My wife and I visited Royalston Falls, a Trustees Reservation in Royalston, MA, to hike the Tulley Trail. We did the same hike in 2017, but it was early Spring. The falls were partially frozen when we arrived. It was still a beautiful scene, but I wanted to revisit it during a warmer month.
We parked in the dirt lot off Route 32 and made the trek down to the falls. Royalston Falls is located in a granite gorge lined with lush banks of ferns and mosses. Depending on where you are on the trail, the trees are a mix of hardwoods and conifers. I enjoyed seeing the gorge just before the leaves fell.
The entire hike was around four and a half hours with a lunch break. We set off from the Trustees Reservation parking lot off Route 32 and headed south on the Tully Trail. It's mostly downhill because you descend into the gorge. As you get closer to the falls the trail becomes rugged, with many roots and small rocks to clear.
After passing Royalston Falls, the train meanders around large blocks of granite and continues to follow Falls Brook south. As the grade levels out, we crossed Falls Brook on a log bridge. At this point, we exited the Royalston Trustees Reservation and entered Royalston State Forest.
The trail was much easier once we entered Royalston State Forest. It's mostly flat as it passes by bogs and small clearings filled with ferns. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes made us pick up the pace for this part of the hike. I wanted to stop and enjoy the light falling on the ferns, but the bugs made it difficult to stand still.
Once we reached Route 68, the train merges with the road. You can continue further down the Tully Trail until it goes back into the forest from here. We ended up eating lunch on the side of the road to avoid the bugs. That part of 68 was very quiet on a Saturday afternoon, so we didn't have too many cars pass us while we ate.
The return hike back to the Trustees Reservation parking lot was a little challenging because it is mostly uphill once you get back to Falls Brook and the gorge. I think we made up for some of the time spent eating lunch by hoofing it through Royalston State Forest to avoid the bugs. By the time we got back to the gorge, a cool breeze hit us every soft often. As we climbed higher, the amount of bugs decreased too.
Overall it was a good but challenging hike. I loved seeing the gorge, the ferns, and the falls. I would like to venture back to the falls and spend more time exploring the gorge.