US-MA-Marble+Hill+Conservation+Area


 * =Birding in Massachusetts=

Middlesex County
=Marble Hill Conservation Area= Stow, Massachusetts 01775 Stow Conservation Lands webpage Marble Hill Conservation Area hiking guide

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Marble Hill Conservation Area
Coordinates: 42.4447413, -71.5227127 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Marble Hill Conservation Area
Marble Hill Natural Area was purchased by the Town in 1977 with assistance from the state under the self-help program. The land was put together from several parcels by private initiative and is one of the most popular of the Stow recreation lands. Several miles of trails are available for walking or cross-country skiing. A Life Course was established to encourage exercising. Pompositticut School provides parking adjacent to the south entrance to Marble Hill and a small turnoff is available on Taylor Road at the north entrance. Marble was surface mined from the property in the 1700s. From Stow Conservation Lands webpage

A complete tour of this wooded area takes a little over an hour, ranging from the heights of Marble Hill to the splashing waters of a shaded stream. Trails vary from wide and level to rocky and occasionally steep and include exercise stations for the Headway Life Course along several of the southernmost segments. Trailhead Location: Off-street parking for several cars is available the south side of Taylor Road, about a quarter of a mile west of Packard Road.

Quick Guide 1. Follow yellow trail south from the parking lot. 2. After crossing the brook on stepping-stones, bear left at T-junction onto the white trail. 3. Continue straight at a trail junction onto the red trail up, then down Marble Hill. 4. Turn right onto the white trail. 5. At the junction with the yellow trail, zigzag right and left to continue on the white trail. 6. Turn left on the yellow trail to return to parking area.

Detailed Hike Description From the parking area, follow a short connector trail east, parallel to the road, then turn right on the yellow-blazed trail. The path soon leads uphill on a moderate slope under tall pines. The rise tops out through a stone fence gap to begin a gentler downhill. At a T-junction, turn right to continue on yellow. The trail rises gently. Continue straight through a junction with the white trail. The trail levels, with a stone fence running parallel to the path for a while, then slopes downhill again over granite ledges and past granite outcroppings on a moderate slope. At a wide intersection with the green-blazed trail to the left, continue straight on yellow, avoiding another trail that bears right. The yellow trail continues downhill over granite ledges, then levels through an area of granite outcrops under a mix of deciduous and evergreen. To the left, a stream runs roughly parallel to the trail. The yellow trail soon curves left to cross the stream on stepping stones. Pause for a few moments in the center of the stream to enjoy the trickle of the water and the forested wetland surrounding you. A short distance past the stream a double yellow blaze warns of an upcoming junction with the white-blazed trail. Turn left at the T-junction onto the white trail, heading steadily uphill on a narrow trail. At a wide trail junction marked by the ropes and rings of the Headway Life Course, bear slightly right and uphill, now on the red-blazed trail up Marble Hill. The climb is moderately strenuous, past granite outcroppings. At a Y-junction, bear right and continue uphill. The trail levels for a while to curve around the southeast flank of the hill before resuming the uphill climb on a steady, moderate slope. A stone fence runs parallel on the right side of the trail as you near the summit. A boulder just past the hill’s highest point provides a nice seat if you wish to catch your breath, have a drink, or just enjoy the feeling of being atop one of the highest hills in town. The surrounding trees filter the potential 360 view of the horizon, but the sensation of height remains. Continue down the northwest side of the hill on the red trail on a moderate slope. The trail levels just before meeting the white trail; turn right on white. The rock-studded trail soon heads uphill on a moderate slope, through an area of blueberry bushes, then rolls downhill and uphill again before meeting the yellow trail. Turn right, then immediately left to continue on the white trail. The narrow trail passes by granite outcrops with a wetland to the right. A stone fence runs parallel to the trail, which curves right to pass through a gap in the fence, moving into an area of mature pine with a younger pine understory. The trail curves up and down a hill, through additional stone fence gaps before arriving at a T-junction with the yellow trail. Turn left to return to the Taylor Road parking area. From Marble Hill Conservation Area hiking guide

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media type="custom" key="28853820" || L3250378 US US-MA US-MA-017 42.4447413 -71.5227127 Marble Hill Conservation Area