Noon Hill - March 2, 20205

From the top of Noon Hill

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 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.

Along Holt Pond

We headed out from the parking lot at 158 Noon Hill Road in Medfield. 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. We followed the trail over to the Shattuck Reservation, and then around Holt Pond to return to the cars. Distance was 4.1-miles.

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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.

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Trail Map
Noon Hill Reservation
Shattuck Reservation
Bay Circuit Trail

Noon Hill and Shattuck Reservations – December 6, 2020

View from Noon Hill

I was thinking of doing a Crystal run, but the long drive and the late start meant that it would be an all-day event. The Papa Joe hike was close to home at the Noon Hill and Shattuck Reservations, so I decided to go there instead. 

 

Noon Hill is a 204-acre Trustee’s property located in Medfield and centered on 370-foot Noon Hill, a prominent summit and scenic vista. Noon Hill is part of a larger area of protected open space including land owned by the town of Medfield and the Shattuck Reservation located to the northwest of Noon Hill along the Charles River.

Along the Charles River

We met at the trailhead is near Holt Pond, which was created around 1764 when Sawmill Brook was dammed to create a millpond. In the 19th century, after farmers cleared the forest, the land surrounding the pond became stonewall-enclosed pasture. Woods have since reclaimed these fields.

We had crunchy snow underfoot as we headed west out of the parking lot toward Noon Hill. From there we headed north and then west across Causeway Street to the Shuttuck Reservation and a trail along the Charles River. 

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Noon Hill Reservation

Shattuck Reservation

Noon Hill - December 30, 2017

At the top of Noon Hill

I was off this week, but due to the cold weather I didn’t do any hiking or paddling. After a week in the house, I was looking forward to getting outside for a little exercise. When Hiker Joe cancelled the Noon Hill hike due to frozen pipes, Bill, Jonathan, Conrad and I decided to go anyway. Noon Hill and the adjacent Shattuck Reservation are Trustees of Reservations properties in Medfield  MA. 

Temps were in the single digits as we headed west out of the parking lot toward Noon Hill.  At 370 feet, Noon Hill rises gently over the surrounding landscape with views south over Walpole and Norfolk. From there we headed north and then west across Causeway Street to the Shuttuck Reservation and a trail along the Charles River. Nice trip - not paddling, but still a nice way to end the year.

The Crew - Bill, Conrad, Jonathan and Erik

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Noon Hill –Trustees of Reservations