The Billy Goat was recently out to Wachusett Reservation and Ski Area on Wachusett Mountain in Princeton MA, and it brought to mind what we used to have in our own backyard here at Mt.Tom (though the peace, and serenity on the old ski area trails is a much better alternative).
The reservation consists of 17 miles of trails including 3.9 miles of the Midstate Trail that runs from Ashburnham to the Rhode Island border. The mountain's summit is 2006 ft. giving a spectacular view of the Berkshires to the west and the Boston skyline to the east. also a wonderful view of Mt.Monadnock in New Hampshire.
The ski area at Wachusett has twenty trails, 111 acres of terrain, and a 1000 ft. vertical drop that makes for some exciting skiing, they also have six lifts including two high speed quad chair lifts to get you back up the mountain fast.
Here's a link on the unique snow making pond at the base of the mountain:
http://www.wachusett.com/Portals/0/PDFs/kiosk08_snowmaking_tbgd.pdf
If you plan on visiting, here's some directions:
Take Rt 202 North to Rt. 2 East, Rt. 2 to Exit 25 (Rt. 140 south). Follow Rt. 140 south for 2 miles. Turn Right onto Mile Hill Road. Follow Mile Hill Road for 1/2 mile to split in road. Take Left Fork onto Mountain Road. Follow Mountain Road 1 1/4 miles to top of hill. Reservation entrance is on the Right. Visitor center entrance is immediately on the Left after entering Reservation.
