MYLES STANDISH STATE
FOREST LETTERBOXES:
SOUTH CARVER,
MASSACHUSETTS
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Planted:
East Head Reservoir Letterbox; August 22, 2003
College Pond Letterbox; August 23, 2003
Length:
HQ to Cranberry Bog parking lot; 4
miles
HQ to East Head Reservoir Letterbox; ½ mile
HQ to Main Entrance; 5 ¾ miles
HQ to College Pond Letterbox; 2.6 miles
Upper College Pond Road
parking lot; Drive by for College Pond Letterbox
Difficulty:
Moderate. Paved, hilly trails. Rough
pavement. Steepness of hills, not recommended for
kids
on bikes.
Directions:
From I-495, take exit 2 to Route 58
north and follow for 2.4 miles. Here, Route 58 takes a left turn, continue
straight on
Tremont Street
. Just over a ½ mile, turn right onto
Cranberry Road
. This will take you into the West Entrance, where the Forest
Headquarters are located.
A parking lot is located here.
From Route 3, take exit 5 and follow Long
Pond Road south
for 3 ½ miles to the East Entrance. Enter the park on
Alden Road
. To start from Forest Headquarters,
take
Alden Road
to
Lower College Pond Road
. Take Upper
College Pond Road to reach the Upper
College Pond parking lot or continue past the lot and take a left on
Fearing Pond Road, then a right on Charge Pond Road to the Charge Pond parking lot. See map for details.
Myles Standish State Forest
is comprised of about 14,000 acres and contains about 15 miles of paved trails
interconnected throughout the forest. This is a popular camping destination and
campsites are located around 5 ponds in the forest; Fearing, Charge, Curlew, and
Bartlett Ponds. This forest is
New England
's largest remaining pine barren ecosystem, a sandy environment where
only low growing Pitch Pines, Scrub Oaks, low bush blueberry and other hardy
plants can survive. This
State
Forest
was established in 1916 and is named for the military leader of Plymouth
Colony. The bike trails go around the camping areas and so are very quiet
and isolated as they meander up and down through the forest. At every road
crossing is a numbered metal gate. These help you to keep track of your location
and I use them in my clues. Print out the attached map or pick one up at the
Headquarters. For more information visit; MYYLES
STANDISH .
East
Head Reservoir Letterbox:
HQ to Cranberry Bog lot;
From the Forest Headquarters parking lot, go past Gate 88, to the right
of the
Interpretive
Center
. Follow the drive around past the RV stations to Gate 86. Turn right and
pass through Gate 87 to the start of the paved trail. The northern
section of this trail is probably the toughest in the
State
Forest
because of some steep hills and curves. The trail climbs a slope of White Pines
and then weaves through the forest along the western edge of the East Head
Reservoir. Just shy of a ½ mile, the trail turns towards the reservoir and
you get your first good view of it as you crest a small hill. The trail then
heads down to a sharp left turn at the bottom. Stop Here. To make sure you’re
in the right location, there should be a small path down to the reservoirs
shoreline. Walk down this path to where it meets up with the East Head Nature
Trail (a hiking trail that circles the reservoir). There should be a sign
post with the #13 on it, which means you’re in the correct location. Go
back to the bike trail and put your back to the reservoir. Directly across the
bike trail will be a large Pine tree. Behind this tree is a second Pine tree. Go
to the second tree and you will see a log on top of a board. Under this board is
the East Head Reservoir Letterbox. Please recover with Pine needles, so
as to conceal it. Continuing up the trail, you'll pass through Gates 73/72
as you cross Lower College Pond Road, then Gates 9/8 as you cross Bare
Hill Road at 1 ½ miles. Another ¼ mile takes you through Gate 7.
Note;
You can take a quick detour from here to check out the Fire Tower. Just
turn left on the dirt road, which then crosses over
Bare Hill Road
to another dirt road. Just down this road to your right is the Fire Tower.
It's surrounded by a fence so you can't go up it.
Continuing onward, you cross through a gas
pipeline and Gate 6. Caution, at 3 ¼ miles you come to a steep hill with
a hairpin turn. You pass through a boulder field on the way to your final two Gates
5/4. The trail ends next to a power line at
Bare Hill Road
. Right up the road brings you to the Cranberry Bog parking lot and the
campgrounds of Curlew Pond.
College
Pond Letterbox:
HQ to Main Entrance;
Heading out of the Forest Headquarters parking lot, turn left and cross a
causeway between two gates, where the East Head Reservoir flows
out. You'll pass by the starting point for the East Head Nature Trail and
briefly travel along
Fearing Pond Road
to the paved trails start on your left. Passing through Gates
91/90 soon brings you to an intersection. This is about ¾ miles from HQ.
Turning right takes you towards Fearing
and Charge Ponds. Continue straight
and pass a second turnoff that is part of the previous trail. You cross over a
gas pipeline and emerge at another intersection. Again, turning right takes you
towards Fearing and Charge
Ponds. This is just over a ½ mile from the last intersection.
Another ¼ mile takes you across
Halfway Pond Road
at Gates 26/25. Pass through Gate 27 at 2 ¼ miles and come to
Upper College Pond Road
parking lot at 2 ½ miles. As you leave the parking lot you pass
through Gate 28/30. To your left will be a wooden gate next to Gate
30A. Facing the wooden gate, to your left will be a large boulder. Behind
this boulder is a second boulder. Go to the second boulder and under its
backside is the College Pond Letterbox. Continuing along the trail, you
cross over
Upper College Pond Road
at Gate 29. Another ½ mile takes you through Gates 32/31 and
mile 4 brings you to Gate 33, where you cross through some power lines to
Gate 34. The last 1 ¾ miles takes you to the trails end at the Main
Entrance.
Note;
You may also ride the trails around Fearing
and Charge Ponds. There are many routes to choose from, as well as
starting points.
Starting from the Charge Pond parking lot;
Leave the lot and cross over
Charge Pond Road
, passing through Gate 112. You come to a T in the trail. Right
takes you towards Charge Pond. Turn
left and travel a ½ mile through some dying Scotch Pines to Gates 48/49.
Less then a ½ mile brings you past Gates 52/53 and the
Fearing
Pond
Beach
parking
lot (fee).
The trail winds its way to Gates 61/60. You pass through a large Red Pine
forest on the way to an intersection. You then turn left and cross over
Fearing Pond Road
at Gates 43/44. I loved this last section, as it was mostly downhill to
the Charge Pond parking lot.
HH
CLICK HERE FOR MAP
EAST HEAD RESERVOIR
LETTERBOX LAST VERIFIED ON
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008
COLLEGE POND LETTERBOX
LAST VERIFIED ON
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008
TO EMAIL A VERIFICATION
CLICK HERE
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE
SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND
DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT
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