Massachusetts trails · Midstate Trail

Midstate Trail

A 9.3-mile network in Massachusetts, with 743 ft of climbing. Reaches Nutting Hill and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information).

Open in the interactive map →

Length

9.3 mi

Elevation gain

743 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

25%

Steepest mile

+383 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.2 mi

Shape

network

Managed by

MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information)

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 832 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Nutting Hill (summit)
Mount Hunger (summit)
Jeffs Pond (lake)
Fisher Hill (summit)
Mount Watatic (summit)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Midstate Trail access. About 16 min drive (6 mi) from Fitchburg. 42.62653, -71.88315 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:30 a.m., the sun rises at 6:59 a.m. and sets at 6:07 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:35 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 9.3-mile route takes roughly 3 h 48 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:47 a.m. — 7 h 20 min before sunset.

Loop options

Midstate Trail + Unnamed trail + MIDSTATE TRAIL — 3.4 mi loop, 942 ft gain
Midstate Trail + Unnamed trail + MIDSTATE TRAIL — 3.4 mi loop, 942 ft gain
Pine Grove Trail + GRAND TRUNK TRAIL + Midstate Trail — 1.8 mi loop, 158 ft gain