The view from Tully Mountain on the Tully Trail.
With the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in the west and the sandy beaches of Cape Cod in the east, outdoor opportunities in central Massachusetts are sometimes overlooked. That’s a mistake. The hills of central Mass offer up some great outdoor adventures, and one of the best is the Tully Trail, a 22-mile loop in Royalston.
The trail encircles the largely undeveloped Tully Valley in the North Quabbin Region. And from the summit of Tully Mountain to the cascading waters of Doane’s Falls, the trail connects some of the region’s most scenic properties and views.
Hiker Dave Tozer captured his two-day adventure hiking the Tully Trail in this video.
Except where noted, camping is prohibited along the trail. But there is a trail shelter at Falls Brook. The shelter is on the western bank of Falls Brook at the eastern junction of the Tully Trail and Metacomet-Monadnock Trail. The shelter is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but users should be prepared to share the shelter with others. Cooking stoves are permitted, but open fires and alcohol aren’t. Walk-in tent sites are available at the nearby Tully Lake Campground, which also has canoe and kayak rentals as well as disc golf.
Along the eastern portion of the trail is mostly a narrow wilderness footpath with a number of scenic waterfalls and ridgeline views. Along Jacobs Hill, the trail follows the ridgeline, providing hikers with amazing views of Tully Mountain, Mount Grace and the Berkshires. At the northeastern end of the trail, hikers pass through dense forest as they come upon Royalston Falls, where Falls Brook drops 45 feet into a granite basin.
Jacobs Hill along the Tully Trail.
At the northern tip, the trail connects with the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, which runs from Connecticut to New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock. The Tully Trail also passes through the Royalston and Warwick State Forests, connecting to more than 7,000 acres of protected forest land.
The trail then heads south, passing through two wildlife management areas before rising 1,160 feet to the summit of Tully Mountain with its gorgeous views of the North Quabbin area.
Read more about the 22-mile Tully Trail in Royalston, Massachusetts.
Read one hiker’s account of hiking the Tully Trail.
