Purgatory Chasm’s stunning hike through granite bedrock winds through unique granite formations towering to the tree tops. In this post, we will include parking information, a link to a map of hikes, numerous pictures and videos of Purgatory Chasm, and of course, a strong warning on why you shouldn’t play hide-and-seek in Purgatory Chasm. As an extra, we even have footage of a chipmunk we saw.
One morning, Benny was staring out the window with a forlorn look on his face. “Bob, have you ever wondered what Purgatory is like? Do you think it exists?”
It’s not like Benny to ask these types of existential, transcendental, or frankly, any type of fancy -al questions like this.
I answered cautiously. “I don’t know Benny…”
“We should find out!” He lightened up. “We should go to Purgatory!”
“Benny, you can’t go to Purgatory…”
“Yes, we can. It’s in Sutton. And there’s a chasm hike there to check out too. It’s adventure time!”
I should have known better. Of course he had a trip in mind. This bear, I tell you, he’s Sutton-else. (I had to. I just….had to.)
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is a state park managed by DCR and is opened to the public. There’s a spacious parking lot at the visitors’ center, and another parking lot across the street closer to the chasm hike. Of course, me not knowing any better, I parked in the lot farther away. Good thing we’re not afraid of a little walking.
We went up to the kiosk to pay. It’s a relatively simple process: You put your credit card in the machine and it prints a ticket for you to put on your dashboard. At the time of this writing, it costs $5 per car if you have Massachusetts plates and (out-of-staters, try to stay calm with this…) $20 if you have out-of-state plates.
Before the Chasm
Before heading to the chasm, we decided to warm up on a short walking trail. After the long car ride, it was important to get our blood pumping again before tackling the unique rock formations at Purgatory Chasm. Our stretching stroll brought us past an old spring house. Naturally, it was picture time.
We looped around and found ourselves in an open field with picnic tables. Benny wanted to stop and have something to eat, but the area was closed. We walked through the field and went across the street, looking for the trailhead.
Right at the trailhead, Benny saw something peculiar.
“What’s this?” He looked really curious.
“Uh, it’s a phone…haven’t you ever seen one like that before?”
“Can I take it with me?”
“No…”
“Then what’s the point?”
I didn’t feel like having a “when I was a kid, we didn’t have cell phones” conversation. I’m not ready to feel old.
The Trailhead
Well, we were ready to start our hike of Purgatory Chasm. Gazing into the chasm is a bit surreal. Carefully, we began our descent. Benny noticed that there were blue markings along the way that marked the path. What a clever bear.
We proceeded slowly, watching our every step along the way. We noticed that there were a few holes.
Benny called them caves, and being small enough to fit in, wanted to go exploring in these “caves.” I told him it wasn’t a good idea. He seemed to agree.
Seemed.
I took a moment to look at a nearby tree that was growing on the bottom of the chasm. My eyes followed the trunk, and I was amazed to see that the top of the tree was only a little bit higher than the top of chasm.
“Wow, this is pretty cool, Benny! Isn’t it?” I asked.
There was no response. I looked around.
“Benny? Bennnyyy???” My voice echoed across the chasm. “Where are you?”
I started to panic. I thought that he had fallen down one of those holes….one of those holes that a human like me wouldn’t be able to get into.
“Where are you???” My pulse was starting to rise, and in a panic, my concentration was waning. I wasn’t concentrating on my steps as well as I should have.
I thought I saw Benny in a small cave, one that I would be able to fit into if I crouched, and then I realized that this little…bear was trying to play hide-and-seek. I decided to try to reverse the tables and scare him.
And then it happened. I slipped into the cave. That spooked him so much that he screamed. As he yelled, I felt a pain on my arm.
“Bob, your arm is bleeding…”
I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t that much blood. It did sting, though. “That’s fine. It’ll clot soon.”
Photos of the Chasm
We continued on our hike, and we took lots of photos and short videos along the way. We saw the parts of the formation known as “Lover’s Leap” and “Devil’s Pulpit.”
My arm wasn’t feeling any better, however. Blood was still coming out. Playing hide-and-seek in Purgatory Chasm is a horrible idea. In fact, doing anything but carefully watching where you’re going in the chasm is a bad idea.
So, a note to families with little ones: You may want to consider carrying them along the way so that they don’t get into any mischief.
Luckily, I had a Band-Aid with me. We stopped and Benny helped me put it on.
Looping Around
At the end of the chasm, the trail loops back and follows the top of one side of the chasm. Right when we started on this section of the trail, we ran into a little critter.
This part of the path offers a different view. “We need to be wicked careful,” Benny suggested, “or we’ll fall off.”
Wise words of wisdom from a bear who wanted to play hide-and-seek 10 minutes ago.
Benny wanted to go through the part of Purgatory Chasm known as “Fat Man’s Misery” (seriously, that’s the name). It’s where there’s a very small gap in the rock. I let him go, but I told him to be careful. He’s small enough; me, not so much.
After carefully completing the loop, we found ourselves back at the trailhead.
Charley’s Loop
Charley’s Loop is another trail option at the Purgatory Chasm trailhead. This trail goes up. We decided to follow it.
Honestly, we didn’t last long. Not because we didn’t like the trail, but because it was around supper time and we were getting hungry. If there’s one thing you don’t want to see, it’s a grown man and his bear friend both hangry at the same time.
So, even though we turned around and didn’t complete Charley’s Loop, we’re glad that we followed it for a little bit. While the views of the chasm are not as extraordinary on this path, there are fewer people. So, if you’re looking for some peace and quiet, this is the path for you.
All in all, we enjoyed our time at Purgatory Chasm and hope that we’ve inspired you to go and check it out for yourself. Of course, be careful, and don’t play hide-and-seek.
In total, we spent about an hour and fifty minutes and walked about 1.7 miles. We took our time at the chasm, so you may get through the hike faster.
For more information, check out the state’s website on Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. To download a map, go to this link.
If you’re in Central Massachusetts, check out Wachusett Mountain, too!
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Purgatory Chasm is located in Sutton, MA.
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[…] outdoor enthusiasts seeking a thrilling experience, Purgatory Chasm State Reservation in Sutton is the perfect destination. This unique natural wonder features a narrow chasm formed by […]