Milage: Varies depending on trail.
Difficulty: Easy
Cathedral of the Pines located at 10 Hale Hill Road in Rindge is known for it’s open air cathedral and beautiful views of Mt. Monadnock. What many do not realize is there are several trails around the grounds. I have had the opportunity to explore a few of them and they are worth checking out if you are in the area. If you are planning on hiking I highly recommended looking at the trail map. From the parking lot there are two options to start on the trails. You can walk to the right of the cathedral and start on the trail to Grassy Pond. Or you can go to the left and go towards Produnk Trail or connect to another part of the Grassy Pond Trail.
The Podunk Trail starts to the left of the parking lot and continues going left until you cross the road and go into the woods following the blue trail blazers. This trail goes through the woods and along Emerson Pond. In the winter/spring months this trail can be muddy and wet.
Grassy Pond
The trail is pretty easy to follow and there are options to connect with other trails for a longer hike. When I did this hike it was about two miles.
Emerson Pond
When I walked the Grassy Pond Trail, I got a little off the trail. I started out to the right of the cathedral and followed the blue diamond trail markers through the woods. There was a couple slips in the trail and I thought I was following the map. The trail we were out came out to an old tote road. We took a left and followed it for about a quarter of a mile. We could see blue trail makers in the woods to our left so we climbed over the rock wall to walk the trail. From here the trail was easy to follow.
From here the trail is easy to follow. You walk along Grassy Pond. There is a spot with a two picnic tables is you wanted to pack a lunch to enjoy on the trail.
After the picnic tables to you continue to walk along the shore and then up into the woods. If you have children that like dinosaurs make sure you check out out the dinosaur egg rock. There are signs directing you towards it.
From here we walked back up to the cathedral. There is a little incline when heading back to the trailhead. This trail was a little over a mile and half.
While your here make sure you check out the specular view of Mt. Monadnock.
These are great trails for all ages and abilities. There are some fun things for the kids to explore and pretty pond views and nature trails for those who love being outside.
