North of Boston/Merrimack Valley has woods and beach places to walk
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.
Gott Avenue
Rockport, MA
Phone: 508-546-2997
Halibut Point is a beautiful coastal seascape. Looking seaward, the view stretches from Crane Beach in Ipswich to Mount Agamenticus in Maine and the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. A Visitors Center located near the Babson Farm quarry features exhibits about the park's natural and cultural history. The 60-foot tall structure offers panoramic views.
The park is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day; a parking fee is charged. The park is open sunrise to sunset from Labor Day to Memorial Day. On weekends from Memorial Day through Columbus Day tours of the quarry are offered. Other programs include wildflower walks and tidepool programs during the summer and seabird walks during the winter. Recreational uses:
Fishing,
historic site,
picnicking,
scenic viewing area,
cross-country skiing,
walking trails.
305 Middleton Road
North Andover, MA
Phone: 508-686-3391
Harold Parker State Forest, which lies in Andover, North Andover, North Reading and Middleton, comprises just over 3,000 acres of central hardwood-hemlock-white pine forest. The forest has over 35 miles of logging roads and trails and offers quiet seclusion to off-road hikers and bikers. Non-motorized boating is allowed on any of the 11 ponds. No horse, boat, or bike rentals.
Lorraine Park Campground, located about two miles from the Headquarters, at 133 Jenkins Road, contains 89 sizeable campsites that are spread out sufficiently to provide a real "forest" camping experience. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and a grill. No electric or water hookups are available; the bathrooms have hot water showers. Camping is offered late May to early September; office hours are from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Camping office phone is 978-475-7972.
Recreational opportunities: hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, camping and picnicking.
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
Open daily 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
A restored boarding house with two floors of interactive exhibits tells the tale of Lawrence, one of the nation's first planned industrial cities. Along with stories of Lawrence's mill workers and industry, the workers' role in the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike is relived with images and sounds. Walk along the esplanade of a 19th-century canal and through a park created within the walls of an industrial-era building.
The Visitors Center includes a turn-of-the–century kitchen and models of the mills and boarding houses. Visitors can trace the routes of more than 30 immigrant populations who settled in Lawrence. A video presentation of the Great Strike of 1912 tells the story of nearly 30,000 workers and the nation’s labor struggles.
The park offers free band concerts, lectures, drama performances, children’s events, games, sailing lessons, special events and guided tours. The Bread and Roses Festival on Labor Day is an annual highlight. Guided tours are offered by reservation.
Pemberton Park, off Canal Street near the Central Bridge, offers superb views of the city’s mills and historic dam, and oportunities for fishing and boating. The park property is about five acres and will soon extend to the Great Stone Dam. Walking trails, lighting and benches make this park an attractive place to visit in daylight or at dusk.
Lowell Heritage State Park
160 Pawtucket Blvd
Lowell, MA
Phone: 978-369-6312
Lowell boasts a remarkable network of 19th-century canals created to provide power to the bustling textile mills that operated along the water's edge. Today the buildings remain and continue to evoke the sense of a great industrial city. Visitors can participate in activities, including canal rides, and explore exhibits about Lowell's role in America's industrial history presented in conjunction with the Lowell National Historical Park. A Victorian garden in the heart of the downtown area, and over two miles of landscaped esplanade, summer concerts, and swimming and boating in the Merrimack River are additional attractions at this popular park. The swim area is managed by the City of Lowell from July to August.
The Rourke Brothers State Boat Ramp, Route 113 (Pawtucket Blvd.) is open seasonally to the public to provide boating access to the Merrimack River. The boat ramp (managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation) is composed of 42 trailer lots, 2 HP trailer lots, 18 car top lots, and 2 HP car top lots. There is no fee to use the use the ramp or to park. The entrance to the boat ramp is directly across from Tyco Electronics, Inc. located at 1011 Pawtucket Blvd. and is one-half mile west of the Rourke Bridge.
Recreational opportunities: Accessible Restrooms
bicycling paths,
boating,
boat ramp,
canoeing,
fishing,
hiking,
historic site,
scenic viewing area,
swimming,
visitor's center,
walking trails.
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
Trotting Park Road
Lowell, MA
Phone: 978 369-6312
Located in three towns, this forest contains 1,140 acres including 180 acres of ponds, swamps, and wetlands. The forest has six miles of trails offering hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Hunting is permitted in season.
Recreational opportunities:
nonmotorized boating,
fishing,
hiking,
horseback riding trails,
hunting (restrictions),
skiing (cross-country),
walking trails.
Curzon Mill Road
Newburyport, MA
Phone: 978-465-7223
This park features 19th century gardens and plantings, rolling meadows, towering pines, and one of the largest naturally-occurring stands of mountain laurel in Massachusetts. Most breathtaking are the ornamental trees and masses of azaleas and rhododendrons that bloom in May and June. An exquisite place for walking, biking, horseback riding and informal picnics. Cultural events are a regular feature during the summer. During the winter a portion of the park is off limits due to roosting bald eagles, but the remainder provides excellent cross country skiing and winter walks. Parking Fee at is $2.
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.
Salem Sound
Salem, MA 01970
Phone: 978-526-8687
Fax: 978-356-2143
Ruins of a turn-of-the-century summer colony...
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.
Beach Road, Route 1A
Salisbury, MA 01952
Phone: 508-462-4481
Salisbury Beach is one of the state's most popular ocean beaches, stretching 3.8 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. This 521-acre park offers swimming, boating, fishing, and camping, and is very popular with trailer campers. Facilities include a 484-site campground with renovated bathhouses, an extensive day-use parking lot, three new comfort stations for beach users with boardwalks over the dunes, and a new playground and pavilion area. The facility also has two boat ramps on the Merrimack River at the campground's southern edge. In fall and winter, harbor seals often sun themselves on the jetty.
The campground office hours are 8 a.m.–10 p.m. The camping season is from early May to mid-October. Off-season camping is available from mid-October to late November for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night stays. There is a $2 per night surcharge for camping fees at Salisbury Beach. the $2 surcharge will be added to the day-use fee for cars and buses.
Parker River Wildlife Refuge, Refuge Road
Ipswich, MA
Phone: 508-462-4481
Sandy Point is at the southern tip of Plum Island, a classic Atlantic Ocean barrier island. The 77-acre park is among the state's most beautiful and popular coastal beaches. It is also an important nesting area for the piping plover and the least tern. Recreational activities include walking, beachcombing, fishing, and birding. Access is through the abutting Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The reservation is open sunrise till sunset. Parking is allowed only in two designated areas. When these lots are full, the reservation is temporarily closed. Pedestrians have free access to the beach, but must stay clear of all fenced areas.
Island Road
Essex, MA 01929
Phone: 978-526-8687
Fax: 978-356-2143
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.
Prospect Road
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-3580
Fax: 978-682-3580
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.
Stevens Street
North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-3580
Fax: 978-682-3580
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
Willowdale offers trail-use opportunities on 40 miles of trails and fishing and boating on 100-acre Hood Pond. There are no developed recreational facilities at the forest, which is two separate parcels divided by Route 1. The eastern block of the Forest abuts Bradley Palmer State Park and the Ipswich River.
Recreational opportunities:
hiking,
horseback riding trails,
hunting (west side of Route 1),
mountain biking,
skiing (cross-country),
walking trails.
School Street
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944
Phone: 978-356-4351
Fax: 978-356-2143
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.
Route 1A
Ipswich, MA 01938
Phone: 978-356-5728
Fax: 978-412-9587
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.
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.
Bradley Palmer State Park
Asbury Street
Topsfield, MA
Phone: 508-887-5931
This 721-acre former estate features pine needled paths, acres of sunny rolling meadows and spectacular rhododendrons which line old carriage roads. Peak bloom is usually in mid-June.
Hunting is allowed at Cleveland Farm. Archery hunting only at Prospect Hill. No rentals of horses or equipment available.
Recreational opportunities:
pool,
canoeing,
fishing,
hiking,
horseback riding trails,
hunting (restrictions),
mountain biking,
picnicking
skiing (cross-country)
walking trails.
Summer Street (Route 127)
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944
Phone: 978-356-4351
Fax: 978-356-2143
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.
