HIKING TRAILS NORTH OF BOSTON

NORTH OF BOSTON HIKING AREA MAP

TIPS FOR HIKING IN AREAS NORTH OF BOSTON

• BRING A MAP - most of the parks and hiking areas mentioned above do not all have a well-blazed or well-marked trail system. If you are used to hiking trails that have every junction well-marked with an obvious and intuitive trail sign, you may be surprised how infrequently you find that in this region. The good news is that most of these parks have trail maps that you can download on the internet (for free). In addition, you can also purchase the 2015 Bay Circuit Trail maps, which shows most trails in the region.


• BEWARE OF VEHICLE BREAK-INS - Don't leave anything valuable in your car. Although relatively rare in the heavily-populated Northeastern Massachusetts, break-ins do occur at trailheads from time to time.


• CARRY APPROPRIATE FOOD - Carry the appropriate type and amount of food based on the season you are hiking in (some foods will melt in summer, and some foods become rock-solid in winter) and the length of your hike.


• GET AN REI MEMBERSHIP - Purchase a $20 REI membership to save 8-10% on all full-price REI purchases for the rest of your life (you have no idea how much time you'll probably spend at their stores and on Rei.com). Also, strongly consider applying for the REI credit card (you can earn hundreds of dollars in dividends each year if you use this credit card as your primary card for your non-REI purchases).


• GET SOME ELECTROLYTES - Bring a sports drink (e.g. Gatorade) to get some electrolytes into your system. This is especially important on hot and humid days.


• BUGS - Bugs can be a real nuisance in this region throughout the entire warm-weather hiking season, although some days they are there, some days they are not. Common annoyances include: ticks (especially in spring), greenheads (near the ocean for a period of 2-3 weeks in summer typically), deer flies, and mosquitoes. You'll probably want to bring some DEET spray with you. And always check yourself for ticks after each hike.


• WINTER SEASON - trails are generally snow and ice free in Northeastern Massachusetts from April through November. In some years December can be snow and ice free as well. Most snow and ice is usually gone by early to mid March.


• ELEVATION GAIN - although there are no significant mountains in Northeastern Massachusetts, many trails have enough rocky ups and downs to make the trails seem much harder than they would appear based upon mileage.


• HIKING CROWDS - generally speaking, there are little or no crowds on the trails in this region. Enjoy the solitude!
  
  
• DOGS/PETS - although many of the parks above allow pets, many require them to be on-leash. A few select parks allow dogs off-leash or have a long-history of tolerating well-behaved dogs off-leash.


• THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATION - become familiar with this outstanding non-profit conservation organization. They have more than 100 conservation properties across the state of Massachusetts, many of which offer fantastic hiking trails. There are a half-dozen or so of these reservations that are located north of Boston that offer great hiking trails. Take note that a growing number of their properties now include a parking fee (which usually take credit card).
  

Crane Beach, Ipswich

TOP TEN PLACES TO HIKE NORTH OF BOSTON

• AVIS Conservation Lands (there are many AVIS properties in the town of Andover, and some are interconnected)
• Bay Circuit Trail (this 230-mile long trail from Plum Island to the South Shore is one of the finest semi-urban paths in the U.S.A.)
• Dogtown
• Harold Parker State Forest
• Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
• Lynn Woods Reservation
• Middlesex Fells Reservation
• Ravenswood Park
• Ward Reservation
• Willowdale State Forest

Babson Boulders, Dogtown, Gloucester

Skull Rock, Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn

Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield

Crane Beach, Ipswich

Halibut Point State Park, Rockport

J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve, Wenham

Babson Boulders, Dogtown, Gloucester

Dungeon Rock, Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn

bridge over the Ipswich River, Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield

Appleton Farms, Hamilton

Babson Boulders, Dogtown, Gloucester

walking the Bay Circuit Trail in Hamilton

Halibut Point State Park, Rockport

Stone Tower, Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn

Holt Hill, Ward Reservation, Andover

Danvers Rail Trail, Danvers

HELPFUL LINKS

• Bay Circuit Trail & Greenway = link
• Essex County Trail Association = link
• Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust = link
• Massachusetts Audubon Society = link
• Massachusetts State Parks = link
• The Trustees of Reservations = link
• Town of Andover: AVIS = link

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