Boston: Skyline Trail to Cross Fells Loop
This 12.1-mile loop skirts five reservoirs, cuts through forests of oak, hemlock, and birch, and gains 2,600 feet of elevation in 2,060-acre Middlesex Fells Reservation.
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Trail Facts
- Distance: 18.8
- Miles from city center: 7
Waypoints
CFL001
Location: 42.438233, -71.119523
Start near park map; L in a few yards on white-blazed Skyline Trail
CFL002
Location: 42.463959, -71.11972
Hard L behind firehouse; continue on Skyline Trail
CFL003
Location: 42.463745, -71.108322
Hard L; follow blue blazes to Bear Hill Tower, views of Boston, ocean, and North Reservoir; retrace blue trail back to Skyline and turn L
CFL004
Location: 42.461929, -71.107712
Bear R (hard-to-spot blaze on tree)
CFL005
Location: 42.459949, -71.107658
Picnic on rock ledge overlooking North Reservoir
CFL006
Location: 42.45269, -71.106102
Follow blazes through parking lot to continue on Skyline
CFL007
Location: 42.447617, -71.107376
Hard L onto Brooks Rd.; follow blue-blazed Cross Fells Trail
CFL008
Location: 42.448101, -71.10556
Hard R under bridge (I-93); quick L to continue on Cross Fells Trail
CFL009
Location: 42.444992, -71.091835
L onto Rock Circuit Trail (white blazed)
CFL010
Location: 42.439877, -71.078026
Bear R (or go straight for short, steep scramble to Pinnacle Rock for cliff-top views)
CFL011
Location: 42.444775, -71.091873
L to rejoin blue-blazed Cross Fells
CFL012
Location: 42.447643, -71.106888
Turn L onto white-blazed Skyline Trail
CFL013
Location: 42.433109, -71.104874
Wright?s Tower, views of Boston skyline; R down road 150 ft; L into woods on Skyline Trail; follow white blazes 1.2 miles back to trailhead