Blue Hills Reservation – June 18, 2026

Top of Buck Hill

I joined Bill, Al and Nancy for another nice hike – this time led by Nancy at the Blue Hills Reservation. The 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation stretches from Dedham to Quincy and includes more that 120-miles of trails. There are 22 hills in the Blue Hills chain with Great Blue Hill being the tallest at 635-feet. We would be climbing Buck Hill at 493-feet

We met at 8:30 at Triboro Plaza to carpool up to the Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area. I couldn’t help thinking about all the times I drove by the exit for Houghton’s Pond on the way to work. It was nice to be able to stop and visit. After a quick stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a trail map we headed out.

View of Boston from Buck Hill

Nancy led us on the Buck Hill Red Dot Trail to the top of Buck Hill. We then came down the Summit Trail, to the Forest Path White Triangle Trail and back on to the Buck Hill Red Dot Trail – about 5-miles. The trails were moderately strenuous with some rocky sections and lots of hills to climb, but the view of the Boston skyline from the top of wind-swept Buck Hill was pretty amazing. Again, I was glad to be on the hilltop looking at the office buildings of Boston rather than working in them.

We stopped for lunch at the Hillside Pub in Canton. Next week we will hike at Diamond Hill, but I would like to come back here again sometime. 

Links:
My Pictures
Blue Hills Reservation Trail Map and Guide
Blue Hills Reservation Color Coded Hiking Trail Descriptions
Friends of the Blue Hills Guide