New trail system offers woodsy summer diversion

BLUE HILL—There are roughly 261 stair steps between Parker Point Road and South Street, part of the relatively new and improved Heart of Blue Hill trail system developed by Blue Hill Heritage Trust to provide a pleasant and accessible path between downtown and the South Street commercial area. A typical afternoon sees students walking home from The Bay School, runners getting their steps in, and walkers with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

- ELI FORMAN

There are two options for those seeking to end up on South Street between the Blue Hill Co-op and Mainescape. Walkers who enjoy a slight frisson of danger can make their way down Parker Point Road past the hospital and library and dart across the road and into the woods by the decrepit historic fountain, just before running out of sidewalk. Generally a quiet walk along a village wayside most of the year, the route currently plays host to a zippy array of cars.