Noon Hill/Shattuck Reservation - January 22, 2022

That's me

It was another chilly morning with no paddling trips that I could see, so I decided to join Papa Joe for his trip at Noon Hill/Shattuck Reservation in Medfield, MA.

Noon Hill is a prominent summit and scenic vista surrounded by 204-acres of open space. It offers 4.5 miles of hiking trails and is part of a larger network of open space that includes the Shattuck Reservation located to the northwest along the Charles River. A system of trails spans the two properties, some of which are part of the Bay Circuit Trail.

The crew on Noon Hill

We headed out from the parking lot at 158 Noon Hill Road in Medfield on the yellow blazed trail to Noon Hill. At 370-feet, Noon Hill rises gently above the surrounding landscape giving great views to the southeast of neighboring Walpole and Norfolk.

Icy conditions along with rocks and roots that could snag on micospikes made the trails a little treacherous. On the way down from Noon Hill we had the first accident – a face-plant resulting in a cut on the bridge of the nose. After the cut was bandaged, the decision was made to head back to the cars before heading out again.

Not who you want at your trip

On our second attempt, we headed out past the skaters on Holt Pond and crossed the street onto the red blazed trail in the Shattuck Reservation. Before we reached the Charles River, though, we our second accident - another face-plant resulting in a nasty bump on the head and sprained wrist. This time an ambulance was called as a precaution, which brought our hike to an end. Thankfully both are home doing fine. 

Shit happens - nice to be with a group that is prepared and knows how to respond when it does. Hike ended up being about 3.5-miles.

Links;

My Pictures

Trail Map
Noon Hill Reservation
Shattuck Reservation
Bay Circuit Trail