Today was my first hike of the season and I decided to take a trip to Medfield MA and hike at Noon Hill Reservation. I must say I’m fairly new at hiking trails but this would be a great experience and a great physical workout for hikers at any experience level. The temperature was 75 degrees and it was a bit overcast but the sun popped out many times throughout the hour and forty-five minutes I was there. Basically a perfect day for hiking.
From where I live it took an hour to reach my destination and I believe it was well worth it. Noon Hill features many different trails, each with varying degrees of elevation gains and drops. Some trails were very easy and others a little more strenuous but nothing that anybody would be turned off by. Part of the trail I was on is considered a portion of the Bay Circuit Trail which will soon be almost 200 miles weaving through Massachusetts! As I said I was there for almost two hours but if I had decided to explore more I could have easily been there for another hour or two. Another nice thing about Noon Hill is that there is a trail extension across Causeway street that connects it with Shattuck Reservation which I will be hiking at a later date.
The trails are marked throughout by numbers and also by blue and white markers nailed on the trees along the paths, but as I found out following them doesn’t necessarily mean you will find what you’re looking for. In fact I attempted to find the “Noon Hill Overlook” to try and get some good pictures from above the trees and followed the white markers on the trees and somehow never managed to find it. Nonetheless it was still a great experience and I will definitely be returning and when I do I will not leave until I find the overlook. I absolutely recommend wearing hiking shoes or boots which I will soon be investing in as my Nike Air Max’s weren’t quite the ideal shoes to wear, but I had no other option. While on the trails make sure you pay attention to the ground as there are many roots and slippery rocks to turn an ankle on and believe me you don’t want to have to walk back to your car on a sprained ankle on this trail.
Another necessity is bug spray. The mosquitoes were vicious. Off Deep woods would be the ideal choice but to each his own.
All in all my first hike this year was everything I could have hoped for. Out of a possible “5 Stars” I give Noon Hill a 4 out of 5 only because there should have been clearer postings of how to get to the Overlook and also Holt Pond. I’m sure with more experience at Noon Hill I will have no trouble finding those spots. I already can’t wait for my next hike which could happen as early as Tuesday depending on the weather.
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