Boston Hills
Category: Abandoned Ski Areas
**March 2009**
Trails: It's still pretty obvious where they were, but there were TONS of vines, pricker bushes, and invasive bamboo shrubs covering the old ski trails, making hiking them difficult. Looked like one single ATV type trail running straight up the main slope that would make things more manageable, but it becomes quite brushy again nearer the summit.
Lifts: The Hall double chair was mostly removed during the 1990s, but several concrete footings for the lift towers remain, along with the concrete pads for the base drive and summit return bullwheel. The top lift operators shack and the wooden shell for the unloading ramp also still stand, deep in the undergrowth. Most of the towers for a ropetow that ran parallel to the chair also still exist on the hill, including the return car rim bullwheel still attached to a post at the top. A strange looking old bent car frame was also discarded in the woods just to the right of the ropetow.
Facilities: The base lodge housed an archery shop for some time after the ski area closed, but this folded as well sometime ago. The lodge and large Boston Hills ski area sign were demolished sometime within the past year, and now nothing remains but a concrete foundation and the wooden base for the sign.
Accessibility: While this area was most definitely posted at one time, the land must have been sold because I didn't see ANY during this visit. This must have happened when the base lodge was torn down. Lots of "No Parking" signs along route 114 next to the ski area, but the parking lot for the ski area was wide open and I don't think the signs applied to it. A hiking/biking trail runs past the summit (and kind of disappears once it hits the ski trails), not sure where that originates. I'm assuming its now public property because of this, though just beware of the many thorns that now occupy the old ski trails.
**Spring 2003:**
Trails: Still very clear and recognizable.
Lifts: Supposedly all removed. Nothing was visible from the road.
Facilities: Boarded up base lodge housed an archery shop at one point, but that looks pretty much abandoned too. The ski area sign still stands on the roadside.
Accessibility: LOTS of posted signs near the ski area base. Hiking trails do supposedly exist in the area though.
