Summit Mt. Wachusett via the West Side Trail

Set your GPS to Wachusett Mountain ski area. Coming from Rt. 2 turn onto Mile Hill Rd and look for your first right to take Bolton Rd. Take this road all the way until it intersects with West Princeton Rd. Turn left. and  drive down W Princeton Rd  for 1.2 miles and there should be a small parking area on the right hand side. The parking is free and the trail head begins on the other side of the street.

The West Side trail is quiet and not very populated. The hike will take you through the forest and is very beautiful. Close to the summit the trail will intersect with the Old Indian Trail that you must take to reach the summit. The west side trail is a total of a mile long so at this point you will only need to hike about .2 more miles to reach the summit. The total length up and down would be somewhere around 2.5 miles round trip.

There are many other trails one can take to the summit of Mt. Wachusett but on a typical day you will have this trail all to yourself with the exception of seeing maybe 2-4 people along the way. The trail can become steep at certain points but nothing too strenuous.

One can choose to drive their vehicle to the summit but will be subject to a $5 parking fee or $6 non-MA vehicle. The summit road opens the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and closes the last Sunday of October. In that time frame the road closes each day at sunset.

Dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash.