The Old 128

“Most intriguing” trail is how one FBH member categorizes The Old 128. This is the trail from Houghton’s Pond picnic areas that goes along the old highway route. She writes: “it’s fascinating to see the old road and we’ve always wondered about it – what all the old markings mean and how quickly it went back to nature…”

This is also a great trail to take with a stroller.

Park at Houghton’s Pond main parking lot, 840 Hillside St, Milton. Walk past the playground and turn left on the Yellow Dot trail, with the pond to your right. Follow the Yellow Dot trail around until you get to the picnic tables on your left. Walk to the right of the picnic sites and look for the trail that leads into the woods. You’ll take a narrow trail for less than 1/8 of a mile and then you’ll see the paved old Route 128.

You’ll see markings on the pavement for a school and railroad. Don’t be fooled. There was neither school nor railroad in this part of the park. The markings are simply the result of the DCR print shop practicing.

Follow the paved road and then turn around whenever you want.

If you’d like to have a longer hike (and don’t have a stroller), you can make it into a loop by following the paved road to marker 2123 and taking a left. Bear left on Beech Hollow Path. Beech Hollow ends when it hits Bugbee path. Take a left on Bugbee and follow Bugbee until you hit the paved road. You can follow the paved road to the right and you’ll end up at Houghton’s Pond again. Remember to bring your map so you can check the numbers on the map with the numbers on the tree.