Wachusett Ski Area to Redemption Rock

HIKE NAME: Ski Area to Redemption Rock Trail    DISTANCE: 4 Miles     DIFFICULTY: Moderate

Restrictions: No motorized vehicles

Trailhead: Princeton. Ski area parking lot, near the small pond, on the Midstate Trail (near Mountain Road). https://goo.gl/maps/86trVeWztKFH1Kqm9

Hike Description:  Walk up Donbrowo Trail and across Old Pine Hill Road, then down through a pretty but unmarked  path to Redemption Rock, a historical landmark on Trust of the Reservation Property. Return on the Midstate Trail. Total elevation is 300 feet.

Links:  Redemption Rock History

Hike Details: Start at the pond at Wachusett Ski Area. Hike up the Donbrowo trail (parallel to Mile High Road), past the Balance Rock Road and to a second abandoned road (Old Pine Hill Rd) about halfway to the Wachusett Mountain visitors center.

Go left through the gate and then across Mountain Road and follow the  trail down through the woods. The first part of this wide trail can be wet in the spring. Take a well-defined but unmarked trail to the left and descend until the intersection with the Midstate Trail, and then take a right to Redemption Rock.

The large rock is a great place to climb, take some photos, and enjoy a snack!

To return,reverse direction and hike back along the Midstate Trail to the ski area.

Other Options to Consider: 

An alternative hike is to follow the Midstate Trail out and back from the Ski Area (or from Redemption Rock). In addition, a longer hike can be taken by following the Midstate Trail over to Crow Hill in Leominster State Forest. Alternatively, the hike can start at Crow Hill and hike to the Ski Area and back.

From Redemption Rock, a half-mile walk can be taken over to the shore of Wachusett Lake, which traverses an area of Princeton once known as Everettville.

Historical Notes: 

Redemption Rock is a colonial-era historic site in Princeton, Massachusetts. In 1676, during King Philip's War, the release of Mary Rowlandson from her Native American captors was negotiated atop this granite ledge (see the link above). This site is maintained by the Trustees of the Reservation, and there is a small sign describing the history around this event. 

Everettville was a small village in back of Redemption Rock which was a station on the underground railway in the mid 1800s. If you take the optional spur trail down to Wachusett Lake, you will pass by the tomb of Elder Everett and his wife,whose remains were later moved to Princeton’s North cemetery..

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Princeton Hikers on Redemption Rock

The Trail heading down from Mountain Road to Redemption Rock