The Mid-State Trail in Massachusetts is an incredible long-distance hiking trail that runs through the middle of the state, beginning near Connecticut and ending at the New Hampshire border. It generally follows the high ground wherever possible, climbing up and over as many hills and mountains as it can, following the edges of lakes and ponds, and avoiding roads for the vast majority of the route. For me, it was never just a trail on a map. It was one of the trails that helped shape my early hiking life.
Mid-State Trail hiking with my nieces and nephews became one of those simple outdoor memories that stayed with me. It was close enough to use often, but wild enough to feel like a real adventure.
Related pages: Wachusett Mountain, Mount Watatic, Wapack Trail, Billy Ward Pond, and Ashburnham.
A Trail That Passed Almost Through My Backyard
I hiked huge chunks of the Mid-State Trail many times, especially the northern sections, because they were close by and easy to use for a day hike or a quick overnight. The trail went right by my house, probably within a quarter or half mile of where I lived on Billy Ward Pond. That meant I could walk out from home, especially in winter, snowshoe or ski out to old Northfield Road, and be on the Mid-State Trail almost immediately.
From there, I could walk from my house toward New Hampshire pretty easily, and I did that many times on snow days when work was canceled because of a blizzard. There was something wonderful about having a trail like that so close to home. It made adventure feel like part of ordinary life, not something that required a long drive, a vacation, or a lot of planning.
Crow Hill, Climbing, and Early Hiking Days
Some of the best parts of the Mid-State Trail pass through state forests, especially Leominster State Forest, where the trail goes up and over Crow Hill. I climbed at Crow Hill many times and took my nieces and nephews there for some of their earliest hiking days. I also camped on the summits there several times and did a lot of rock climbing, including volunteer assistance with the Worcester Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club.
There were many days when I was not working, or when I was working the night shift, when I would go there and spend the entire day climbing and working routes, just trying to improve my skill set. There are beautiful lakes right across from Crow Hill, so the views are incredible, and in the fall, with the color in the trees, it is one of the most gorgeous places in central Massachusetts to spend time.
Not a Checklist, Just a Trail Worth Returning To
There was a time when the Appalachian Mountain Club was leading hikes to complete the entire Mid-State Trail, one section at a time, usually about eight or ten miles every weekend. I did several of those hikes with other people, but I never had much interest in completing the trail just to check it off a list. That was never really my thing.
I would much rather hike the most beautiful sections over and over again, even on back-to-back weekends, because every season in New England is different. The weather changes, the leaves change, the ponds change, the light changes, and the same trail never feels exactly the same twice.
Muddy Pond, Speckled Lakes, and Winter Nights
The section of the trail that goes through Muddy Pond in Ashburnham is especially beautiful. It follows a couple of big old spectacle-shaped lakes, which I believe are called Speck Pond or Speckled Pond, and there is a three-sided lean-to out there where we slept many times.
One winter, I think around 1985, Dan and I went out there with our wives, Marty and Diane, and spent the weekend in the shelter with a big fire. We used aluminum space blankets against the back walls to try to create a reflector oven because it was cold and windy. We spent a lot of time out on the lake ice in the middle of the night, just wandering around in the dark, walking across the frozen lake and enjoying the wildness of it all.
Dan and I slept out there many other times too. It was an easy hike for a quick weekend getaway, only a few miles into the shelter, and from there you could wander around the lake or follow the trail farther north through Gardner and Ashburnham. That whole northern section is absolutely beautiful.
Sleeping in the Woods, Then Going Straight to Work
One of my favorite things was taking advantage of ordinary workdays that could have easily become forgettable. Instead of going home, watching television, eating dinner, and going to bed, I could hike into the woods in the afternoon, spend the night alone beside a lake, watch the sunset and the moon rise over the water, and then hike back out in the morning.
Luckily, where I worked had both a shower and a cafeteria. I could get to work a half hour early, take a shower, grab breakfast and coffee, and show up in the office like nothing unusual had happened. But something had happened. I had spent the night in the backcountry, close enough to home and work to fit it into a normal life, but far enough away to feel completely renewed.
What the Mid-State Trail Gave Me
The Mid-State Trail never impressed me only because it was ninety-two miles long. What made it special was that it was always there. It was close enough for an after-work hike, an overnight camping trip, a snowshoe adventure during a blizzard, or a quiet evening watching the sunset over a frozen lake.
The trail taught me that you do not have to travel to the other side of the world to find adventure. Sometimes the places that shape us the most are the ones just a few miles from home.
Those forests, lakes, winter nights, campfires, climbing days, and quiet walks helped make me who I am today. The Mid-State Trail was part of my everyday landscape for many years, and somehow that made it even more valuable. It was not a destination I visited once. It was part of the life I was lucky enough to live.
Website Notes
My original Midstate Trail page included links to Wachusett Mountain, Mount Watatic, and the Wapack Trail, so those links have been preserved and expanded here.