Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Massachusetts / North Quabbin Region

Tully Trail Loop with Royalston Falls Shelter

Tully Lake, Royalston Falls Reservation, and Royalston and Warwick State Forests, North Quabbin Region (Royalston, Orange, Warwick)

The Tully Trail circles the largely undeveloped Tully Valley in north-central Massachusetts, near the New Hampshire line. The Trustees describe a 22-mile loop past three waterfalls, along the Jacobs Hill ridge, and over Tully Mountain, through land owned by the Trustees, Harvard Forest, the state, MassWildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers, and private owners.

The only place to camp on the trail itself is a lean-to above Royalston Falls, which splits the loop into a short first day and a long second one.

The hike

Paria’s 2023 itinerary starts at the Tully Lake Recreation Area, and the Trustees provide trailhead parking at the Tully Lake Campground. Paria’s route heads out on the yellow blazes past Doane’s Falls, where, per the Trustees, Lawrence Brook drops over three falls before reaching Tully Lake. Spirit Falls, part of Harvard Forest, is down a short, steep side trail.

The trail then follows Jacobs Hill, which the Trustees describe as a ridgeline with views of Tully Mountain, Mount Grace, and the Berkshire Hills. Paria’s route reaches the Falls Brook Shelter, at Royalston Falls, about 7 miles from the trailhead. The Trustees say Falls Brook drops about 45 feet into a granite basin there. The shelter is on the west bank of Falls Brook, where the Tully Trail meets the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, which is part of the New England Trail.

Day two in Paria’s itinerary is the long one, about 14 miles. It passes an old cemetery and Bliss Hill, which the Trustees describe as an outlook toward Mount Grace on Royalston and Warwick State Forest land. Northeast Explorer says the trail passes two wildlife management areas heading south. Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust mentions Clubhouse Pond and North Orange along the loop. The last big climb is Tully Mountain, about 1,160 feet, with views over the North Quabbin. The loop finishes along Tully Lake.

Navigation is the main challenge. The Trustees say blazes are “somewhat regularly” placed, in yellow with blue-purple markers, and that the trail has been maintained only sporadically by volunteers since at least 2017. Paria found the blazes sparse on the Tully Mountain section and the lakeside trail boggy, with small inlet bridges hard to cross dry after rain. The Trustees warn that the trail crosses private land and follows roads in places, and that hunters use the area in season.

Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust credits volunteers from the North Quabbin Trails Association with maintaining the trail.

Tips

Camping

The Trustees say camping is prohibited along the Tully Trail except at the Royalston Falls shelter and the Tully Lake Campground. The shelter is first come, first served, with no reservations. Stoves are allowed, but open fires and alcohol are prohibited; carry out what you carry in. The New England Trail lists four bunks in a four-walled lean-to with no front door. For information, the Trustees list 978-248-9455.

Tully Lake Campground has walk-in tent sites about 5 to 10 minutes from the parking lot, booked online. The Trustees list 2026 dates of May 1 to Oct. 13, with weekend-only periods at each end and a two-night minimum on weekends.

Inside Intel: Paria’s 2023 write-up says the Falls Brook Shelter is the trail’s only overnight option and that “plenty of water sources” along the way, including a creek near the shelter, make cooking water easy. New England Waterfalls rates the shelter 8 of 10 for scenery and expects moderate to high crowds, so plan to arrive early or have a campground backup.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Bunks at the Falls Brook lean-to:

The Royalston Falls shelter is a four-bunk lean-to and the trail's only overnight spot. If shelter bunks leave you stiff, these side-sleeper tips cover pads and pillows.

Get the side-sleeper tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.