Massachusetts trails · Rock Circuit Trail
Rock Circuit Trail
A 3.6-mile network in Massachusetts, with 144 ft of climbing. Reaches Black Rock and other lake/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information).
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 295 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Black Rock (summit)
- Boojum Rock (summit)
- Melrose Rock (summit)
- Fells Reservoir (lake)
- Ziggy's Rock (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Rock Circuit Trail junction. 42.43952, -71.07864 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:38 a.m., the sun rises at 6:07 a.m. and sets at 7:20 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:49 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 13 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.6-mile route takes roughly 1 h 25 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 7:33 a.m. — 11 h 47 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Rock Circuit Trail + Cross Fells Trail + Cross Fells Trail/Woodland Path — 2.1 mi loop, 449 ft gain
- Rock Circuit Trail + Jerry Jingle Road + Unnamed trail — 2.4 mi loop, 310 ft gain
- Cross Fells Trail + ROCK CIRCUIT CONNECTOR + Rock Circuit Trail — 1.9 mi loop, 193 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Mass Central/Wayside Rail Trail — 7.6 mi
- Peabody Bikeway Part 1 — 8.4 mi
- Essex Railroad Rail Trail — 10.9 mi
- Battle Road Trail (multi-purpose recreational path) — 12.6 mi