Pratt Mountain - Wapack Trail

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  3.0 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,817 ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 686 ft.

Total Time: 3.0 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

The drive up Binney Hill Pond Rd. is very rocky, enough so that we needed to switch to the Volvo SUV to clear the large rocks and mud pools in the road.  We went to within 0.25 miles of the trailhead and found parking in a cleared field where the Wapack Trail intersects the road from the south.  After gearing up, we followed the yellow triangular blazed down the road until the double blaze marked a departure of the Wapack trail from the road to the north.

The weather was perfect and the forest was quiet except for a number of woodpeckers working on the trees.  We saw one, a large hairy woodpecker doing his work as well as a number of chickadee pairs.  The large road puddles were filled with frog egg clutches and we could make out some of the tadpoles writhing within....spring is here!  After leaving the road, the trail heads downhill about 0.2 miles to Binney pond.  There was a stream at the bottom of the hill and an old beaver dam but crossing the stream was an easy rock to rock crossing.  The pond itself showed signs that it was once a farm field with stone walls that disappear under the water from the shore.

Along the edge of the pond, there were a number of bod bridges, all in good repair, which made moving over the wetland very easy as the trail turned north to parallel the pond.

The trail is not very rocky at this point and it moves through deciduous forest up and down some small hills.  After about a mile from the trailhead, the path jogs to the left, away from Binney pond, and begins it's climb uphill.  There are a number of large boulders here, presumably coming from the top of the mouton ridge.  Abby took some time to climb a few.

After about a mile from the car, we came across a spring which feeds into Binney pond.  It was well marked and flowing strongly, a good source of water of we had a filter with us.  Just beyond the spring, there is a patch of very muddy trail, but strewn with enough stones that it can be crossed easily.  It might be more difficult after a rainy period.  From here the trail ascends pretty steeply.  There are enough rocks on the trail to give a good footing.  About halfway up the mountain, the trail jogs to the left near a fallen tree.  The climb is pretty relentless until the ledges are finally reached.  The summit here is marked by a cairn.

There are signs that point to the ledge overlook which was very pretty indeed.  There are some nice rocks to sit on and the view looks down directly on to Binney Pond.

We took off our packs and posed for water and a snack after taking a number of photos on the ledges themselves.  You could see Mount Watatic and Emmerson Hill almost directly behind the ponds.  To the southwest, we clearly saw Mount Wachusset, the ski area still white from the late season snow making.

We actually spent quite a bit of time at the overlook, looking at the wild life.  A flock of geese flew over the pond but changed directions abruptly, just as a turkey vulture flew overhead.  He was soon joined by a number of red-tailed hawks that were soaring on the thermals just below us.  Down at the pond, a blue heron could be seen flying in and out of it's nest.  Eventually, we geared back up and headed back down the trail.  We paused again on the pond bridges to get a close up of the great blue heron as it flew overhead.

By this time the sun had warmed things up and it was close to 65 F when we finally got back to the car.