View from Wachusett Mountain

Mountain Rd., Princeton
978 464-2987

The mountain access road is open to personal vehicle use seasonally from Memorial Day through the last Sunday in October. Operating hours for the roadway during this season are 9:00am till sunset daily.

Rising above the surrounding forest to a height of 2006 feet, Mount Wachusett stands as a unique landmark within the central New England landscape. From the summit, a clear day reveals views of Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire, the Berkshires to the west, and the Boston skyline to the east. The 3,000-acre Wachusett Mountain State Reservation surrounds the summit and offers a wealth of natural and recreational resources. The Reservation's natural resources include forests, alpine meadows, ponds, streams, fields, and even a perched bog. Recreational opportunities abound at the reservation including hiking, nature study, hawk watching, picnicking, and skiing. The Reservation offers 17 miles of hiking and walking trails, including 3.9 miles of the Midstate Trail, which runs from Ashburnham to the Rhode Island border. Mountain Road stretches to the John Hitchcock Visitor's Center at the summit, a short distance from the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, which is the largest in eastern Massachusetts.

Wachusett Mountain is part of an extensive greenway area, including Leominster State Forest, Massachusetts Audubon's Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary and Minns Wildlife Sanctuary. It is also the location of the largest known area of Old Growth Forest east of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, with trees dating over 350 years old. Evidence of the glacial activity which shaped the mountain can be seen at Balance Rock; two large boulders were stacked one on top of the other by moving glaciers thousands of years ago.

Trail Maps
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Click here to view Midstate Trail map

Park Directions

From Route 2: Rt. 2 to Exit 25 (Rt. 140 south). Follow Rt. 140 south for 2 miles. Turn Right onto Mile Hill Road. Follow Mile Hill Road for 1/2 mile to split in road. Take Left Fork onto Mountain Road. Follow Mountain Road 1 1/4 miles to top of hill. Reservation entrance is on the Right. Visitor center entrance is immediately on the Left after entering Reservation.

From Route 190: Rt. 190 to Exit 5 (Rt. 140). Follow Rt. 140 north for 9 1/2 miles. Turn Left onto Mile Hill Road. Follow Mile Hill Road for 1/2 mile to split in road. Take Left Fork onto Mountain Road. Follow Mountain Road 1 1/4 miles to top of hill. Reservation entrance is on the Right. Visitor center entrance is immediately on the Left after entering Reservation.

Alternate Route from Route 190: Rt. 190 to Exit 5 (Rt. 140). Follow Rt. 140 north for 2 1/4 miles. Turn Left onto Rt. 62 west. Follow Rt. 62 west for 4 miles to Princeton Center. Turn Right onto Mountain Road. Follow Mountain Road for 3 1/4 miles. Reservation Entrance is on the Left. Visitor center entrance is immediately on the Left after entering Reservation.