Though these boxes were originally planted on 3/30/02,  Bob and I replanted Pick o' Nick on 4/27/02 as I was unhappy with its original location.  That's why these clues are so late in arriving.

Ginger

 

(Pick O' Nick and Boston Butterfly

dedicated to our children

planted by gbheron on 3/30/02)

 

Where:  Leominster State Forest, Westminster/Princeton, MA

 

Length: Plan on at least an hour for the hike adding another half an hour or so for a picnic at the top or base of the cliffs.

 

Trail difficulty: Very steep but short trail sections ascending and descending either side of the ledges.

 

Clue difficulty: Easy

 

    From the North:

        Take Route 2 to Route 31 South. In 2 miles you will pass the main entrance to Leominster State Park on your left.  1000 ft. beyond this entrance is a gated paved parking lot on your left that is open in the spring and fall seasons and for swimming area overflow in the summer.  However, it is generally closed in the winter and summer.  If this lot is closed, continue for another 1000 ft. to a gravel parking lot on your right used by rock climbers and hikers alike.

 

    From the South:

        Take Route 190 to 140 North.  At about 5 miles you will reach the junction of Routes 31 and 140 which head north together for a mile or two.  Then Route 140 bears left at a flashing yellow light.  Bear right, continuing on Route 31 for about a mile where you will come to the gravel parking lot on your left.  The State Park lot is 1000 feet further on your right.

 

 

 

        Walk straight across Route 31 to the Crow Hill Trail marked with blue blazes.  Heading uphill, you will come to a fork.  The left branch directs  you to the Base of Ledges, the right branch leads to Top of Ledges.  Follow the trail to the base of the ledges.  Take in the beauty, the height and the vertical drop of the cliffs.  There is rarely a day that there is not at least one pair of rock climbers scaling these walls.  Be especially courteous on the trail here allowing for a wide girth between you and the climbers with their equipment.  Reaching the end of the ledges you will find two picnic tables and a trail to your left that goes to the gravel parking lot mentioned above.  But continue straight ahead [taking the Mid State Trail (marked with yellow blazes) in a SW direction.  Between a hand of three oaks and one  larger oak lie two boulders.  Walk between these boulders around to the far side of the boulder on your right.  The Pick O' Nick Letterbox, dedicated to our son, Nicholas, a Geology student, is nestled beneath an overhang of this rock. 

        Now double back to the junction of the Crow Hill Trail.  Take a left, staying on the Mid State Trail and climbing the rocky path to the top of the ledges.  Enjoy the view from the many overlooks along the ridge.  An expansive rock outcrop offers an excellent picnicking spot with a sweeping view.  On a clear day you can make out the skyscrapers of Boston in the East.  Crow Hill Pond and Paradise Pond lie to your immediate East and South with Mount Wachusett to the Southwest.  You may be able to catch a tiny glimpse of the Wachusett Reservoir nestled between the hills farther South.  After you've had your fill of the view and whatever nosh you've brought along, continue along the trail.  At the next trail junction, take a left, staying on the Mid State Trail.  Almost immediately you will pass by a rock ledge wall about 7-10 feet high on your left.  Continue on this well blazed portion of the trail.  Look for a large lichen covered rock on the right side of the trail.  Fifteen paces beyond this rock lies a fallen log pointing Southwest at 220 degrees.  Follow this log to its end.  Directly ahead you will find the Boston Butterfly Letterbox resting between two tree trunks.  This box is dedicated to our daughter, Vanessa, who has fluttered off to Boston to live and learn.

        Again, double back to the trail junction.  Take a left, leaving the Mid State Trail.  The blue blazed trail will take you through a steep descent which includes 14 stone steps to the base of the ledges.  You will reach the fork that you encountered near the start of your journey, thus having made a loop around the cliffs.]  Bear to the left, continuing downhill to the parking lot at the State Park.

 

 

        From the parking lot follow the blue blazed trail to the Crow Hill ledges.  At the two picnic tables and base of the ledges is the junction of the Mid State Trail.  Take a left and follow directions in [ ] above.  When you reach the fork where signs mark the Trail to Base of Ledges and Trail to Top of Ledges, take a right following along the base of the ledges.  Once past the ledges, take a left at the picnic tables, returning to the gravel parking lot.

 

 

Crow Hill

Redemption Rock

Mount Wachusett

Native Son Letterboxes