BREAKHEART RESERVATION:
SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Letterbox Planted: July 21, 2002
Last Updated: April 23, 2025
Length: Loop Trail; 2.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate. Paved trail, but with some steep hills. Not recommended for kids on bikes.
Directions:
From I-95 take exit 63 to Route 1 south. After 2.5 miles, take the exit for Lynn Fells Parkway. Another 0.3 miles will bring you to the entrance at Forest Street on your right.
[Southern End] There will be a large sign that reads Breakheart Reservation. Parking is at the end of the road.
[Northern End] To park at the Northeast Vocational School, pass by the Forest Rd entrance and continue on for another 0.7 mils. Then turn right on Main St, which then becomes Farm St in Wakefield, MA. After 1.8 miles, turn right onto Hemlock Rd and follow to the parking lot.
The Breakheart Reservation is managed by the Metropolitan District Commission. It's name came from the Civil War era when troops training at the remote and lonely location found it heart breaking. In 1934 the state acquired the 600 acres of rolling hills and it became a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Today the reservation contains a visitors center, paved trails, hiking trails, fishing ponds, picnic areas, playground, workout course, beach and facilities. No fees! Lots of trails. I have created a Loop Trail around the perimeter of the park that follows the old roads. For more information visit; BREAKHEART RESERVATION .
Starting from the Forest Street parking lot [Southern End]; Check out the Map Boards. Proceed past the gate house Northwest, along the paved Pine Tops Road and through the woods.
Note; All the gates in the reservation are numbered, so if you have a Map you can easily figure out your location. These paved paths are car free except from October thru May, when the Pine Tops Road is open to one way traffic.
Follow this road for about 0.5 miles until you see a second bench on your left. From this bench, take a compass reading of 256 degrees. Follow this sighting up a small knoll to a two trunked tree. The left trunk being dead. In the center of the trunk, under a rock, is the Breakheart Reservation Letterbox. Continuing along the road, it turns West, bringing you to the beach area at Pearce Lake at 0.9 miles. The road splits at this point.
Note; Left, Southeast, takes you through the center of the park along Pine Tops Road and back to the Forest Street parking lot after a 2 mile Loop.
Head right, past Gate #7 along old Elm Road. This will take you West, through the woods and across a transmission line to the Hemlock Road entrance & parking lot at 1.4 miles. Continue Southeast, along old Hemlock Road, back across the transmission line and into the woods. Some steep up and down hills. Return to Pine Tops Road and continue straight, returning to the Forest Street parking lot after a 2.8 mile Loop.
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LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
AUGUST 13, 2017
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
bikeitorhikeitcontact@gmail.com
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT