Wright's Tower Out-and-Back

Dogs Leashed

Features Historical Significance · Views

This short out-and-back option is the perfect introduction to Middlesex Fells for new hikers, younger visitors, or anyone that's short on time. Likewise, a great option to take family or friends who are visiting from out of town. The views from Wright's Tower are beautiful.

Coming in around one mile in total, with easy access off Rte 93, this can be a popular area on weekends so plan accordingly to find parking. That said, it's not difficult to escape the crowds by continuing to explore all the trails in this area.

Pine Hill and Wright's Tower can be accessed easily off the east side of Rte. 93 with a pull-off parking area on S. Border Road. If this lot is full, there are a few more along S. Border Road or residential parking to the south.

From the parking area, head north on the multi-use Quarry Road along the east side of Bellevue Pond. Continue north past the D6-2 intersection with the white-blazed Skyline Trail, which makes for an alternative and more challenging option to get up or down from Wright's Tower.

A few hundred feet further, the path bends to the right (east/southeast) to continue the gradual, final climb to the top of Pine Hill. From Wright's Tower, you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the area. The close proximity to Rte 93 punctuates what makes this area so special and the dramatic contrast between the constant churn of commuters and the quiet solitude found in the woods.

Wright's Tower was built in 1937 and named in honor of Elizur Wright, one of the first to advocate for the protection of this land back in the 1800s, which was established in 1894.