QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: N/A
- Trail Mileage: ~0.7 miles one way
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: short and steep
- Sights: views, radio towers, remnants of the past
While the trail isn’t signed or blazed, it’s very easy to follow the steep service road to the old fire tower to the top of the 1,237-foot mountain. Right from the trailhead, off Bald Mountain Road, you head up the wide road. Close to the bottom, it takes a turn to the left. But if you doubt where to go, just head straight up! You can also use the power lines as a guide; they end at a cluster of radio towers at the summit.
I think the best views might be slightly to the right of and below the towers, where there is a big exposed ledge with lovely eastern views. Because the trail is exposed and steep, on bare ledges, it can be very icy in the winter.
This place used to be an alpine ski area; it closed in the 1970s. I read online the mountain also holds the wreckage of a military jet that crashed in 1961.
The elevation gain is about 530 feet.
Directions: From the Dedham Fire Department, take Bald Mountain Road about 3.7 miles to the trailhead on the left. A small area to pull over cars is just 100 feet or so beyond where Bald Mountain Road makes a sharp turn to the right. So the trailhead is technically on Johnson Road. Mind that you park well off the road so you don’t block traffic.
