# hill repeats in eastern MA



## kar (Feb 24, 2005)

for those who ride in the boston area: any place in particular that you recommend for hill repeats?

yes, this a mildly uninspired post...but i was kinda curious. i only rode a few days last summer and never came across a good place to do repeats. (i'm new to the area).

...plus i was tired of seeing the "moving to Branford" thread at the top...


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*Eastern Avenue, Arlington*



kar said:


> for those who ride in the boston area: any place in particular that you recommend for hill repeats?
> 
> yes, this a mildly uninspired post...but i was kinda curious. i only rode a few days last summer and never came across a good place to do repeats. (i'm new to the area).
> 
> ...plus i was tired of seeing the "moving to Branford" thread at the top...


Like most of southeastern New England, the Boston area can be rolling and a little hilly, but there really aren't many big hills. About the hilliest area in the Boston Metro area is the row of hills and ridges that run through Belmont, Arlington, Winchester and Woburn (the Blue Hills to the south west of Boston are actually bigger, there are few paved roads through them). A popular spot to do hill repeats is at the water tower at the top of Arlington Heights (Topo map of Arlington Heights). You have the choice of climbing up Park Avenue from Mass Ave (about 240 feet in 0.6 miles) or Eastern Avenue from Pleasant Street (about 350 feet in 1.25 miles).

My cycling club, Northeast Bicycle Club, runs a hill ride every Wednesday through the summer starting from the Cycle Loft in Burlington, which has about 1800 feet of climbing in 20 miles, and includes the hills in Winchester and the both routes up Arlington Heights: NEBC ride schedule


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## matteo moller (Dec 13, 2004)

*summit ave*

summit ave in brighton is good, not too long though prob about 1k.


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## mjrooney (Jan 18, 2005)

*Heartbreak hill*

Heartbreak hill (Comm. Ave, R. 30) from the Charles River to BC is a longer fairly contiuous uphill.


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

*Heartbreak for runners, but not a much of a hill for cyclists*



mjrooney said:


> Heartbreak hill (Comm. Ave, R. 30) from the Charles River to BC is a longer fairly contiuous uphill.


"Heartbreak Hill" has a lot of notariety from the Boston Marathon, but it really isn't much of a hill. Comm. Ave. really just gradually rolls up and down for a few miles until the "peak" at Heartbreak Hill, it really isn't a continuous climb. It also probably isn't the best place to do hill repeats, as there are too many intersections and traffic lights.


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## santosjep (Jul 15, 2004)

*Trapello road*

You can try Trapello road that spans the towns of Belmont, Waltham, and Lincoln. Give it a try.

Joe


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## beantownbiker (May 30, 2002)

*prospect hill park*

In Waltham, off of totten pond road (314 totten pond road) there is a park called prospect hill park, it used to be a ski mountain, but shut down a while ago. Anyways, according to some pages i visited it is the second highest 'peak' in the immediate boston area next to the great blue hill at the blue hills. its a fairly short hill, but a few repeats should be enough to get the legs burning, plus its a great view from the top. An added bonus is that if you have lights the gate to the road closes at dusk (so no cars...but i think park closes as well) even at the busiest of times i havent seen many cars there. There is a parking lot at the bottom of the hill (and if that parking lot is locked/full, there is a skating rink across the street with lots of parking. Also, its very close to 95 (take totten pond rd exit, towards waltham, east i think...about a half mile on right is the parking lot. 

http://www.phpag.org/history.html


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## Steve D (Mar 1, 2002)

*Blue Hill in Canton and Prospect Hill in Waltham*



santosjep said:


> You can try Trapello road that spans the towns of Belmont, Waltham, and Lincoln. Give it a try.
> 
> Joe


Head over the Blue Hill in Canton. There is an access road that leads to the weather observatory. It climbs about 950 feet in .9 miles, if I recall correctly.

Also, Prospect Hill Ski area in Waltham (off of Toten Pond Road) has a nice climb.


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## Mark McM (Jun 18, 2005)

Steve D said:


> Head over the Blue Hill in Canton. There is an access road that leads to the weather observatory. It climbs about 950 feet in .9 miles, if I recall correctly.
> 
> Also, Prospect Hill Ski area in Waltham (off of Toten Pond Road) has a nice climb.


Oh yeah, how can I forget Prospect Hill Park. Nice scenery, nearly zero traffic. It's a stepped climb - short, steep sections, connected by short, not so steep sections. A total of about 350 feet of altitude gain in just over a mile.

I think you're mis-remembering the altitude gain of the Great Blue Hill. The length of the access road is about 0.9 miles, but It's peak altitude is only 635 feet. Since the start of the access road is about about 220 feet, it only climbs about 410 feet. Still, it's a respectable 9% average grade.


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## reidcc (Mar 12, 2005)

*Hills???*

Try my road!!! I am a bit further to the west though by about 40 miles in Fitchburg. I am one of the last houses on my street before town line, and am at the highest point in the city, in fact just below elevation of Mt Wachusett.

From the bottom of the hill outside of downtown- to the top where I live- it is roughly 2.5 or 2.6 miles all uphill in 3 to 4 fairly steep sections. It is Ashburnham Hill Rd.

Another alternative- although you will need to wait until May-June- is Mt Wachusett itself in Princeton- off Rt 140. From Rt 140 to the ski are base- it is an uphill climb, and from there to the entrance to the State Reservation is all uphill, then you have the Mountain road to the summit. The road is not the smoothest though.

Chris


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## ornoth (Oct 9, 2005)

It's all good so far.

Definitely second Prospect Hill in Waltham. But not in the winter, because it's covered in ice, snow, leaves, twigs... it's not a maintained (or swept, even) public way. Second best hill in the area, IMO.

Definitely second Great Blue Hill. It's stepped, but it's a good workout, especially if you start down by the base of Brush Hill Road, by the path to the Bridge to Nowhere. Number one hill IMO. I did it yesterday, and it's pretty heavily covered in salt.

Trapelo Road from Belmont to Waltham to Lincoln is great practice for rollers: no one hill that'll hurt, but string a bunch of 'em together...

The water tower in Arlington is good and long, but not too steep, although that depends on which way you go. Park Ave is okay. Starting at the base of Spring Street and up Eastern Ave is nice and long and will give you a workout. You can also go up the Route 2 on/off ramp from Route 60 to Park Ave; it's wide enough to be fine, smooth, uninterrupted riding, and a good sustained climb. If you want a real spiker, though, I suggest School Street to Kenilworth. I think School is probably the steepest run, and it'll slow you down. Just don't break your levers when you run out of gears!

Summit Ave in Brookline is nice and handy, especially in winter, but it's a bit trafficky and not that big. With enough repeats, it'd help, tho.

Steepest hill I've found might be just across from Walden Pond in Lincoln. It looks like a wooded path at first, but it turns into macadam and ascends (I think it's called Pine Hill) to a reservoir. That's another unmaintained path, so it's unusable in winter, and the descent's hairy because the paved surface ends right at the base of the hill. Fun, but look out!

Other lesser hills that don't really count... Bunker Hill, Dorchester Heights in South Boston, the hills in the Arnold Arboretum...

One final suggestion. If you're up for a trip further afield, I really like Pack Monadnock up in southern NH. Nice little ascent, though you have to pay a token entrance fee for the park.

And finally, a pointer: http://www.northeastcycling.com/NE_Climbs_main.html


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## jbrumm (Aug 8, 2004)

*If you have a car...*

...drive yourself towards Sutton, MA. There is a state reservation there that has a nice hill running through it. Good pavement with some steep sections inbetween some more moderate inclines. If that isn't enough for you, wait until they open the road to the top of Wachusetts Mtn. 3 or 4 brisk rides up Wachusett is a pretty good workout.


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