• Crystal Spring Preserve
• School Street, Plainville, MA
• Trailhead: 42°01’00.20″N 71°19’31.70″W
• Last Time Hiked: December 15, 2023
• Approximate distance hiked: 1.2 miles
• Easy.

Newly opened to the public, Crystal Spring Preserve provides a fairly easy hike through the woods less than a half mile from the bustling Route 1. There is a small parking area along the side of School Street opposite house 91 big enough for 2 cars. The access trail to the loop is short with a small patch of wetlands on left. A few hundred feet in you will come to the split at the loop. For this hike I decided to go right where I immediately started to come across some pines mixed in with the prominent deciduous trees. The trail soon comes to an open field with sporadic pines. Follow the treeline to the right for a bit and start looking for the red blaze on a tree at the far end of the field.  Back into woods you will cross stone wall, then the trail climbs slightly uphill. You will pass unmarked connector trails on the left before coming to Grandfather Rock. The trail then loops back around, coming again to a connector trail, stay right here and follow red blazes. After a cairn trail turns sharp left and uphill. At next intersection turn left. Trail to right leads to town property and the Eagle Scout Nature Trails. Following the red blazes the trail winds gently to a meditation circle. The unique stone formation is quite interesting. Continuing ahead, keep an eye out for your turn on the right to continue following red blazes. The trail straight ahead is the first connector trail you passed earlier. The trail again winds gently for a bit coming to a stone wall. The trail turns left here and follows the stone wall. Near the end of wall is small mound of stone. Start looking for the intersection for the access trail you came in on, turn right and follow red blazes back to street.

Trail map: Crystal Spring Preserve

Field With Pines