Route: Whitehall Upton Loop (MA)

Location
Massachusetts, US
Distance
20.7 mi
Vertical Gain
1,738 ft
Description

Ben Nephew posted the route:

Whitehall and Upton State Parks in Eastern Massachusets have some of best singletrack in the region. I mapped out a route combining the trails in both parks that is about 20 miles, which is a long loop considering the average trail length in the area. The trails are not hilly, but they are winding to say the least.

The loop is technically a set of three loops. My suggested direction would be to start at Whitehall SP parking area, run clockwise around the Whitehall Reservoir to get to Upton SP, and then follow the direction of my GPS track in Upton. The Whitehall perimeter trail is marked in blue. When you reach the road, run up the road to your left about 100 meters to find the trail leading to Upton SP. The trail you are on (Whitehall Trail) is not on the Upton map, but will intersect with Whitehall Rd. on the map. The Upton section looks confusing, but it's bascially a perimeter of the park with some specific detours to hit trails in a certain direction. The Whistling Cave trail should really be run downhill.

The sequence of trails in Upton is:

Whitehall Road
Grouse
Mammoth Rock
Old Hopkinton
Rabbit Run
CCC Way
Middle Road
Dean Pond
Park Road
Nuthatch
Whistling Cave
Loop Road
back on the Whitehall Trail

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/print/WhitehallMap.pdf

www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/upton.pdf

I first ran the loop with Josh Katzman on 11/19 in 2:38:02.

connect.garmin.com/activity/130243247

I recently ran the loop again in 2:22:28.

connect.garmin.com/activity/135052670

 

GPS Track

Comments

User Picture
Profile picture for user fkt_forrest_fkt

Going for the male unsupported FKT tomorrow morning, recording on Coros Apex and the AllTrails app. Happy Trails!

This is a tough one! Clocked a 2:40. This was my first time running these trails and I grossly underestimated how hard it would be to follow the route. Definitely worth checking out the route before attempting it. Chalking this up to a practice run, and I'll be back. https://www.strava.com/activities/3568130128

User Picture
Profile picture for user Probably_Emily

Going for the female unsupported FKT tomorrow morning as well. My very first FKT attempt ever. :) I will be recording with my Garmin vivoactive 4 and hoping that with some help from an app I'll be able to stay on the route.Â