Mt. Wachusett via Westside Trail

Where: Mt. Wachusett
When: March 11, 2026
With: Solo

Another "I need to get on a trail" hike. I'd missed an opportunity to go north to NH yesterday, so a short ride & hike at Wachusett was in order. I've been eyeing this hike for a week or so, and had the Westside trailhead parking already set up in my phone's navigation. I tossed my snowshoes into the car and off I went.

The parking area was muddy, but plowed, and a truck was already there. I eyed the trail, trying to decide if it was worthwhile bringing the snowshoes. Then I noticed someone coming down the trail (the truck's owner). I asked him and he said there were some sections of deeper snow up above, so I kept the snowshoes lashed to my pack and started the climb.

The trail was dirt and ice to start, and the Hillsound spikes I was wearing were helpful. There was a short, steep, rocky climb right away, followed by a more level section with a good amount of snow. It had the remnants of a snowshoe monorail, but it was pretty chewed up by barebooters. I decided to switch to my snowshoes, mostly just to be able to ride on top of the postholes.

That wound up being a good decision. There were some sections of bare rock and open water where the snowshoes weren't needed, but the trail was mostly all snow all the way to the summit. I even got to use the televators in one climbing stretch near the top.

Just before that stretch, at the intersection with the Old Indian trail, I met a group of maybe a half dozen folks. Men & women. They seemed to be an organized group, with a guide. They were coming down from the top, and continuing down the Westside trail I'd just climbed. They really didn't acknowledge me at all as I walked through them and continued on.

The snowshoes came off when I reached the bare summit area. I walked around a bit, checking out the views, then climbed the viewing platform. The visibility wasn't perfect (no view of Boston), but Monadnock was easy to see, along with several other peaks. A couple of guys were just leaving as I arrived. They said it was their first time on Wachusett.

From the summit, I headed down the Harrington trail, stopping to put my snowshoes back on just off the summit area. The snow lasted just a short while though, and the trail turned to bare rock, descending steeply. The snowshoes went back on the pack. I made a short side trip to Josti's viewpoint before continuing the rest of the way down the steep part of Harrington.

The snow filled in again when I got to the bottom, and the snowshoes went back on just before the intersection with the Semuhenna trail. They made sense for a while, then the snow disappeared and the trail turned to dirt, and rock, and mud, and water. Just when I was thinking I should take the snowshoes off again, the snow returned.

Back on the Westside trail again, the snow continued and the snowshoes stayed on until the point when I'd put them on at the beginning of the hike. I probably could/should have switched back to my Hillsounds again, but it seemed like too much trouble for what would be a short distance to the end. I made it down the final steep, rocky section without incident and headed for home.

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