The Tully Trail
The Tully Trail is a 22 mile loop in north-central Massachusetts maintained by The Trustees of Reservations. The trail is a unique opportunity for a multi-day loop hike in southern New England that explores lake shoreline, waterfalls, ridgelines, scenic vistas, and the summit of Tully Mountain.
Navigation on the Tully Trail
The Tully Trail is well marked with yellow rectangular blazes. Occasionally the blazes are accompanied by plastic blue and purple Tully Trail markers.
A free printable map of the Tully Trail provided by The Trustees of Reservations can be found by clicking here. We used this map in conjunction with a U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers map available at the trailhead. Both maps include topographic markings and show other trails in the area.
Nearby Hike: Visit the Mount Grace Fire Tower and Richardson-Zlogar Cabin on the New England Trail
Camping and Backpacking on the Tully Trail
Falls Brook shelter is located at the northern end of the Tully Trail where it meets the New England or Metacomet-Monadnock Trail. The shelter is a great place to camp if you are taking two days to complete your Tully Trail hike.
Tully Lake Campground, at the southern end of the loop, is a drive-in campground with beautiful walk-in sites. This would be a good option for hikers wanting the camp the night before starting their hike.
Our Hike on the Tully Trail
We hiked the Tully Trail counterclockwise over two days, staying at Falls Brook Shelter. Despite hiking on Memorial Day weekend, we encountered few other hikers. We ran into a few day hikers at both Royalston and Spirit Falls and shared the shelter area with one other small group but had the summit of Tully Mountain completely to ourselves.
Day 1
The Tully trail has many access points and road crossings but hikers completing the entire loop frequently start somewhere near Tully Lake. We checked in with park rangers at Tully Lake Campground and got a (free) parking pass and then drove over to Tully Lake Recreation area to start our hike. There is some hiker parking available at the campground but starting at the lake helps to divide the milage more evenly between two days.
From the Tully Lake Recreation area, we set off counterclockwise on the yellow-blazed Tully Trail. Here, the trail is also part of Tully Lake Loop Trail which circles the lake. The trail winds around the lake and after about a mile and a half, enters Tully Lake Campground. Even though we had barely begun our hike, we stopped for a quick snack and to use the restrooms at the campground.
The Tully Trail goes out the campground entrance and crosses to street to join a mountain bike trail. Hikers interested in making a short side trip can look for signs for Doane’s Falls at this road crossing.
Leaving the bike trail near long pond, the Tully Trail begins to climb alongside Spirit Falls. This felt like the steepest climb of the hike and footing was poor with the trail showing signs of erosion. Watch the blazing as you climb. Before the top of Spirit Falls, the Tully Trail takes an easily missed 90 degree left hand turn towards Jacobs Hill.
Jacobs Hill offers the first sweeping views of the Tully Trail, looking out over Long Pond towards Tully Mountain. The area is shaded and there is a nice rock to sit on if you choose to stop for a break.
After descending from Jacobs Hill, the trail follows power lines for about a half mile. Fortunately, this is not actual power line walking. The trail follows alongside the lines but is in the shade of the trees. Snaky Vista, in this area, has a nice view of the winding Tully River.
From here, the Tully Trail continues northwest though a low flood control area towards Royalston State Forest and Royalston Falls. Royalston Falls is a popular day hike and the falls are just .3 miles from the trailhead on Falls Road so hikers should expect company on nice days. Just after the falls, the trail crosses Falls Brook and comes to Falls Brook Shelter, our stopping point for the evening.
Day 2
Our second day on the Tully Trail included a bit more road walking than we would like but also one of the trail’s highlights, the summit of Tully Mountain. Leaving the shelter, the Tully Trail shares about a mile with the New England Trail, passing a small cemetery and parking area on route 32. Watch the blazing carefully at road crossings and where the Tully Trail separates from the NET and begins heading south through Warwick State Forest.
I would recommend hikers fill their water at Fish Brook as we encountered no other flowing sources before the longest, hottest road walk of the hike. The trail runs alongside the brook for about a half mile but the best access points are early on.
The approximately two mile road walk starts on Butterworth Road before turning south onto busy, unshaded Tully Warwick Road. Eventually, the trail turns left onto a chained-off gravel road and heads into an active logging area. The trail is unblazed along the logging road until it reenters the trees and begins to climb Tully Mountain.
The true summit of Tully Mountain is wooded but just below the peak is a rock overlook with gorgeous views of the surrounding communities and into New Hampshire. Mount Monadnock can be seen to the north.
The trail descending Tully Mountain to the south is initially steep and rocky with potential to be very slick in wet conditions. Soon, however, it returns to dirt path before joining Mountain Road, a quiet, shady dirt road. This final road walk is much more pleasant than the previous. From here, the trail turns onto Royalston Road, which passes Tully Pond and offers views of Tully Mountain, before meeting Route 32 back at the lake.
Have you hiked the Tully Trail? We would love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
I’m trying to track down how many miles the Shelter is from the Tully Lake (campground) trail head. Planning a group overnight and need to verify.
Any info you could provide would be awesome.
Hi Tom, thanks for stopping by. From the campground to the shelter (headed counterclockwise on the loop) is about 7 miles based on my maps. Starting from the recreation area near the dam adds about 1.5-2 miles. Hopes this helps and good luck with your hike!
Looking for some input on completing this trail sometime between now and the black fly season. Specifically the flood control area, if it would be impassable in the late winter/early spring. Also is there a water source anywhere near the shelter? Thanks.
Hi Kristen, I don’t have personal experience on the Tully Trail during the wet season but the Army Corps of Engineers makes it very clear that their property is prone to flooding at any time. It would probably be worth while to call ahead to the USACE office (978-249-9150) or Tully Lake Campground (978-249-4957) and ask about trail conditions. I found campground staff to be helpful and knowledgeable during my hike. Water at the shelter is plentiful. Hope you have a great hike!
Thank you so much for the info!
Hi there, thanks for the great info on this trail! Do you know if there is an area for tents at the shelter? Thanks!
Hi Jeff,
There is no designated tenting near the shelter and flat spaces are very limited but it’s definitely possible, especially with a smaller tent. We prefer to tent but, with a relatively large two person tent, opted to sleep in the shelter due to limited space. Hope this helps!
Is there a privy at The Falls Brook Shelter?
I have not stayed at Falls Brook in a couple of years. I do not remember there being a privy at that time, however.