Berkshires/Pioneer Valley/Mohawk Trail	Cape Cod	Central Massachusetts/Sturbridge	Greater Boston and Cambridge
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket	North of Boston/Merrimack Valley	South of Boston/Plymouth

BERKSHIRES/PIONEER VALLEY/MOHAWK TRAIL top of listings

Arcadia Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
127 Combs Road
Easthampton, MA
Phone: 413-584-3009

The nature center features 25 acres of varied terrain, with five miles of trails and an observation tower. The 700-acre sanctuary includes a floodplain forest, marshes, and a grassland habitat.

Bartholomew’s Cobble
Weatogue Road, Ashley Falls
Sheffield, MA
Phone: 413-229-8600

This National Natural Landmark is home over 800 species of plants, including one of North America's greatest diversities of fern species, as well as abundant wildflowers. The Reservation is named for two rocky knolls that rise above the Housatonic River, and the high point, Hurlburt's Hill, rises 1,000 feet to a twenty-acre field on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border that offers panoramic views northward up the Housatonic River Valley. Visitors will enjoy hiking this diverse woodland, and the many public programs that are presented throughout the year.

Bash Bish Falls State Park
Route 41
Mount Washington, MA
Phone: 413-528-0330

This small, undeveloped park offers fishing and scenic hiking trails, featuring an 80-foot waterfall. This park is within the Mount Washington State Forest.

Bear Swamp
Hawley Road
Ashfield, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

Visitors to Bear Swamp can explore three miles of trails that lead past an old beaver dam resting atop an old stone milldam, a variety of ferns and woodland wildflowers, and scenic vistas that offer views of nearby apple orchards and the Green Mountains of Vermont beyond. Bear Swamp also features excellent bird watching and picnic tables at the Apple Valley Overlook.

Beartown State Forest
69 Bluehill Road
Monterey, MA 01245
Phone: 413-528-0904

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More than 10,000 acres of woodlands, featuring fishing, swimming, and picnic areas, in addition to hiking and cross-country ski trails. A public campground also is available.

Berkshire Botanical Garden
Routes 102 and 183
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Phone: 413-298-3926

"Horticulture -- the Berkshire's other culture

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The Berkshires most floral spot offers 15 acres of flora and a woodland trail. There also are greenhouses, a herb garden and a pond.

Chapelbrook
Williamsburg Road
Ashfield, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

At the core of Chapelbrook is Pony Mountain, whose nearly vertical 100-foot rock face offers a challenge to very skilled, technical rock climbers. A gentle, half-mile trail leads around the western side of Pony Mountain to its summit, offering unobstructed views south toward the Berkshire foothills. Chapelbrook is also popular for its sometimes-torrential Chapel Falls. The steady trickle of Chapel Brook becomes a deluge in spring, but in summer, the pools that form under the falls offer a cool, welcome dip.

Chester-Blandford State Forest
Route 20
Chester, MA
Phone: 413-354-6347

This state forest sits on more than 2,000 acres, and features fishing, picnicking, and a waterfall, in addition to trails for cross-country skiing and hiking. Public campgrounds are available.

Chesterfield Gorge
River Road
West Chesterfield, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

Visitors to Chesterfield Gorge will enjoy a half-mile trail along cliff tops that offer views of the seventy-foot-high walls of the gorge, the Westfield River, and the surrounding forest, home to bears, bobcats, and turkeys. Stone abutments of a ca.1770 bridge that spanned the river are all that remain of former post road between Boston and Albany, NY. During the Revolutionary War, redcoats marched over this bridge toward Boston following their defeat at Saratoga, NY. Chesterfield Gorge is also the entrance to an extensive natural recreation area along the Westfield River that features catch-and-release fly-fishing and access to a mountain bike corridor.

Chicopee Memorial State Park
Burnett Road
Chicopee, MA
Phone: 413-594-9416

Visitors will enjoy fishing and swimming areas, park biking, and cross-country skiing. Site was formerly known as the Cooley Brook Reservoir and Watershed.

Clarksburg State Park
Middle Road
Clarksburg, MA
Phone: 413-664-8345

Park has areas for canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and public camping.

D.A.R. State Forest
Route 112
Goshen, MA 01032
Phone: 413-268-7098

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This forest offers swimming, canoeing, and fishing areas. Trails for hiking and cross-country skiing are available. There is a public campground and regularly scheduled visitor programs are offered. Wheelchair-accessible campsites available.

Dinosaur Footprints
Route 5
Holyoke, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

Preserved in sandstone slabs along the bank of the Connecticut River are 134 separate dinosaur footprints from three related dinosaurs - the largest from Eubrontes giganteus, the intermediate from Anchisauripus sillimani, and the smallest from Grallator cuneatus. Since the 1860s, the Connecticut River Valley has been noted for its abundance of paleontological specimens, especially dinosaur tracks. Approximately 190 million years ago, two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs crossed these lands leaving behind footprints in mudflats. Water filled the footprints instead of washing them away, so they were preserved in the earth until ice, water, and wind eroded and exposed them many years later.

Dry Hill
Harmon Road
New Marlborough, MA
Phone: 413-298-3239

Dry Hill, so named because of the lack of water on its ridgeline, is home to deep woodland wildlife, such as bobcats, fishers, and coyotes, as well as many bird species. A 1 ½ mile trail follows an old woods road before becoming a narrow footpath that ascends the ridge. Higher up, the hillside is covered in mountain laurel, which blooms profusely in mid-June. The trail ends at the reservation's highest point - a stark white quartzite promontory that offers sweeping views south and southwest across the Berkshire Hills to Connecticut and New York.

Erving State Forest
Route 2A
Erving, MA
Phone: 978-544-3939

Forest has swimming, canoeing, fishing, motorboating, and picnic areas. There are hiking and cross-country ski trails. Public campgrounds and scheduled programs are offered for visitors.

Field Farm
Sloan Road
Williamstown, MA
Phone: 413-458-3144

Field Farm’s over four miles of trails offer excellent hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing opportunities in the shadow of Mount Greylock, Massachusetts’ highest peak. A center of agriculture since at least 1750, Field Farm also features a modernist house now utilized as a bed and breakfast (The Guest House at Field Farm), and the 1965 Ulrich Franzen designed “Folly” – a pinwheel shaped guest house open for tours during the summer.

Glendale Falls
Clark Wright Road
Middlefield, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

Fed by more than five square miles of watershed, Glendale Falls is one of the longest and most powerful waterfall runs in Massachusetts. In spring, the waters of Glendale Brook roar over rock ledges more than 150 feet high before joining the Westfield River. A quarter-mile trail leads to bottom of the falls for viewing. The Reservation was once part of the historic 18th-century Glendale Farm, which operated a gristmill whose foundation can be explored in the woods just north of the falls.

Granville State Forest
323 West Hartland Road
Granville, MA 01034
Phone: 413-357-6611

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This 2,397-acre forest along the Hubbard River has facilities for fishing, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, and picnicking. A public campground is available.

Hitchcock Center for the Environment
525 South Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA
Phone: 413-256-6006

Exhibits, programs and nature trails focus on the environment, ecology and natural history. There is also a library on the property.

Holyoke Range State Park
Route 116
Amherst, MA
Phone: 413-586-0350

This state park features hiking and cross-country trails, picnic areas, and year-round special programs. A visitors’ center with full facilities also is available.

Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
37 Corey Road
Route 43
Hancock, MA 01237
Phone: 413-738-5500
Toll-Free: 800-882-8859
Fax: 413-738-5729

Many trails to choose from

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Jiminy Peak offers the most extensive lift-served mountain biking in the Berkshires, not to mention loads of gorgeous hiking trails. Additionally, Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort is the largest ski and snowboard resort in southern New England, summer home to Mountain Adventure Park and the only mountain resort in North America to generate its own energy using alternative wind power. Since opening in 1948 Jiminy Peak has evolved to become a 4 season resort, offering something for everyone. Our mission is to provide positive, memorable, Mountain Resort experiences with outstanding, friendly and helpful service in remarkably beautiful surroundings; inspiring guests to return again and again.

Jug End State Reservation
Jug End Road
Egremont, MA
Phone: 413-528-0330

This 1,158-acre wildlife management area has trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. The park features eight miles of the Appalachian Trail. The site also is used for environmental research.

Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest
Route 8A
Hawley, MA 01339
Phone: 508-339-5504

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This 7,882-acre forest features programs for visitors, in addition to fishing, swimming, and picnic areas. There are snowmobiling, horse, hiking, and cross-country ski trails. A public campground is available.

Laughing Brook Education Center and Sanctuary
793 Main Street
Hampden, MA
Phone: 413-566-8034

An 18th century house owned by children’s author Thornton Burgess highlights the 354 acres of walking trails and natural beauty. A library and exhibits offered.

McLennan Reservation
Fern Road
Tyringham, MA
Phone: 413-298-3239

Hiking, Birding, Picnicking

From the entrance of the McLennan Reservation, a 1.5-mile trail follows the graceful rises and dips of this densely forested landscape before reaching the high plateau where Hale Swamp (created when beavers dammed Camp Brook long ago) is located. Round Mountain and its neighbor, Long Mountain, form the backdrop for the reservation, which was once part of the Ashintully estate, whose gardens are located at the southern end of the valley.

Mohawk Trail State Forest
Route 2
Charlemont, MA 01339
Phone: 413-339-5504

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This 2,397-acre forest along the Hubbard River has facilities for fishing, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, and picnicking. A public campground is available.

Monroe State Forest
Tilda Hill Road
Monroe, MA
Phone: 413-339-5504

This park is ideal for fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing. The park is known for its scenic beauty. A public campground is available.

Monument Mountain
Route 7
Great Barrington, MA
Phone: 413-298-3239

For almost two centuries, Monument Mountain has been a source of inspiration to poets, novelists, and painters. The summit offers panoramic views of Southern Berkshire County, and three miles of trails lead through a white pine and oak forest. During William Cullen Bryant's stay in Great Barrington, he penned the lyrical poem "Monument Mountain," and on August 5, 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville enjoyed a well-chronicled picnic hike up Monument Mountain. A thunderstorm forced them to seek refuge in a cave where a vigorous discussion ensued, inspiring ideas for Melville's new book, Moby Dick.

Mount Everett State Reservation
East Street
Mount Washington, MA
Phone: 413-528-0330

Enjoy canoeing, fishing, hiking, cross-country ski trails, and picnic areas. The park offers breathtaking views and is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.

Mount Grace State Forest
Winchester Road
Warwick, MA
Phone: 978-544-3939

Mt. Grace is the second highest peak in Massachusetts. There are hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding trails. Picnic areas also are available.

Mount Greylock State Reservation
Rockwell Road
Lanesborough, MA
Phone: 413-499-4262

The oldest state park, Mt. Greylock is the highest peak in Massachusetts. It offers a visitors' center, programs, hiking, cross-country ski trails, and a public campground.

Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation
Route 116
South Deerfield, MA
Phone: 413-545-5993

With two peaks, this site offers great views of the surrounding countryside. It features hiking trails and scenic picnic spots. South peak accessible by automobile.

Mount Tom State Reservation
Reservation Road
Holyoke, MA
Phone: 413-534-1186

Mt. Tom offers canoeing, fishing, hiking, and picnic areas in the summertime, and cross-country skiing in the winter. There also is a children’s play area.

Mount Washington State Forest
East Street
Mount Washington, MA
Phone: 413-528-0330

This forest features fishing and picnic areas, and cross-country and hiking trails. There is a public campground. Bash Bish Falls part of the forest.

Mountain Meadow Preserve
Mason Street
Williamstown, MA
Phone: 413-458-3144

Mountain Meadow Preserve protects forest, fields, and wetlands along the Massachusetts-Vermont border that are home to bears, coyotes, bobcats, fox, and deer as well as butterflies, wetland amphibians, and numerous small mammals and reptiles. One trail encircles and cuts through a spectacular upland wildflower meadow. A second loop trail enters the woodland, where it leads up a hill to a summit with views of Mount Greylock and the Taconic Range.

Natural Bridge State Park
Route 8
North Adams, MA
Phone: 413-663-8469

The focal point of this park is a natural bridge, but visitors also can enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. Special events are scheduled, call for more information.

Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary
Peck Road
Wales, MA
Phone: 413-267-9654

There are guided spring wildflower walks at this 3,000-acre site, which features three miles of nature trails and two museums.

Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center
Northfield, MA
Phone: 413-659-3714

Visitors can enjoy 25 miles of trails, which offer great views of blooming wildflowers in the spring, and fall foliage in the autumn. Of particular interest is the hydroelectric station.

Norwottuck Rail Trail
Begins at Elwell State Park, Damon Road
Northampton, MA
Phone: 413 586-8706 ext. 12

This 8.5-mile trail runs from Northampton, through Hadley and into Amherst along the old Boston & Main Railroad line. Bicycle and wheelchair hand-cycles rentals are available.

October Mountain State Forest
Woodland Road
Lee, MA
Phone: 413-243-1778

The largest state forest in Massachusetts is more than 16,000 acres. It offers visitors canoeing, fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and a public campground with wheelchair accessible sites.

Petticoat Hill
Petticoat Hill Road
Williamsburg, MA
Phone: 413-684-0148

Spend some time in this century old forest

This hillside is covered by a 100-year-old forest criss-crossed by old stone walls and dotted with the cellar holes and foundations of early farmsteads. The Reservation takes its name from the story of a family with seven daughters that settled near the top of the hill. Each daughter wore five petticoats, and, on Monday wash days, people from miles around could see thirty-five petticoats billowing in the breeze as they dried on a clothesline. The focal point of this park is a natural bridge, but visitors can also enjoy swimming, hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing. Special events are often scheduled.

Pittsfield State Forest
Cascade Street
Pittsfield, MA
Phone: 413-442-8992

A wheelchair-accessible trail highlights this 10,000-acre forest that features swimming, canoeing, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Programs scheduled year-round. Two public campgrounds/picnic areas are available.

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
West Mountain Road
Lenox, MA
Phone: 413-637-0320

Visitors will enjoy seven miles of walking trails covering nearly 1,400 acres. Public programs are offered. Open year-round.

Questing
New Marlborough Hill Road
New Marlborough, MA
Phone: 413-298-3239

A seventeen-acre upland field of native meadow wildflowers attracts a variety of dragonflies and butterflies

Questing features two miles of trails perfect for hiking or cross-country skiing, extensive tracts of hardwood forest, and a seventeen-acre field of native meadow wildflowers that attracts a variety of dragonflies and butterflies. Cellar holes and stone walls, tell the story of the 200-year-old settlement known as Leffingwell, where the first non-Native American children were born in Berkshire County. This settlement was abandoned in the late nineteenth century as farmers migrated to the Midwest.

Robinson State Park
North Street
Agawam, MA
Phone: 413-786-2877

This 811-acre site offers bike trails, fishing, swimming, picnic areas, hiking, and cross-country skiing. This urban park features a small logging demonstration area.

Sandisfield State Forest
York Lake Street
Sandisfield, MA
Phone: 413-258-4774

This 7,785-acre forest offers fishing areas, canoeing, swimming, and picnic areas. There are trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. York Lake has a 300-foot sandy beach.

Savoy Mountain State Forest
Central Shraft Road
Florida, MA
Phone: 413-663-8469

This forest offers a variety of activities, including swimming, canoeing, motor boating, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing. A public campground in an apple orchard is available.

Skinner State Park
Route 41
Hadley, MA
Phone: 413-586-0350

This park features 10 miles of trails, which allow visitors to climb Mt. Holyoke and the Holyoke Range. Offers great view of the Connecticut River Valley.

Tolland State Forest
Route 8
East Otis, MA
Phone: 413-269-6002

This 4,893-acre state forest offers camping, fishing, motor boating (with boat ramp), swimming, hiking, and cross-country ski trails. In season hunting is permitted.

Tyringham Cobble
Jerusalem Road
Tyringham, MA
Phone: 413-298-3239

Visitors to Tyringham Cobble can hike two miles of trails, a section of which is a link in the Appalachian Trail, that pass over the twin knobs of the Cobble offering spectacular views of Tyringham Valley. Small trees and shrubs have taken root among dramatic rock outcrops and glacial boulders, and wildflowers, blackberries, blueberries, and wild strawberries grow in clearings and open meadows. The Cobble was used as pastureland for a Shaker community in the late eighteenth century, but today provides excellent opportunities for bird watching, picnicking, and cross-country skiing.

Wahconah State Park
Route 9/8A
Dalton, MA
Phone: 413-442-8992

A small park with areas for fishing and picnicking. There are hiking trails along Wahconah Brook leading to a scenic view of Wahconah Falls.

Wendell State Park
Montague Road
Wendell, MA
Phone: 413-659-3797

Fishing, canoeing, swimming, and picnic areas are features of this 7,566-acre forest. In season, trails are open for hiking and cross-country skiing.

Windsor State Forest
River Road
Windsor, MA
Phone: 413-663-8469

Visitors to this forest will enjoy swimming, fishing, and canoeing. Trails for hiking and cross-country skiing are available, in addition to a public campground. Hunters and snowmobilers are welcome.

CAPE COD top of listings

Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
Off Nathan Ellis Highway
East Falmouth, MA 02536
Phone: 781-259-9500
Toll-Free: 800-AUDUBON

Hours: May-August, daily, dawn to dusk. Fee charged.

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This preserve features groves of holly, as well as a colony of barn swallows. Sixty-five varieties of holly trees are planted throughout the sanctuary. Self-guided trails take visitors through the sanctuary.

Cape Cod National Seashore
Salt Pond Visitor Center at Nauset Road and Route 6
Eastham, MA 02642
Phone: 508-255-3421

Open: Daily, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (longer during the summer)

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Forty miles of pristine sandy beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands support diverse species. Lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs offer a glimpse of Cape Cod’s ways of life. Swimming beaches and walking and biking trails beckon visitors. The park's six oceanside swimming beaches have life guards from late June through August. Eleven self-guided nature trails are open year-round. Parking lots are open year-round, daily, 6 a.m. to midnight.
Salt Pond Visitor Center is Cape Cod National Seashore's main visitor facility, with orientation movies, a bookstore, a museum, and restrooms. The Visitor Center is also convenient to the popular 1.5-mile Nauset Marsh Trail and the Buttonbush Trail, a quarter-mile trail that features a guide rope and text panels in Braille, and the Nauset Bicycle Trail.
The Province Lands Visitor Center is located on Race Point Road, off Route 6, at the northern end of Cape Cod National Seashore, approximately one mile from Provincetown. It is open May 1 through October 31, daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone number is 508-487-1256. The observation deck at this Visitor Center provides a 360-degree view of the Province Lands dunes, the Outer Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Exhibits about local plants and animals and the Pilgrim's landing in Provincetown are featured.
Other highlights of the National Seashore are the Fort Hill Area off Route 6(Eastham); the Coast Guard and Nauset Light beaches, Nauset and Three Sisters Lighthouses off Route 6 (Eastham); the Marconi Station Site(Wellfleet); the Highland Lighthouse (Cape Cod Light) and Highland House (Truro); and the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station (Provincetown).

Cape Cod National Seashore Bike Trails

Phone: 508-771-2144

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The Cape Cod National Seashore maintains three bicycle trails ranging from 1.6 to 7.3 miles long. Use of motorized vehicles, including mopeds, on these paved trails are prohibited. Bicycles may be rented within the towns.
Nauset Trail: This trail connects Salt Pond with Coast Guard Beach. It leads through pine and oak forest with vistas of Nauset Marsh along the way. This trail is wheelchair accessible, and can be shortened by starting or ending at the Doane Rock picnic area. From Salt Pond Visitor Center parking area through Doane Rock picnic area in Eastham, ending at the Coast Guard beach. Distance is 1.6 miles.
Head of the Meadow Trail: This level trail skirts the edge of a freshwater marsh and provides glimpses of the marsh and dunes. From High Head Road in Truro to Head of the Meadow Beach parking area (beach fees may apply). Distance is 2 miles.
Province Lands Trail: This hilly trail winds among beech and oak forests, sand dunes and freshwater ponds. The loop trail is 5.45 miles, with spurs to Herring Cove Beach (1.10 mile), Race Point Beach (0.5 mile) and Bennett Pond (0.25 mile). Access points are Beech Forest parking area, Province Lands Visitor Center, Race Point Beach parking area, and Herring Cove Beach. Beach parking fees may apply at Race Point Beach

Cape Cod Rail Trail
Dennis to Wellfleet, MA
Phone: 508-896-3491

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The Cape Cod Rail Trail follows a former railroad right-of-way for 22 miles through the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet. Its paved surface, few hills, and well-marked automobile crossings make it ideal for cyclists. The trail has a wide unpaved shoulder on one side to accommodate horseback riding, walkers, and runners.
There are many opportunities to get off the trail and visit a beach. Food and water are available and public restrooms can be found at Nickerson State Park, Salt Pond Visitors Center at Cape Cod National Seashore and the National Seashore Headquarters. Bike rentals are available at many points along the way.
Free parking for trail users is available at the trailhead at Route 134 in South Dennis; Headwaters Drive in Harwich; Underpass Road, off Route 137 in Brewster; Nickerson State Park in Brewster; Route 137 at Route 28 in Chatham; Winifred Road, off Old Queen Road in Chatham; Orleans Center at Old Colony Way in Orleans; Cape Cod National Seashore at the Salt Pond Visitors Center in Eastham; National Seashore at Marconi Area in Wellfleet; the trailhead at LeCount Hollow Road in South Wellfleet; Head of the Meadow Beach parking lot in Truro; High Head Road in Truro; and National Seashore's Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown.

Captain Bangs Hallet House
11 Strawberry Lane (off Route 6A)
Yarmouth Port, MA 02675
Phone: 508-362-3021

Open: June 1 through October 15, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

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The original part of this Greek Revival sea captain's house was built in 1740. A century later, additional portions of the house were built. The kitchen has its original 1740 brick beehive oven and butter churn. A nice collection of china, pewter, maritime artifacts, and clothing from the sea captain era are displayed here. The 50 acre property has nature trails. Open throughout the summer on select afternoons.

Green Briar Nature Center
6 Discovery Hill Road
East Sandwich, MA 02537
Phone: 508-888-6870

Open: January-March, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; April-December, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

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Located on the shores of Smiling Pool and adjacent to the famous Briar Patch of Thornton Burgess’s stories, Green Briar offers interpreted nature trails and a spectacular wild flower garden. Adjacent to Green Briar is the 57-acre Briar Patch Conservation Area, home of Peter Rabbit and many of the other Thornton Burgess animal characters. Walking trails are open to the public. Admission by donation.

Lowell Holly
South Sandwich Road
Mashpee & Sandwich, MA 02563
Phone: 508-679-2115

Open: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset

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Lowell Holly’s 135 acres feature stands of a wide variety of holly trees, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel, but the property’s most intriguing feature may be its two peninsular knolls, jutting into Mashpee Pond and Wakeby Pond. Both vantage points offer spectacular views over these large ponds. Mashpee and Wakeby ponds are renowned for their exceptional trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and bluegill. Four miles of carriage paths and footpaths connect all points of interest, including two small sandy beaches. Activities at the reservation include swimming, fishing, boating, bicycling, birdwatching, hiking, food concessions, restrooms, bathhouses, and wheelchair access. Year-round parking area is free to all. Seasonal parking area is available Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fee is $6 per car or motorcycle. Boat landing fee is $6 for daily landing fee or $40 for seasonal permit.

Mashpee River Reservation
Quinaquisset Avenue and Meetinghouse Road
Mashpee, MA
Phone: 508-679-2115

Open: Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset

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Two miles of trails wind through Mashpee River Reservation to a pristine shoreline. Natural spawning areas and excellent water quality make the Mashpee River one of Massachusetts' finest sources of sea-run brook trout. The Reservation's woodland and shoreline trails form a link in the Cape Cod Pathways trail system, and offer excellent opportunities for bird watching and cross-country skiing.

Nickerson State Park
Route 6A
Brewster, MA 02631
Phone: 508-896-3491

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Travel to the upper campgrounds in Nickerson State Park, you may think that you have been transported to the Berkshire Hills or the piney woods of the Carolinas. Nowhere are the sand dunes and salt marshes usually associated with Cape Cod. Instead, you are surrounded by woods that slope down to the banks of eight crystal clear fresh water ponds, known as kettle ponds.
Nickerson's 1,900 acres offer 420 campsites, yurt camping, an amphitheater, eight miles of roads, hiking trails, an eight-mile bike path that connects to the 25-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail, and ponds stocked year-round with trout. Cape Cod Bay is within walking or bicycling distance. You can swim and canoe at Flax Pond; birdwatch or catch-and-release fish at Higgins Pond; or join the interpretive and recreational programs offered by park staff.
Park amenities include: beaches, camping, fishing, picnicking, restrooms, bike paths, nonmotorized boating, boat ramp, yurt camping, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding trails, mountain biking, showers, cross-country skiing, swimming, trailer and RV dumping, walking trails.

Shawme-Crowell State Forest
Route 130
Sandwich, MA 02563
Phone: 508-888-0351

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This quiet year-round campground at the beginning of Cape Cod has more than 285 sites in a wooded setting. More than 15 miles of roads and trails provide hiking and equestrian access to more than 700 acres of pitch pine and scrub oak landscape. Parking access to the beach at Scusset State Reservation is provided in camping fee. The regular camping season is from mid-April through mid-October. Amenities include restrooms, camping, hiking, hunting (with restrictions), interpretive programs, picnicking, showers, cross-country skiing, swimming, trailer and RV dumping, walking trails. Off-season camping is available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Shining Sea Bike Path
Falmouth, MA

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The Shining Sea Path follows the abandoned rail line from the center of Falmouth to the Steamship Authority ferry dock in Woods Hole. It is fairly level and offers vistas of beaches and forest.

South Cape Beach State Park
Great Oak Road
Mashpee, MA 02649
Phone: 508-457-0495

Open: Memorial Day to Labor Day

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South Cape Beach, located between Waquoit Bay and Vineyard Sound, contains a wide variety of coastal environments, including barrier beach and dunes, salt marsh, scrub oak/pitch pine woodland and "kettle" ponds. A magnificent white sand beach stretches for over a mile. Newly constructed over-the-dune boardwalks, a small parking area and bathrooms make this a lovely place to spend a day at the shore. Interpretive programs are offered during the summer months.

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Route 6 and West Road
South Wellfleet, MA 02663
Phone: 508-349-2615

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This nature center offers a variety of educational programs for children and adults, including walks and workshops. Enjoy a naturalist-led bird walk on our property or listen to an evening lecture. This sanctuary has a nature center, walking trails, trail to Goose Pond, seasonal classroom, gardens, and a campground. Picnicking, birdwatching, restrooms, wheelchair accessible. Of particular interest is the boardwalk trail through the salt marsh.

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS/STURBRIDGE top of listings

Bear’s Den
Neilson Road
New Salem, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

On its way to the Quabbin Reservoir, the Middle Branch of the Swift River passes through the steep granite cliffs of Bear's Den. A short trail forks at the entrance - the left spur leading to the gorge, the right leading to the stream bed below the falls. In 1675, the great chief King Philip met here with neighboring chieftains to plan attacks on Hadley, Deerfield, and Northampton. A black bear shot on the property gives the Reservation its name, though more romantic - yet unsubstantiated - stories exist.

Brooks Woodland Preserve
East Street
Petersham, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Once home to Nipmuc, the Brooks Woodland Preserve is an undisturbed forest of red oaks, hemlocks, and white pine. Visitors may hike or cross-country ski along 13 miles of woodland trails and former woods roads. Old stone walls cross the forest floor, passing through patches of maidenhair ferns, winterberry, and partridgeberry. Along parts of the Swift River, Moccasin Brook, and Roaring Brook, beaver dams have created swamps, and a cascade of glacial boulders provide dens for porcupines. Six early-nineteenth-century farmsteads can be rediscovered in the Preserve by their remaining fieldstone cellar walls, porch steps, and chimney supports.

Dexter Drumlin
George Hill Road
Lancaster, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

A favorite spot for winter sledding, Dexter Drumlin is maintained as a graceful, open meadow with lovely views of historic Lancaster and its surrounding farmland. A narrow mowed footpath traverses the crest of the hill and loops back along the stream to the entrance affording the visitor the opportunity to view grassland birds making use of the drumlin and the adjacent floodplain fields for nesting and raising their young.

Douglas State Forest
Wallum Lake Road
Douglas, MA
Phone: 508-476-7872

A 4,500-acre forest featuring canoeing, fishing, swimming, and picnic areas. Hiking and cross-country ski trails also are available.

Doyle Reservation
Lindell Avenue
Leominster, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Pierce Park at the Doyle Reservation was part of a former turn-of-the-century grand estate featuring a twenty-nine-room stucco mansion with a ballroom and conservatory, a matching stable, extensive horse paddocks, Pierce Pond (across Merriam Avenue), and an extensive system of bridle paths through woodland and around the pond. Ten acres of the original landscaped grounds have been restored as a neighborhood park, and most of the trees and shrubs are from the estate's original design and plantings.

Dunn Pond State Park
Route 101
Gardner, MA
Phone: 508-632-7897

Visitors to this small park will enjoy recreation around the pond: canoeing, fishing, swimming, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Programs are scheduled at the park throughout the year. Rest facilities are available.

Elliott Laurel
Route 101
Phillipston, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Once pastureland, Elliott Laurel is now a quiet woodland traversed by old stone walls. Its scenic foot trail crosses an open field before climbing a rocky hillside to a south-facing overlook, then leads gently through shaded woods dotted by white pines and hemlocks before descending past rock outcrops to a red maple swamp. The return leg of the trail passes thickets of spring-blooming mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) for which the Reservation is named. At peak in mid-June, the pink flower buds of mountain laurel gradually open to reveal brilliant white flowers, brightening the shady woodland floor.

Federated Women's Club State Forest
Route 122
Petersham, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

This park features fishing areas, hiking, and cross-country skiing trails. Part of the forest is a 140-acre wildlife sanctuary. A public campground is available.

Fisher Museum of Forestry
Route 32
Petersham, MA
Phone: 508-724-3302

This unique museum focuses on the topography of New England's countryside and how it has been affected throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Hiking trails lead from the center out into the forest. There is an admission fee.

Jacobs Hill
Route 68
Royalston, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Get back in touch with nature

Visitors to Jacobs Hill can hike two miles of trails that closely track the ridgeline of the hill, passing through a forest of beech, maple, ash, and birch, and connecting two spectacular overlooks. Both trails take in impressive views of the forested slopes of Tully Mountain, Mount Grace, and the Berkshire Hills. Further south along the trail, a stream tumbles over the ridgeline, creating the dramatic Spirit Falls, and at the eastern edge of the Reservation lies the stream’s source: Little Pond, a classic northern bog.

James W. Brooks Woodland Preserve
Petersham, MA
Phone: 508-840-4446

Trails criss-cross the landscape of this preserve, which is ideal for bird-watching. Areas for fishing and cross-country skiing also are available.

Lake Dennison State Park
Route 202
Winchendon, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

More than 4,000 acres offer visitors swimming, canoeing, and fishing areas. Trails for hiking and cross-country skiing are available. There is a public campground.

Leominster State Forest
Route 31
Leominster, MA
Phone: 508-874-2303

This park features spots for canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing. There also is a beach area. Late June, early July sees the mountain laurels bloom.

Moore State Park
Route 31
Paxton, MA
Phone: 508-792-3969

Enjoy canoeing, fishing, swimming, and hiking and cross-country ski trails. This was the site of grist and saw mills from 1747 through the early 20th century.

North Common Meadow
Main Street
Petersham, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Once pastureland, the broad expanse of North Common Meadow now preserves the rural charm and character of Petersham Center. The upper meadow produces hay that is cut by a local farmer, and the lower meadow supports a variety of wildflowers and features a small lily-covered pond. From the field adjacent to the Petersham Historic Society building on Main Street, visitors can take in a sweeping view of Mount Wachusett. North Common Meadow is a part of the Petersham Historic District, designated a Local Historic District in 1966 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Otto River State Forest
Route 202
Baldwinville, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

This 12,000-acre forest features programs for visitors, in addition to fishing, swimming, and picnic areas. There are hiking and cross-country ski trails. A public campground is available.

Peaked Mountain
Butler Road
Monson, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

From the 1,227-foot summit of Peaked Mountain, a panoramic view unfolds taking in Connecticut's Shenipsit State Forest to the south, Mount Monadnock to the north, and Mount Wachusett to the northeast. In between lies a sweep of rolling New England countryside with forested hills and ridges, valley farms, and small villages. The Valley View overlook provides views of nearby Boulder Hill and the City of Springfield to the west. Other trails at peaked Mountain encircle tranquil Lunden Pond, where visitors might glimpse beavers, herons, and other wildlife drawn to the quiet waters.

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
Purgatory Road
Sutton, MA
Phone: 508-234-3733

This 900-acre park is set around a natural wonder, Purgatory Chasm. Hiking and cross-country ski trails lead up to and along the chasm. There are picnic areas and events scheduled throughout the year.

Quabbin Reservoir and Visitor Center
485 Ware Road / Route 9
Belchertown, MA
Phone: 413-323-7221

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Quabbin Reservoir is one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the United States. Created in the 1930s by the construction of two huge earthen dams, the reservoir is fed by the Swift River and the Ware River. The New Salem and Enfield lookouts offer magnificent views of the reservoir. The Quabbin Interpretive Services Program operates the Quabbin Visitor Center and provides general information. An automated telephone system - 413 323-7221 - provides 24 hour access to current information on fishing, hunting, programs, rules and regulations, and public access. Since this is a public drinking water supply, swimming, wading, and dogs are prohibited. Permitted uses are shoreline fishing, hiking, bicycling walking, bird watching, snowshoeing, hunting, with restrictions, and picnicking. Information: www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/quabbin.htm

Redemption Rock
Route 140
Princeton, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Real New England History

Redemption Rock is the site of the famous release from captivity of Mary White Rowlandson, who was taken with her three children, and twenty other captives by a force of Nipmucs, Narragansetts, and Wampanoags when they attacked Lancaster on February 10, 1676. The Native Americans were angered by the spread of colonial settlements, the conversion of forests into farmland, and injustices at the hands of colonists. She was ultimately ransomed at Redemption Rock by John Hoar of Concord, who negotiated her release with the Native American leader, King Phillip.

Rock House Reservation
Route 9
West Brookfield, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Butterfly garden!

Located near two long Native American footpaths, the large size and height of the Rock House’s southern exposure made it an excellent winter camp for Native Americans, suggesting its use as a trail camp and meeting place. Following the arrival of colonists in the mid-seventeenth century, the area forests were gradually cleared for farming. Today, a forest of pine and mixed hardwoods has reclaimed the landscape, and visitors can hike along three miles of trails that take in Carter Pond, the Rock House, Balance Rock, a butterfly garden, and stands of red pine and spruce.

Royalston Falls
Falls Road
Royalston, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Concealed within a dense forest

The rushing waters of Royalston Falls have carved a deep gorge out of granite. Here, Falls Brook plunges forty-five feet into a basin. In summer, ferns cling to the chasm's walls; in winter, freezing spray creates a fantastic landscape of ice. Upstream, the swirling brook has carved natural bridges through the bedrock. The wild and undisturbed appearance of the area today belies the landscape's history. For many years, the land was cleared and farmed, and during the 19th century, was also the site of town picnics and gatherings in the summer months.

Spencer State Forest
Howe Pond Road
Spencer, MA
Phone: 508-886-6333

Visitors to this state forest will enjoy fishing areas, canoeing, swimming, and cross-country skiing and hiking trails. Picnic areas are available.

Streeter Point Recreation Area
Route 20
Sturbridge, MA
Phone: 508-347-9257 (winter)

This small 10-acre park offers hiking and cross-country trails, fishing areas, swimming, and picnic sites.

Swift River Reservation
Nichewaug Road
Petersham, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Swift River Reservation welcomes visitors with the opportunity to hike, mountain bike, cross-country ski, and horseback ride over 439 forested acres. Located where the East Branch of the Swift River links all three tracts of the river, the reservation’s natural features include extensive rocky ledges, ravines, open fields, a beaver-dammed swamp, vernal pools, and forest edges along woods roads. In the late 1700’s, much of the reservation was cleared for farms that were largely abandoned by the early 1900’s, and the forest returned only to be decimated by a major hurricane in 1938. Today most of the Reservation's mixed hardwood forest dates to this hurricane.

Tantiusques
Leadmine Road
Sturbridge, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Tantiusques preserves the site of one of New England's first mining operations. Before the arrival of European colonists, the Nipmuc mined graphite here for use in making ceremonial paints. In 1644, John Winthrop, Jr., son of the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, purchased the mine and surrounding land from the Nipmuc and began the first commercial mining operation on the site. The mine's ownership passed to Boston merchant Frederick Tudor in 1828, who successfully mined graphite for over 25 years. Later mining attempts failed, however, and by 1910 all operations had ceased. Today, careful observers can see mine cuts, ditches, and tailings piles made by the various operations.

Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
Mountain Road
Princeton, MA
Phone: 508-464-2987

Set on one of the highest peaks in the area, the reservation offers hiking and cross-country ski trails.

Wachusett Reservoir
River Road
Clinton, MA
Phone: 978-365-3272

An artificial reservoir featuring bird watching, fishing areas, and walking trails. There is an admission fee.

Wells State Park
Route 49
Sturbridge, MA
Phone: 508-347-9257

This 1,470-acre park features hiking and cross-country ski trails, in addition to picnic areas. A visitors center offers park information and rest facilities.

Whitehall State Park
Route 135
Hopkinton, MA
Phone: 508-435-4303

Park has mountain biking, canoing/sailing, fishing, hiking on marked trails and motorboating. Scheduled programs are offered for visitors.

GREATER BOSTON AND CAMBRIDGE top of listings

Beaver Brook Reservation
Mill Street
Waltham, MA
Phone: 617-484-6357

Small nature preserve offers biking paths, fishing and swimming areas, interpretive programs, and small historic sites. Full toilet facilities are available.

Black Heritage Trail
46 Joy Street
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-725-0022

Beginning at the African Meeting House on Smith Court, this walking tour follows the history of the African-American community in 19th century Boston. Many of the sites are open to the public and are listed separately under the Historic Sites section. The the walk includes the following: The African Meeting House (1806), Smith Court, the Abiel Smith School (1834), the George Middleton House (1797), 54th Regiment Memorial on Boston Common, Phillips School, the John J. Smith House, the Lewis and Harriet Hayden House, and Coburn's Gaming House (1844).

Blue Hills Trailside Museum
1904 Canton Avenue
Milton, MA
Phone: 617-333-0690

Museum offers hiking trails, live animals and regularly scheduled programs. There is an admission charge.

Boston by Sea: A Seafaring Adventure Through Boston's Past
Rowes Wharf
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-542-8000

Cruise the Harbor aboard Mass Bay lines as live actors bring the history of Boston and its Harbor to life through authentic maritime music, original skits, and fascinating true stories. Learn about the Boston Tea Party, "Old Ironsides," pirates, and more. Tours depart from Rowes Wharf.

Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: 617-223-8666

Come enjoy Boston's newest national park. The Harbor Islands offer a quiet place to relax, explore, camp, swim, or picnic. Boat-based Discovery Cruises operate Wednesday-Friday at noon, and tours to Boston Light ("The ultimate Lighthouse experience," according to the Boston Globe) operate Thursday-Sunday. Ranger-led activities and special events are offered on many islands for a variety of audiences. Not only are these islands a source of natural beauty and wonder--they're also rich in history and legends, with tales of pirates, shipwrecks, wars, abandoned prisons, and even ghosts! It's all right in Boston Harbor and accessible by boat or ferry from Long Wharf downtown or the South Shore... so near, and yet so far away!

Boston Women's Heritage Trail
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-522-2872

This walk honors some of the city's most prominent women, encompassing Beacon Hill, the North End, Chinatown, and downtown Boston. Maps for this walk are available at Boston Common.

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
280 Eliot Street
Natick, MA
Phone: 508-655-2296

At this sanctuary, visitors can enjoy nine miles of hiking trails, in addition to lectures and other programs in a renovated horse barn.

Callahan State Park
Millwood Street
Framingham, MA
Phone: 508-653-9641

Set on 819 acres, this park is home to fishing, horseback riding, hiking, and cross-country skiing. The park has nearly 100 acres of open fields.

Castle Island Park
Day Boulevard
South Boston, MA
Phone: 617-727-5250

Fort Independence, built between 1834 and 1851, is the dominating feature of this historic site, surrounded by a small park with fishing and swimming areas, and bike trails.

Charles River Reservation
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-698-1802

This natural refuge offers canoeing, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, and more. Interpretive programs are scheduled there throughout the year.

Chase Woodlands
Farm Road
Dover, MA 02492
Phone: 508-785-0339

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Chase Woodlands’ 2-½ mile network of gently sloping paths wind through peaceful groves of white pine, beech, hemlock, and yellow birch. As in most of Massachusetts, this woodland consists of second- and third-growth trees, the original virgin forests having been felled to clear land for agriculture in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Picturesque stone walls traverse the woods, marking former farm fields from the property’s agricultural past.

Fork Factory Brook
Hartford Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339

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Fork Factory Brook’s easy network of trails track the edges of lovely hay fields and meander through wooded upland offering views of surrounding forested wetlands and the remains of a 19th-century pitchfork mill. For a brief time after the Civil War, owners used the mill for a paper cutting enterprise, but it fell into disuse with the advent of coal-power. When Main Street was widened in 1927, the mill was dismantled and the granite reused to construct a house on Foundry Street. Much of the mill site now sits under Route 109, and all that remains is its broad earthen dam and stone raceway.

Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road
Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: 508-877-7630

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The New England Wild Flower Society maintains this garden, the largest landscaped collection of native plants in the northeastern United States. Guided tours are offered weekdays at 10 a.m. and weekends at 2 p.m.
Hours: April 15-Labor Day, daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; September 2-October 31, daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; after October, trails close for the season. Museum Shop remains open with winter hours. Fee charged.

Governor Hutchinson’s Field
Adams Street
Milton, MA 02186
Phone: 781-821-2977

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Named for Governor Thomas Hutchinson, the last Royal Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this hilltop meadow offers views of the Neponset River, its tidal salt marshes, the Boston skyline, and the Boston Harbor Islands. Hutchison’s over royalist leanings made him the object of public ridicule in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, and in 1743 he built for his family a modest country estate on Milton Hill to escape the city. All that remains of the estate today is the field and a "ha-ha" which formed the western boundary of the formal garden.

Hammond Pond Reservation
Hammond Pond Parkway
Newton, MA
Phone: 617-698-1802

Visitors to this small nature preserve can enjoy fishing, hiking and biking trails, and picnic areas.

Harborwalk
Boston, MA
Phone: 850-337-8250

A self-guided walk that traces the history of the Boston waterfront. The tour begins at the Old State House, brochures are available at the National Park Service Visitor's Center on State Street.

Hopkinton State Park
Route 85
Hopkinton, MA 01748
Phone: 508-435-4303

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This state park offers hiking and cross-country ski trails, in addition to canoeing, boating, fishing, and swimming. Activities on the 1,450 acres here include bicycling, non-motorized boating, and horseback riding.

Innovation Odyssey Tour
28 State Street
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-350-0358

Visit the people and places behind Boston's great inventions. An actor/tour guide brings Boston innovations - from the telephone to the Internet - to life on this cutting-edge, two-hour tour of Boston and Cambridge. Sites include Harvard, MIT, and the Ether Dome at Mass General Hospital. Imagine a world without computers, telephones, or anesthesia. Tours depart from 28 State Street, every Saturday at 2:00 pm. A shuttle from the Museum of Science departs at 1:40 pm.

Literary Trail of Greater Boston
Omni Parker House
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-350-0358

A tour for everyone who loves history, good books, and beautiful settings. Discover the homes, gathering places, and landscapes of America's most beloved authors on a guided tour, or on your own with the Self-Guided Tour Package. Travel from Boston to Cambridge and Concord and visit sites such as Walden Pond, Longfellow House, Concord Museum, and Orchard House. Tours depart from the Omni Parker House the second Saturday of the month, beginning August.

Malcolm Preserve
Stearns Street
Carlisle, MA 01741
Phone: 978-840-4446

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The Malcolm Preserve provides a northern gateway to some 1,300 acres of conservation land. A short hiking trail connects the Malcolm Preserve with Two Rod Road, which leads through historic Estabrook Woods. The land comprising the Malcolm Preserve and the adjacent Malcolm Meadows development was once part of a 38-acre farm which raised fruit crops, including raspberries, strawberries, apples, peaches, and pears, as well as vegetables and cut flowers for local markets.

Medfield Rhododendrons
Woodridge Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339

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Home to important and rare stand of Rhododendron maximum, the great laurel or rosebay rhododendron, one of only three species of evergreen rhododendrons native to eastern North America. Though listed today as a "threatened" species, rosebay rhododendrons were once more common in Massachusetts; approximately half of the historical populations in Massachusetts have been lost. Currently, there are seven known populations, and the Medfield Rhododendrons colony represents the largest and easternmost population in Massachusetts.

Noanet Woodlands
Dedham Street
Dover, MA 02030
Phone: 781-821-2977

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Named after a chief of the Natick Indians, Noanet Woodlands features 17 miles of shady trails and wooded roads ideal for walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and horseback riding, and a hike up Noanet Peak rewards visitors with a view of Boston's skyline above the forest canopy. In the early nineteenth century, Noanet Brook was home to a large rolling and slitting mill that made barrel hoops, wheel rims, nail plates, and nail rods from forged iron. Today the mill's twenty-four-foot-high dam and twenty-foot-deep wheel pit are preserved, but visitors will have to imagine the towering thirty-six-foot wheel that powered the mill.

Noon Hill
Noon Hill Road
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339

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The midday sun passes over the ridge of Noon Hill, giving the Reservation its name. Follow the trail leading to the 370-foot peak, and enjoy sweeping views south across the rolling hills of Walpole and Norfolk. Noon Hill’s 4 ½ miles of trails along forested ridges and slopes feature pine, beech, birch, and hemlock, offer glimpses of turn of the century low stone walls, and in spring, the forest floor is scattered with wildflowers. Picturesque Holt Pond was created around 1764, when Sawmill Brook was dammed to create a mill pond.

Rocky Woods
Hartford Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339

Just 30 minutes from downtown Boston

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Rocky Woods features over six miles of former woods roads and footpaths rambling through rolling hills of white pine and red oak. Explorers of the four ponds on the reservation may find bullfrogs and painted turtles, and visitors can enjoy catch-and-release fishing from these shores. Recent landscape renovations have created a scenic meadow, grassy common areas, sandy shorelines, and plantings of ornamental shrubs. Restrooms, picnic tables and a pavilion are onsite, and future plans include creating a visitor center and improved children's play area.

Shattuck Reservation
Causeway Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Phone: 508-785-0339

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Across the street from Noon Hill, Shattuck Reservation comprises a forested upland neck of oak and pine overlooking a wet meadow and red maple swamp. Visitors can enjoy hiking, horseback riding and bird watching. A 1.5 mile loop trail leads from the neck across wetlands to two islands that offer views of the Charles River, and the reservation's old stone walls indicate that it was once nineteenth-century pasture.

Stony Brook Nature Center
North Street
Norfolk, MA
Phone: 508-528-3140

This nature center includes a self-guided hiking trail. An extensive boardwalk system helps visitors explore Teal Marsh and its wildlife.

Stony Brook Reservation
Turtle Pond Parkway
Hyde Park, MA
Phone: 617-361-6141

Sunfish and Perch await anglers in Turtle Pond at this 475-acre park and wildlife refuge, featuring fishing areas, biking and hiking trails, public swimming, and picnic areas. Programs are scheduled throughout the year.

The Minuteman Bikeway
Arlington to Bedford, MA
Phone: 617-641-4891

This 10.5 mile bicycle trail begins in Cambridge (Greater Boston area), and winds its way through Arlington, Lexington and ends in Bedford. Along the way are the historic site of Lexington Common and the Minuteman Statue.

Weir River Farm
Turkey Hill Lane
Hingham, MA
Phone: 781-740-7233

Originally part of a picturesque, early-twentieth-century country estate, Weir River Farm encompasses 75 acres of fields and pastures, woodlands, and a complex of farm and estate buildings, including barns and a carriage house. On a clear day, visitors can view Boston Harbor and the North Shore from the top of Turkey Hill. The farm is being managed to preserve its historic pastoral character, and offers public programs throughout the year, as well as opportunities for hiking, bird watching and picnicking.

Whitney & Thayer Woods
Route 3A
Cohasset & Hingham, MA
Phone: 781-740-7233

The ten miles of trails at Whitney & Thayer Woods include a memorial walk through a lovely stand of flowering shrubs, Ode's Den, (named after Theodore "Ode" Pritchard, who lived under one of the boulders after losing his home in 1830), and the 187-foot summit of Turkey Hill, affording spectacular views of Cohasset Harbor. Visitors can also view a cinderblock NIKE building, once part of an anti-missile radar control station sited here during the Cold War to thwart potential nuclear attack by the Soviet Union.

World’s End
250 Martin’s Lane
Hingham, MA
Phone: 781-740-6665

World's End is one of the 30 islands of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreational Area, and comprises over four miles of walking paths that offer dramatic views of the Weir River, Hingham Harbor, and the Boston skyline. In 1889, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to design a residential subdivision here, and his plan included 163 house plots connected by tree-lined roads. The cart paths were cut and the trees planted, but the development never occurred. These wide paths now line broad grassy fields that attract butterflies and are managed to provide habitat for grassland-nesting birds.

MARTHA'S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET top of listings

Cedar Tree Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Indian Hill Road
West Tisbury, MA

This preserve along the Martha's Vineyard north shore features several trails with numerous scenic views.

Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge
Wauwinet Road
Wauwinet (on the island of Nantucket), MA 02554
Phone: 508-228-5646

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Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge is known for its historic lighthouse, white sand beaches, and world-class fishing. Rolling maritime dunes cover more than 200 acres. Refuge includes 16 miles of over-sand vehicle and walking trails and beach front. Gray and harbor seals feed in the Great Point riptide. Facilities include public restrooms between the Wauwinet Gatehouse and Great Point Lighthouse and at the lighthouse. Both are open May 1 to October 31. Bike rack at the Wauwinet Gatehouse. Seasonal tours of the Great Point Lighthouse and the natural wonders of the refuge. Hours: Year-round, daily, 24 hours (10 p.m.-5 a.m. - fishing access only). Cost: Free to all pedestrians and boaters.

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Edgartown Road
Edgartown, MA
Phone: 508-627-4850

Vistors to this nature center will find plenty of self-guided trails, as well as live native birds. Of particular interest are ospreys nesting in their natural environment. There is an admission fee.

Long Point Wildlife Refuge
Off Long Point Road
West Tisbury (on the island of Martha's Vineyard), MA
Phone: 508-693-3678

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Long Point Wildlife Refuge is part of a sand barrens ecosystem that exists in patches from New Jersey to Maine. The refuge offers 2 miles of trails plus beachfront. All easy walking. Facilities include public restrooms, picnic tables, bike rack, and a small visitor center. Visitors may take a Wildlife Discovery Tour guided canoe and kayak tour led by expert naturalists.

Manuel Correllus State Forest
Edgartown, MA
Phone: 508-693-2540

Over 5,000 acres of forest and woodland, with trails for hiking and biking.

Menemsha Hills
North Road, Chilmark
Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Phone: 508-693-3678

The highlight of Menemsha Hills is Prospect Hill, one of the highest points on Martha's Vineyard, whose spectacular view includes the village of Menemsha, the Elizabeth Islands, and Gay Head Light. Former woods roads and footpaths pass through several distinct ecosystems, including perched wetlands that support red maples, cinquefoil, beech, and black cherry. At Menemsha Hills' bluffs, a view of the Great Sand Bank provides a reminder of the Vineyard's glacial origin, and to the northeast stands the remains of a tall brick chimney, the last vestige of a nineteenth-century brickyard that operated along the Roaring Brook.

Winnetu Oceanside Resort
At South Beach on Martha's Vineyard
31 Dunes Road
Edgartown, MA 02539
Phone: 508-310-1733
Toll-Free: 866-335-1133 USA Only
Fax: 508-310-7900

For Families, Romance, Adventure and Exploration

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“Create Your Own Ferry Tale” at the Winnetu Oceanside Resort – located at South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard. Close to Edgartown, the Winnetu offers a spectacular, oceanfront location, and 11 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Additional features include 1-4 bedroom, air-conditioned studios and suites with kitchenettes (suites also have private decks or patios), private path to the beach, and heated pools.

Included in your rate are our Children’s Day Program (in-season), tennis, fitness center, yoga, and exercise classes. Guests can also enjoy our bicycle delivery service, massages, life-size chess, and casually elegant dining at Lure - our onsite restaurant with a focus on fresh, native “coastal cuisine,” as well as a family dining option. New for 2008 are whale watching, a full-day trip to Nantucket, and kayak tours. The Winnetu is perfect for families, couples, weddings, and corporate meetings/retreats.

NORTH OF BOSTON/MERRIMACK VALLEY top of listings

Agassiz Rock
School Street
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944
Phone: 978-356-4351
Fax: 978-356-2143

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Big and Little Agassiz Rocks are dramatic examples of giant boulders plucked from bedrock and moved in the last glacier age. Little Agassiz Rock rests - seemingly precariously - on a jagged stone, leaving a man-sized opening underneath. Nearby thirty-foot-tall Big Agassiz Rock sits. No one knows how far it extends below the ground. In 1874, students from the Essex Institute named the site for Louis Agassiz, the Harvard professor of natural history who first theorized that the rocks were shaped and deposited by glaciers. Prior to Agassiz's theory, it was widely believed that the scattering of rocks throughout New England were the result of Noah's great flood.

Appleton Farms & Grass Rides
Route 1A
Ipswich, MA 01938
Phone: 978-356-5728
Fax: 978-412-9587

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Established in 1638, Appleton Farms is one of the oldest continuously operating farms in the United States. Scenic views of rolling grasslands, grazing livestock, ancient stone walls, four miles of tree-lined carriage paths, and historic farm buildings welcome visitors for hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Farm operations include a community-supported agriculture program, a retail feed and mulch haying operation, livestock and dairy programs, and educational programs are offered to the public throughout the year.

Bear’s Den
Neilson Road
New Salem, MA
Phone: 978-840-4446

Bradley Palmer State Park
Asbury Street
Topsfield, MA
Phone: 508-887-5931

This park features trails for hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. In addition, there is an area set aside for canoeing.

Coolidge Reservation
Summer Street (Route 127)
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944
Phone: 978-356-4351
Fax: 978-356-2143

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A short easy hike to the tip of Coolidge Point rewards the visitor with the magnificent Ocean Lawn views of Magnolia Harbor, Kettle Island and Great and Little Misery Islands. At one time, this vast lawn was the site of the Coolidge family's "Marble Palace," a Georgian-style mansion designed in 1902 by Charles McKim. The Ocean Lawn is now an open, grassy expanse broken only by large shade trees. Picturesquely edged by rocky headlands that extend into the sea, it is bordered on the west by Kettle Cove and Black Beach, and is a classic New England landscape, perfect for picnicking.

Crane Memorial Reservation
Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA
Phone: 508-356-4351

Set on a barrier beach, this preserve features nature trails, and is the perfect site for bird watching.

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
Route 117, South Great Road
Lincoln, MA
Phone: 617-259-9807

Visitors to this nature preserve will enjoy hiking trails, live farm animals and hayrides. During the winter season sleighrides are offered.

Essex National Heritage Area
New Liberty and Essex
Salem, MA
Phone: 508-740-1650

The area offers visitors three Heritage Trails to walk: The maritime trail, the early settlement trail, and the industry/textile and leather trail.

Halibut Point Reservation
Gott Avenue
Rockport, MA
Phone: 978-526-8687
Fax: 978-356-2143

Easy hiking trails lead to scenic vistas, a low rocky coastal shelf with impressive crashing waves, and interesting tide pools. Cooperatively managed with adjacent Halibut Point State Park, the two miles of trails edge the former Babson Farm Quarry, now filled by natural underground springs. Granite quarried here at the turn of the 20th century paved thousands of city streets and built bridges, tunnels, monuments, warehouses, and buildings, such as Boston's Custom House Tower.

Harold Parker State Forest
1951 Turnpike St., Route 114
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 508-686-3391

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Harold Parker State Forest, 20 miles north of Boston, comprises 3,000 acres of hardwood forest. Swimming at Berry Pond,which has a sand beach, a new wash house, changing rooms, and flush toilets. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. Lifeguards are on duty 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Grills and picnic tables are available.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Perkins Row
Topsfield, MA
Phone: 508-887-9264

10 miles of trails and an observation tower are set in this natural preserve.

Lawrence Heritage State Park
1 Jackson Street
Lawrence, MA
Phone: 508-794-1655

This historic park features fishing areas, hiking trails, and boating. Open 9 am-4 pm.

Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
Trotting Park Road
Lowell, MA
Phone: 508-453-0592

This is a 1,150-acre park with swimming, canoeing, and fishing areas. Visitors can enjoy hiking and cross-country ski trails, in addition to seasonally scheduled programs.

Maudslay State Park
Curzon Mill Road
Newburyport, MA
Phone: 978-465-7223

Park features trails for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. Programs are scheduled in season.

Middlesex Falls Reservation
Woodland Road
Winchester, MA
Phone: 781-322-2851 or

Natural refuge set on over 2,000 acres. Visitors here can enjoy biking, hiking and cross-country ski trails. Canoeing, fishing, and swimming areas are offered, as well as a visitor's center with historic information.

Misery Islands
Salem Sound
Salem, MA 01970
Phone: 978-526-8687
Fax: 978-356-2143

Ruins of a turn-of-the-century summer colony...

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Explore Great and Little Misery Islands for stunning coastal views, scenic hiking trails, ruins of a turn-of-the-century summer colony, even the remains of a shipwreck! A two-mile system of trails provides access to most parts of Great Misery Island, and Little Misery is accessible by wading across a narrow, shallow channel at low tide. The name Misery Islands arose from the ordeal of shipbuilder Robert Moulton, who became stranded on the islands for three miserable days during a December storm in the 1620s. Today Misery Islands are easily accessible by boat or by ferry service from Salem.

Salem Heritage Trail
Salem, MA
Phone: 508-744-0004

This self-guided walking tour highlights Salem's important and historic contribution to American history. Sites include: House of the Seven Gables, the Peabody Essex Museum, Ropes Mansion (1727), the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, the Salem Witch Museum, Stephen Phillips Memorial Trust House, Witch Dungeon Museum, the Witch House. Details about each of these sites are available in the historic sites section.

Stavros Reservation
Island Road
Essex, MA 01929
Phone: 978-526-8687
Fax: 978-356-2143

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Stavros Reservation’s most popular feature is White's Hill, a scenic overlook that offers panoramic views of Crane Beach, the Crane Wildlife Refuge, and Halibut Point. An easy trail leads to the fieldstone base of a former fifty-foot-high tower constructed in the 1890s for property owner Lamont G. Burnham, Esq. The structure was used as a pumping tower to supply water to the Burnham farm, and it was said that Mr. Burnham stationed a sentry there to lookout for coal barges rounding Halibut Point. When the sentry identified a boat belonging to Burnham, a fast horse would be dispatched to Newburyport to put a price on the cargo.

Ward Reservation
Prospect Road
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-3580
Fax: 978-682-3580

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The focal point of the Ward Reservation is 420-foot Holt Hill, the highest point in Essex County. At the summit, visitors can see Boston's skyline and the Blue Hills to the south, and explore the "Solstice Stones”, a compass-like arrangement of stones set on the peak. The narrow stone in the NE quadrant points in the direction of where the sun rises on the summer solstice (around June 21), the longest day of the year. Located at the foot of Holt Hill is Pine Hole Bog, a rare quaking bog that features concentric rings of distinct vegetation, each characterized by different growing conditions.

Weir Hill
Stevens Street
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-3580
Fax: 978-682-3580

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Weir Hill’s (pronouced "wire hill") four miles of easy hiking trails meander over a double drumlin that rises 305 feet, includes more than a mile of scenic shoreline on Lake Cochichewick, and a broad meadow that provides magnificent views of Stevens Pond and the Merrimack Valley. The Reservation is named for the fish weirs (woven fences with stakes) that were once submerged by Native Americans in Cochichewick Brook to catch alewives before they reached Lake Cochichewick to spawn. Picnicking, bird watching, and cross-country skiing in winter invite visitors year round.

Willowdale State Forest
Linebrook Road
Ipswich, MA
Phone: 508-887-5931

Features hiking and cross-country ski trails.

SOUTH OF BOSTON/PLYMOUTH top of listings

Ames Nowell State Park
Linwood Street
Abington, MA
Phone: 617-857-1336

Visitors to this park will enjoy hiking trails, cross-country skiing (in season), fishing, canoeing and picnic areas.

Borderland State Park
Massapoag Avenue
North Easton, MA
Phone: 508-238-6566

1,772 acre park offers fishing areas, hiking, cross-country ski trails, full rest facilities and scheduled visitor programs.

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge - Audubon Society of Rhode Island
301 Brown Avenue
Seekonk, MA
Phone: 508-761-8230

This 196-acre refuge is easily accessible from Providence, and features fields, woods and a large nature center. From I-95 take the Broadway exit, Exit 6. in East Providence. Bear left at the bottom of the ramp, onto Warren Avenue. Turn left at the first set of lights, onto Rte. 114 North. Travel approximately 2 miles and then turn right onto Rte. 152 North. Continue on Rte. 152 across a reservoir and into Seekonk. After you pass the middle school on the left, turn right onto Brown Avenue. Caratunk is 7/10 of a mile on the right.

Dighton Rock State Park
Bay View Road
Berkley, MA
Phone: 508-644-5522

Small park features canoeing and fishing, hiking and cross-country ski trails, and picnic areas.

Ellisville Harbor State Park
Route 3A
Plymouth, MA
Phone: 508-866-2580

Just over 100 acres, this small park offers fishing areas, as well as hiking and cross-country ski trails.

Fort Phoenix Beach State Reservation
Green Street
Fairhaven, MA 02719
Phone: 508-992-4524

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Near downtown New Bedford, with a half-mile of beachfront on Buzzard’s Bay, the park offers historic features, scenic views, and recreational facilities.

Freetown State Forest
Route 119
Ashby, MA
Phone: 508-597-8802

5,651 acres state forest features fishing, picnic areas and hiking and cross-country ski trails.

Holmes Reservation
Court Street and Robbins Road
Plymouth, MA
Phone: 781-821-2977

Holmes Reservation is an open, grassy field located in the heart of Plymouth - a treasured piece of open space in an otherwise developed city center. Visitors can take in distant views of Plymouth Harbor, Duxbury Beach, Clark's Island, and Gurnet Point. Before the Revolutionary War, a section of the field was part of a famous "Muster Ground" where Plymouth farmers in the militia would gather to practice shooting their muskets and marching in formation.

Lloyd Center for Environmental Studies
430 Potomska Road
South Dartmouth, MA
Phone: 508-990-0505

Visitors can enjoy walking trails and exhibits at this nature preserve, set on 55 acres.

Massasoit State Park
Middleboro Avenue
Taunton, MA
Phone: 508-822-7405

This 1,500 acre park features canoeing and boating areas, swimming and fishing. Hiking and cross-country ski trails are also available. There are picnic areas as well as a public campsite.

Miles Standish State Forest
Long Pond Road
Carver, MA
Phone: 508-866-2580

Forest features 14,651 acres of camping, hiking and biking trails, cross-country skiing, canoeing, swimmiing, and fishing areas.

Miles Standish State Forest
Long Pond Road
Carver, MA
Phone: 508-866-2580

Forest features 14,651 acres of camping, hiking and biking trails, cross-country skiing, canoeing, swimmiing, and fishing areas.

Norris Reservation
Dover Street
Norwell, MA
Phone: 781-821-2977

A walk through Norris Reservation’s two-mile trail system takes in a cathedral of pines, groves of beech, and scattered American holly. A granite outcrop, set too deep for early farmers to remove, emerges from the forest floor. Stone walls mark former property boundaries, pastures, and croplands, and a rustic boathouse serves as an observation deck over the North River. Visitors can also enjoy bird watching, cross-country skiing, and fishing on the shores of the North River.

Slocum’s River Reserve
Horseneck Road
Dartmouth, MA
Phone: 781-821-2977

Formerly known as Island View Farm, Slocum's River Reserve includes mature woodlands, agricultural fields, and pastures that slope down to the western bank of the Slocum's River. Two miles of easy trails cross the Reservation and protect more than 3,000 feet of frontage along the river. Adjoining private farmland and pastures produce corn, alfalfa, and horticultural nursery stock and are used to graze livestock.

South Shore Natural Science Center
Jacobs Lane
Norwell, MA
Phone: 617-659-2559

Nature trails are the focal point of this site, which includes a trail for the visually impaired. Exhibits and programs are scheduled here daily.

Two Mile Farm
Union Street
Marshfield, MA
Phone: 781-821-2977

Deriving its name from rights granted in the late 1700’s to the Town of Scituate to harvest salt hay "two miles along the river and half a mile inland on each side," Two Mile Farm preserves one of the region's most scenic and dramatic river views. Trails pass through a white pine woodland, tracking the toppled remains of old stone walls and former farm cart paths. Each trail slopes down to the marsh's edge to a view of the grassy banks of the North River, a designated National Natural Landmark, and the Stetson Meadows beyond.

Wompatuck State Park
Off Route 128
Hingham, MA
Phone: 617-749-7160

This state park cross-country, hiking and bike trails. Fishing areas and swimming are also available. There is a public campground with picnic and rest facilities.

Wompatuck State Park
Off Route 128
Hingham, MA
Phone: 617-749-7160

This state park cross-country, hiking and bike trails. Fishing areas and swimming are also available. There is a public campground with picnic and rest facilities.

Berkshires/Pioneer Valley/Mohawk Trail	Cape Cod	Central Massachusetts/Sturbridge	Greater Boston and Cambridge
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket	North of Boston/Merrimack Valley	South of Boston/Plymouth