This clue is designed especially for parents and small children who want to go on a "treasure hunt" together, but people of all ages will enjoy this quiet, lovely area. There are many conservation trails crisscrossing brooks in the vicinity, so after you’ve located the letterbox you can do more hiking if you like. These trails are popular on weekends, so please be discreet when removing and re-hiding the letterbox.

The first ten people to find the box may take home a souvenir pig.

NOTE: In July 2005 this box was reported in place but damp.  It needs a new ziplock bag, which I'll replace soon, as well as add more souvenir pigs.  If you search for this box and bring along an extra ziplock bag or paper towels for drying it out, that would be much appreciated!

Directions:  Mill River Recreation Area is located in North Amherst on Route 63, just beyond the North Amherst Library, the North Congregational Church, and the intersection of North Pleasant, Meadow, and Pine streets.

CLUE DIFFICULTY: Easy
TERRAIN: Easy
ESTABLISHED: July 29, 2000 (known to be in good shape and well visited as of August 2003; more souvenir pigs have been placed in the box!)

Start at the place where two
Can have fun swinging in blue.
Then walk, don’t pounce,
To the spot where big springs bounce.
Now go to the board where numbers keep score;
Get ready, there’s a treasure hunt in store!

Stand behind the scoreboard, if you please,
Then walk straight ahead till you’re under the trees.
Now take a moment to look all around
Until the Mill River you’ve found.
Facing the river, turn left—that’s a breeze!
Then stroll along beneath the trees.

Keep the rusty old fence to your right—
And don’t let the mosquitoes bite!
Walk on in this direction until you see
A great big sycamore tree.
Stand under the tree and look around—
Is there another sycamore to be found?
Go to it, and from there you will spy
A cage where the baseballs fly.

From the batting cage, if you really look,
You’ll see a bridge that crosses a brook.
Walk over the bridge and you will see
Two yellow diamonds painted on a tree.
Go left, then proceed to the first trail on the right—
Now the letterbox is almost in sight!

A short walk on this trail 
Leads to a bridge with no rail.
Don’t cross it but stop and look around
On the left, for an old section of bridge on the ground.
Planks of wood, covered by a log--
Step on over, it’s a very quick jog.
Under this leftover piece of bridge, take a peek,
And you’ll discover what you seek.

This search leads you to lovely views of the Connecticut River Valley.  When you get to the summit you can wave south across the valley towards the four boxes placed by the Drew Clan and Betsey Sennott on the Holyoke Range! 

TERRAIN:  Easy/moderate, with some climbs and muddy trails.  Blazes on trails are infrequent and often faded.
CLUE DIFFICULTY:  Easy/moderate
ESTABLISHED: October 11, 1999 (reported to be in place as of summer 2002)

DIRECTIONS:  From Route 116 just west of the Sunderland bridge, turn onto River Road in Deerfield and drive 1.5 miles to Hillside Road.  Turn left onto Hillside and drive .3 miles to a gate and small parking area on the left.

NOTE: Don't mistake North Mount Sugarloaf with South Mount Sugarloaf, which is far more heavily trafficked (it's the one closer to Route 116, with the observation tower at its summit).  Follow the driving directions above and you will be fine.

Walk through the gate and follow the trail, which climbs gradually uphill into the woods.  This trail is marked with only a few red blazes.  Stay on it until you come to a brook where there are quite a few downed hemlocks.  Stop for a moment and note some landmarks, as you will come back to this spot on your way out of the woods.  Look for a trail on your left marked by a hemlock bearing a yellow blaze and a triangular blue trail marker.  Bear left, crossing the brook, and enter this trail, which is marked with yellow blazes.  Now hike uphill, staying on the yellow-blazed trail as it meanders through the woods.  Keep going until you reach an intersection with a blue-blazed trail, which will be on your left.

Bear left onto the blue-blazed trail,  This is a wide, well-used section of trail that runs gently uphill.  It will take you to the summit of North Sugarloaf.  You’ll come to an old tree stump and a small clearing.  There’s a footpath on the right that leads, in just a few steps, to a large boulder and the overlook.  Facing southwest, take in the views of the beautiful Connecticut River Valley.  Now, look to your left for a narrow footpath.  Follow it a very short distance to two more boulders. You’ll find the North Mount Sugarloaf letterbox underneath the lower of these two boulders.  If there are other, non-letterboxing hikers nearby, please be discreet when removing and replacing the letterbox.

NOTE: Be aware that the trails cross-cross and are often poorly marked. As a result, you may end up taking a somewhat different route to the overlook, in which case the clearing, tree stump, and footpath will be on your left.  But once you are at the overlook, the letterbox is quite easy to find. 

To return to your car:  Return to the blue-blazed trail and retrace your steps to the junction with the yellow trail.  Stay on the blue trail.  Just after you cross a stony brook you’ll come to a junction with the red-blazed trail.  Turn right onto the red trail and follow it downhill.  Portions of this trail are quite muddy.  You will end up back at the brook surrounded by lots of downed hemlocks and the junction with the yellow-blazed trail.  Keep going on the red trail back to your car.

North Quabbin Reservoir Letterboxes
Pelham, Massachusetts

The Quabbin Reservoir was created in 1939 in the evacuated Swift River Valley, in order to provide a supply of water for the city of Boston. The construction of the Quabbin required the building of two dams and the destruction of the towns of Prescott, Dana, Enfield, and Greenwich. By 1946, the reservoir was filled, creating one of the largest bodies of untreated drinking water in the world.  The reservation also serves as a wildlife sanctuary and offers numerous hiking trails on the nearly 40,000 acres that are open to the public. 

DIRECTIONS: Take Route 202 to the intersection in Pelham where 202 meets Main Street (which comes from the west, from downtown Amherst, and ends at  202).  There's a flashing yellow light at this intersection.  Cross 202 onto a gravel road that leads to a small parking area at Quabbin Gate #11. Park here. 

Note: This circular hike takes about 2 hours. During deer hunting season (November/December) this gate may be closed to the public. 

Moon and Stars Letterbox

CLUE DIFFICULTY:  Easy 
TERRAIN:  Easy 
ESTABLISHED:  August 4, 1999 (and in good shape as of August 2002)

UPDATE as of January 2006:  I've received word that this stamp is broken. I will be removing this box soon. So far as I know, the Salamander Box (see below) is still fine.

Walk back to 202, turn right, and walk about a half mile to Quabbin Gate #12, which is on your right.  Please use caution when walking along the highway.  Walk around Gate #12 and enter the woods on a gravel road.  After about a half mile, you'll cross a stream and then the road forks. Go right. Walk on this path for 20 to 25 minutes; the Purgee Brook will be on your right, sometimes near and sometimes far.  As you walk through a shady hemlock woods, the brook gets much closer to the trail. Soon you'll pass a small grassy clearing on the left.  Another 5 minutes of hiking brings you to "Quabbinhenge," a collection of rectangular stones, some upended, on your right. Continue onward for about 8 paces.  To your left you'll see a break in an old stone wall.  Peek around on the east side of that wall to locate the Quabbin Reservoir Moon and Stars Letterbox. 

                         Stamp Image for Moon and Stars Letterbox

CLUE DIFFICULTY:  Easy/Moderate 
TERRAIN:  Moderate 
ESTABLISHED:  August 4, 1999 (in good shape as of August, 2002)

Now, forward march to your next letterbox.  Keep hiking (downhill) on this trail.  For a brief stretch it is paved, then it bends to the right and after that it crosses Purgee Brook.  Soon, on your left, you'll be able to see the reservoir through the trees.  Then you'll come to a large stand of tall pines on your right, at which point the trail curves to the right, away from the reservoir.  (NOTE: In June, 2001, letterboxer Christopher Martin wrote that there's been some logging in this area and much of the stand of pines has become a "former" stand! Please scroll down to see a photo he took of an actual salamander hanging out near the Salamander Letterbox.) Stop here, and look around on your left for a large birch tree* that leans in the direction of the trail.  Walk off the path and go to that tree.  Stand behind it, facing the water, and walk 20-25 paces to an old fallen birch log. You will pass over the scattered remains of a stone wall.  Rest for a moment on this fallen birch and listen to the water gently lapping in the cove.  Your prize lies buried beneath your throne, hidden by two stones.**

*If you have trouble locating this tree, here are some hints:  1) It's about 8 paces off the trail.  3) It's about 40 paces BEFORE the point up ahead where the trail turns sharply (45 degrees) to the right.

**Please rehide the box well. When I checked on the box in August 2002, it was sitting alongside the trunk, in plain view atop one of the stones.  Please slip it back under the tree trunk and cover it with the two stones.  Thanks!

From this spot you can walk under the hemlocks closer to the water, but be aware that the way is steep and slippery in spots.  If you decide to climb all the way down to the water's edge, you'll find that a hiking pole or walking stick will come in handy when climbing back up. 

To finish the hike, go back to the trail and follow it as it swings to the right away from the water. It makes a U-turn and leads you uphill, back to your car, which you parked at Gate #11.  You'll pass a couple of spots where the trail branches off to the left, but ignore those and keep going straight ahead. The hike from the Salamander Letterbox to Gate #11 takes 30-40 minutes.

P.S.  If you're hungry or thirsty after your hike, drive 10 minutes west on Main Street through Pelham into downtown Amherst, where there are plenty of inexpensive cafes and restaurants with menus to satisfy both vegetarians and meat eaters. 

Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen hazards. Letterboxing North America supports a policy of not knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to the letterbox hunter.  However, as conditions may  vary, it is the responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly with respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her personal abilities and limitations.  "Letterboxing North America" and the individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for events which may occur related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a letterbox. 

Do not let children hunt for letterboxes unsupervised. 

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