11 Awesome Outdoor Adventures at Tully Lake

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Tully Lake Introduction

Tully Lake in Royalston, Massachusetts is a recreation area with awesome adventures for every kind of outdoor enthusiast. Name your outdoor adventure and Tully Lake has it.  Hiking, paddling, swimming, fishing, and camping are popular past times on the lake. But add outdoor activities such as waterfall watching, mountain biking, disc golf, birdwatching, geocaching, and winter adventures to the list as well.

The US Army Corps of Engineers built the Tully Dam in 1949.  The dam was built in response to heavy flooding from the 1938 hurricane that devastated New England. Fortunately, Tully Lake and its adjacent recreational lands resulted from this damming of the Tully River.

Found Native American artifacts confirm that the area around Tully River was an important source of food for Native people who have lived there over the last 7000 years.  White settlers displaced these communities in the westward expansion to Central Massachusetts. I like to remember that this area is the ancestral home of the Nipmuc people.

How to Get to Tully Lake

Tully Lake is off Route 32 north of Athol. You will see the dam and then a beautiful vista of the lake will unfold. The boat ramp and picnic areas are on this side of the lake.  For the campground, canoe launch and hiking trails, continue along Route 32. Then turn right on Doane Hill Road to find the areas on the backside of the lake and the Tully River for explorations.

Outdoor Adventures of Tully Lake

Paddling on Tully Lake

Tully Lake is a paddler’s dream. Put in at the boat launch on Rt. 32 and putter through the island paradise. There is plenty of parking with spots for boat trailers. You can escape from other boaters pretty easily amid the many islands and hidden coves. Motorboats are limited to a 10 mph motor so you’ll see many more paddlers in recreational kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. There are even people floating around in inner tubes.

The islands are also a great place to have a picnic or sit in the shade of a big pine tree and enjoy the view. In the late summer, you can collect blueberries by the handfuls. Boaters have done a great job with carry in-carry out visits so I have rarely seen trash on the islands.

For a whole different boating experience, put-in your canoe or kayak at the boat launch off Doane Hill Road. Paddle to the right to explore the Tully River and Long Pond. The waterway winds up past beaver lodges, water lilies, wildlife, and gorgeous pine-shaded stopping places.  In the fall, the foliage along this route is stunning.  When the water is higher in the spring, you can sneak up the narrow river section north of Long Pond if you don’t mind pulling over a few beaver dams.

Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the campground.

Swimming in Tully Lake

Land on one of the tiny islands in the center of the 200-acre lake and swim.  The water is a rich dark brown color. But, it’s not dirty. The color is due to tannins from the pine trees covering the watershed that are leached out into the water. In fact, the water is perfectly clean and wonderful to dip in.  It’s super fun to swim from one island to another one nearby.

While there is no official swim beach with lifeguards, you are allowed to swim anywhere on the lake except the waterfalls area.

Hiking at Tully Lake

The hiking at Tully Lake is amazing! The Tully Trail is a 22-mile loop traversing diverse ecosystems in the Tully Valley wilderness. The trail passes 3 stunning waterfalls as it winds along the Tully River and Long Pond. On the east side of the lake, the trail ascends Jacobs Hill for splendid views as far as the Berkshires. On the west side of Tully Lake is the Tully Mountain Loop Trail with amazing views as well.

Parking is available at the campground where there are bathrooms. Trailhead parking is also available around the Tully Trail loop.

4 recommended hikes

1. The Tully Mountain Loop Trail is a 1.6-mile loop off the Tully Trail that climbs 1163 foot Tully Mountain. The hike gets your heart started right away on a steep section but the views from the top make it all worthwhile.
2. The 5 mile Tully Lake Loop Trail is a great hike to get a land-based experience of the lake’s beauty. There is an interpretive trail on this hike for more information about the area. Doane’s Falls is a stunning lunch spot along the way.
3. The Tully Trail is a 23-mile loop featuring diverse ecosystems of the Tully Valley. The trail is marked both in yellow and blue blazes. It is fairly flat until you get to Tully Mountain. There is some walking on roads involved. My favorite part of the loop is the east side from Tully Lake to Royalston Falls. With a car shuttle, you end up hiking less than half the loop but get to see all three waterfalls along the way. Therefore, if you want a more leisurely day hike on the Tully Trail, drop a car at the Trustees of Reservations Royalston Falls parking lot for a one-way hike on this portion of the trail.
4. A Tully Trail overnight backpacking trip is a wonderful way to explore the gorgeous wilderness of the North Quabbin area. Falls Brook shelter at the northern tip of the Tully Trail is a convenient overnight spot. Then, continuing on the white-blazed New England Trail, you can backpack all the way to Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire. I do it as a 3 day, 2-night trip. The forested trail with periodic views of Mt. Monadnock is classic New England hiking.

Accessible Outdoor Adventures

The day use area just past the dam off Route 32 has many options for people with disabilities. There are accessible picnic tables, restrooms, hiking trails and fishing areas, plus an accessible pavilion and boat launch area.

An accessible hiking trail leads to an overview of Doane’s Falls. The handicapped parking spaces on Doane Hill Road mark the trailhead. It’s an awesome trail to see the spectacular beauty of the falls.

The Tully Lake campground has 2 accessible campsites with accessible restrooms close to the parking lot. ADA approved campfire rings and picnic tables are at the sites.

For more of my posts about outdoor accessibility visit this guest post: https://www.travelbreatherepeat.com/accessible-outdoor-activities/. For more information on winter outdoor adventures for people with disabilities check out this post.

Camping at Tully Lake

It’s rare in Massachusetts to find a campground without drive-in campsites. But Tully Lake tent-only campground is a delightful throwback with 35 spacious shaded campsites in a coniferous forest. Choice waterfront campsites give direct access to swimming and sunsets. There is even a campsite on an island for true solitude.

Understandably, Tully Lake campground is VERY popular. Site are booked months in advance. Waterfront sites and weekend camping sites are often booked solid as soon as reservations start in early March. Therefore, if you want to camp at Tully, visit the on-line reservation page in March to reserve. Another option is to wait until after Labor Day when a few campsites open up. Check for last-minute cancelations too.

Campground amenities include centrally located bathhouse with flush toilets and coin-operated showers. There are carts to haul your gear to your site. Leashed, properly supervised pets are welcome. Firewood is available for purchase.

Fishing at Tully Lake

The many coves of the lake provide perfect fishing spots. Gamefish present includes largemouth bass, pickerel, and a few trout. Yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, and pumpkinseeds are part of the resident population. My young daughter caught a pumpkinseed here on her very first fishing trip. It started her on a path to be a lifelong angler. Watch out for the submerged tree stumps that love to eat your lure. Rent fishing poles at the campground.

Hunting is also allowed in season.

Waterfall Watching

The Tully Lake watershed is known for its spectacular waterfalls. All three falls can be reached via the Tully Trail.

Doane’s Falls

The must-visit place of any Tully Lake experience is Doane’s Falls. Lawrence Brook cascades over a series of plunges before entering the lake. Doane’s Falls is the final centerpiece of the raging river. A half-mile trail begins at the Trustees of Reservations parking lot at the intersection of Doane Hill and Chestnut Hill roads. Amazing views of the whitewater from the trail ends with a cable protected viewpoint over Doane’s Falls. Paddlers can find the falls by tying up their boats where the inlet stream of Lawrence Brook enters on the east side of the lake. Follow the faint trail up to Doane’s Falls. An accessible trail is described above.

Swimming and diving was banned after many years of fatal accidents at the falls.

Spirit Falls

Spirit Falls is a 150-foot waterfall located on a red-blazed spur trail off the Tully Trail. The trail is steep in places and not well marked, but if you just stay near the river the whole way up and down, you’ll be fine. You can also hike to the falls from the Jacob Hill parking area off Route 68. Spirit Falls is a series of cascades off the ledges of Jacob Hill. It’s really worth the side trip while hiking the Tully Trail.

Royalston Falls

The waterfall trifecta at Tully is completed by Royalston Falls. Located near the northern tip of the Tully Trail loop, the cascade tumbles down a gorge in all its magnificence. In the winter, ice accumulation adds to the beauty. Besides the Tully Trail, the falls can also be accessed from the Trustees of Reservations parking lot off Route 32 north of the lake. Nearby the falls, the Falls Brook shelter with its big campfire ring is a great place for an overnight. Leave No Trace camping is absolutely necessary for this well-loved area.

Bird Watching and Nature Study

Wetlands compose over 55% of the 1300 acre Tully ecosystem. This gives plenty of habitat for water-loving birds, mammals, and insects. The list of species found here is huge.  Animals such as beaver, mink, otter, deer, coyote, fisher, fox, raccoon, skunk, porcupine, rabbit, and squirrel can be seen. New animals or plants may surprise you when you adventure at Tully.

I often have seen an eagle flying over the lake. The high ledges around the lake help to create updrafts that soaring birds love. Look for turkey vultures riding the thermals. Songbirds flit through the forest. Owls and woodpeckers call.

Water lilies flower in the Tully River. Mushrooms and wildflowers pop up everywhere. Bogs with pitcher plants, aquatic vegetation, and sphagnum moss can be seen. So grab a couple of field guides, and binoculars, and enjoy the natural history of Tully.

A word about bird watching

Outdoor Pro Tip: To really enjoy the beauty of birds, get yourself a good pair of binoculars and a trusty bird book. You don’t have to spend a fortune when starting out. I recommend Celestron binoculars. They have incredible optics at a reasonable price. I use my Celestron Outland 10×42 binocs for bird feeder and window birdwatching. For the field, I take along my Celestron Nature binoculars. My recommended bird book is the Peterson Guide to Birds of North America. This classic guidebook, continually updated, has accompanied me for 50-plus years.

Disc Golf

Disc golfers will love the 18 hole course at Tully Lake. Even beginners will have a blast chucking discs throughout the beautiful wooded course. The tee for the first hole is located at the parking area above the dam. The hole one basket is right by the lake so don’t overshoot it or you’ll leave with one less disc. Rent discs at the campground or buy them here to be sure you have them when you arrive.

Mountain Biking

The Long Pond Loop is a 7.5-mile mountain biking trail at Tully. The biking trail is not for the faint of heart. Calling it single-track is generous. The many roots, rocks, and wetland bridges make it a strenuous ride. However, it is gorgeous and well worth the bumps.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a treasure hunt for the whole family. The Tully Lake watershed has a number of hidden geocaches. Visit the geocaching website to find out how to download the app and get started. Also, you can rent a GPS at the campground to use for geocaching at Tully.

Winter Outdoor Activities

Outdoor fun doesn’t end when the snow flies at Tully Lake. Snowshoeing and cross country skiing on ungroomed trails reveals a winter wonderland. The waterfalls of the Tully area are stunning in their icy descent. Watch out for thin ice near moving water if you want to go ice fishing at Tully Lake.

Winter camping is also a possibility. You will probably have the Falls Brook shelter all to yourself! For tips on staying warm and hiking in winter, my post on Proven Winter Hiking Tips will be a big help.

For more cross country skiing in Western Massachusetts, visit the link below.

Cross Country Skiing in Western Massachusetts

Wrapping Up Tully Lake Outdoor Adventures

I usually want to go to new places to explore undiscovered outdoor areas. Yet, with Tully Lake, I return again and again to experience it in all seasons. There are so many outdoor adventures and splendid scenery that I continue to discover new delights each time I visit. I hope you will find the same.

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