There are four hiking trails within Minute Man National Historical Park. The most popular is the Battle Road Trail, a 4.9-mile out-and-back trail that runs the length of the Battle Road Unit of the park. The trail is a wide, gravel path for much of the way, and it is open to both hikers and bikers. Battle Road—originally called Bay Road or Concord Road among other names—is the road British soldiers took from Boston to Concord on April 19, 1775. Forty percent of the Battle Road Trail follows the original road.
The Minute Man Trail runs from Bloody Angle to the Captain William Smith House, a distance of .7 mile. It can also be accessed from the back of the Hartwell Tavern. However, all trailheads are severely overgrown, and if you don’t know the trail is there, you will never find it—no signs identify it. Ironically, once you bushwhack your way past the initial mess, the trail is fairly clear and easy to follow. It is marked with yellow blazes on the trees.
The Vernal Pond Trail is also located at Hartwell Tavern. This .75-mile loop hike may have once led to a beautiful pond, but the area is now so overgrown with forest that the hike is not worth the effort.
The .8-mile Fiske Hill Loop Trail is located at the very eastern edge of the park. It is much better than the Minute Man and Vernal Pond trails, but you are still better off spending your time on the Battle Road Trail.
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Last updated on September 4, 2023