Rocky Woods

History

Rocky Woods reservation in Medfield once had a rope tow ski area near Chickering Pond. The area had one steep slope that was just a bit too steep for beginners. Also, the area faced southwest, receiving lots of sun, which melted the snow quite often. Today, the area is growing in but is still visible, and totally open to the public at Rocky Woods.

Here's a map of the area sent in by Chris Lundquist, who checked out this area in April, 2002. As you can see, the area is located just off the Tower Trail.

Here's an overhead view of the area today.

Memories

A few NELSAP readers sent in info on this area:

Mark St. Pierre: The ski area you mentioned was operational up till about the late 60's. The biggest problem why it wasn't successful was mainly because of the direction it pointed. It received full sun most of the day. Making for a shortened season, bare spots and ice. Not to mention many injuries, it was way to small as you must remember. At that time in the late 60's and early 70's snowmobiling became very popular for most of the staff that worked there (which was mostly voluntary) so it was easy for the ski program to be dropped. At that time they probably had the best outdoor ice skating program in New England, with two ponds, one for general skating with a large Club house, and a Hockey pond that was across the parking lot.

Rodney Cook: Rocky Woods Reservations off Harding ST. had a small rope tow and two short trails. I do not know when it originally went into operation but I do remember it operating for a couple seasons in the early 1960's.

George Kendrick: In the 1950s, the Rocky Woods Reservation in Medfield, Mass. offered lots of winter sports facilities, including a rope tow single-slope ski run. Us younger kids took the rope tow part way up for tobogganing on a gentle slope, but the older kids went all the way to the top of the hill for skiing. I went there in June 2000 to reminisce (I grew up in the next town and had spent most of my winter weekends and nights skating and sledding there) and found the remains of the tow shack foundation and the rope tow path, and the ski run is still recognizable despite young trees coming in. The slope lies on the hill on the east side of the main pond, north of the older log lodge (now scheduled for demolition). Vertical drop must be 150-200'. The hiking trails are maintained, and at the top of the ridge are the foundation blocks for the old fire tower.

Lynn Frasca: My mother grew up and went to high school in Westwood and fondly remembers a few skiing and sledding parties at Rocky Woods, back in the fifties....she remembered skiers going right out onto the ice after busting past the hay bails put there. Growing up in Medfield, I myself remember many winter days and evenings skating on Chickering Pond to the music and taking skating lessons after school. Skating there at night was always lots of fun, you could see the skimobiles lights on the trails all around the pond. I also remember some toboggan outings on that same ski run, looking up and seeing the rope tow pulleys and towers and wondering what it must have been like to ski there "way back when".

Shirley Farris: My aunt and uncle use to live in the cabin by Chickering pond, he was the warden or whatever it was called. This was back in the late 50's early 60's. We spent a lot of time skating to the music and watching the skiers. Great holidays in the cabin!