Southern New England Trunkline Trail a small river, but with a little ingenuity got across with a minimum of inconvenience.

We'll be back and have every intention of doing the entire 92 miles. Please thank your committee for us. The day was very enjoyable, and walking on those wooded trails is a joy.

Sincerely, Maynard Simpson

Hi! Thanks for sending the trail guide. It was very helpful with my latest part of the journey. I spent a few hours (4 1/2) hiking more of the trail yesterday. I went north from route 12 in Oxford to route 20 in Charlton. It was very humid and the deerflies and ticks were ruthless. The scenery was beautiful! I did not see any other hikers though. I found two parts of the 12 to 20 stretch where the markers either disappear for a while or are anything but obvious. The saw mill off of Old Charlton Road was a challenge. There were no markers for about 1/2 a mile or so between the gas pipeline and the road after you pass the saw mill. It took about 1/2 an hr to get back on track there. The other tricky part was at the horse farm after the farm pond. I lost the trail for a while due to overgrown ground flora. That took another 45 minutes. I noticed on the way back that the trail was much easier to follow. That is, the markers were more readily seen. Maybe the trail is maintained from north to south. Anyway, it was the most difficult part so far and only because of poor visible marks. The trail itself is in great condition. Its good to see the good people at Mass Highways built a tunnel under route 20. I have some pictures for you. ~ Doug

Just north of the west branch of the Ware River, (which is about a half-mile north of the Barre Falls dam) is a beaver colony, hidden in the woods a little off the trail. After you cross the river you pass through a big field - a clearing of tree stumps, bordered by woods. On the right (traveling north on the trail) is the pond in the woods. The little guys have dammed up an old bridge abutment. Pretty smart work.~ Michael Paul

Hi Don, I finished the second leg of my journey about a month ago and waited
till I had photos to write. If I remember correctly There wasn't any bad
weather this time, but once again the mosquitos made it unbearable. I intend
to wait till fall to finish the trek due to the little buggers. I checked my
bug spray and realized it was of insufficient strength.

I really enjoyed the Barre dam with the frisbee course, very cool.
Checked my map, keep an informal diary so I can remember. I started on6-29 at
8:00a.m. at G.H. Wilson road.

Made it to 40.74N by 12:20, McCormick Road. I don't remember exactly where
but I walked into a 4H camp and was detained for security reasons for 10
minutes. It wasn't a serious problem but it was a bit strange at the least,
being questioned out in the middle of somewhere. I camped at Long Pond, and
must admit I was pretty sore after 16 miles with a full pack.

Only made it to 58.7N on the next day which leaves me 34 miles to go. I might
have to make it a 2 nighter to finish in one more trip. The only people I've
seen on the trail so far were two guys drinking at one of the open shelters.

I saw a moose briefly, a first. I have been hiking regularly here in R.I. and
just got back from a week in the White Mountains and have never, ever
experienced clouds of mosquitoes like that in my life. They were biting me
between the ribs in my socks, the opening at the cuff of my long sleeve shirt
and attacked my bare hands relentlessly. Oh well, better luck next life.

Take care, J.B.R

Wanted to get back to you before my memory fails. As you know I have had some
difficult times with this journey, some expected, some not. Finally the
perseverance have paid off.

I decided to do a 12 mile day hike with my oldest son starting at Hwy 68,
58.7 N on map. Although the first couple of miles were on pavement we both
enjoyed the splendid scenery and the beautiful houses and landscaping. It was
a glorious day weather wise and only got better as we went along. Traveling
through the Audoban sanctuary was a real treat and is definitely worth
returning to.

Climbing over Wachusett Mt. was enjoyable as well. Even though it's small in
stature I got the feel of accomplishment I get from larger Mtns, and was a
good warm up for my son who with out to much encouragement from me seems to
enjoy hiking all most as much as me.

We started at 8:55am on 8-24-03, and finished in the ski resort parking lot
at 2:05pm. A respectable speed in my eyes.

Only 20 miles to go which I plan to do with my son on Columbus day weekend in
a overnighter. I'll let you know how it goes and send in some money for one
of those coveted patches.

My next journey will be the Bay Circuit around Boston. I received the maps
and it's 200 miles long, though that is all I know about it at this time.

If all these companies sell backpacking gear, then where can you use it?
As you know I'm camping out illegally and wonder where it's o'k to do this. I
know I asked you before, but I feel ignorant that the only place I know where
you can camp off the trail is in the White Mts. or the Appalachain Trail.

I hope I find you well and enjoy the new season, J.B.R

Hi Don, I finished the trail staying overnight at the Muddy pond shelter on a
rainy Sunday. It was a wonderful trip. I would love to purchase two patches
and can only assume I send it to the same address as the trail guide. The
website says to contact you, not giving an address. Let me know what to do
please. I'll send some pictures when their developed and a brief description
of the last 25 miles. Thank you for all your help, J.B.R