BREAKHEART RESERVATION:
SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Letterbox Planted: July 21, 2002
Last Updated: August 01, 2023
Length: Loop Trail; 3 miles
Forest Street parking lot to Letterbox; 0.5 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! For more information check out; Friends of Breakheart .
Starting from the Forest Street parking lot [Southern End]; Check out the Map Boards. At the beginning of Pine Tops Rd is a small gate house. This had a map holder attached to it. Proceed past the gate up the paved trail.
Note; The paved trails have a line down the center indicating the traffic flow, just like a city street. Also, 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 path 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 trail another 0.5 miles, you come to the beach area. The trail splits at this point. Going left takes you back to the parking lot on the Pine Tops Rd for a round trip of about 2 miles. If you go right, past Gate #7 on Elm Rd, another 0.5 miles will bring you to the Northeast Vocational School parking lot. The trail then gets a bit tougher as you head left on Hemlock Rd with some steep up and down hills. From here it's 1.5 miles back to the parking lot at Forest St, making for a vigorous 3 mile Loop.
HH
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
AUGUST 13, 20174
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BIKE IT OR HIKE IT