AMC's Best Day Hikes near Boston, 2nd : Four-Season Guide to 60 of the Best Trails in Eastern Massachusetts

by Tougias, Michael; Burk, John S.

• ISBN13: 9781934028476
• ISBN10: 1934028479
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-12
• Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books

Summary

Discover 60 of the best day hikes in the Boston area with this fully updated four-season guide from the Appalachian Mountain Club. Whether you are an outdoors person or visitor looking to explore the trails of the Greater Boston area and Cape Cod, this book is a must-have resource for shorter walks and day-long adventures. This new edition adds ten more hikes for beginner and intermediate hikers. From the barrier beach on Plum Island, to close-in hikes in the Middlesex Fells and Blue Hills, to quite walks on the South Shore and Cape Cod, this guide offers a variety of trails for all ability levels and interests. An at-a-glance chart highlights the best hikes near public transportation, for kids, and for winter snowshoeing and skiing.

Author Biography

Michael Tougias is an expert on the wild places of Massachusetts, and has authored many books about New England, including River Days and Autumn Trails. John S. Burk is a freelance writer and photographer and editor of the AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide.

Table of Contents

Locator Map	p. iv
At-a-Glance Trip Planner	p. viii
Preface	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
Introduction	p. xxiii
How to Use This Book	p. xxv
Trip Planning and Safety	p. xxvii
Leave No Trace	p. xxxi
Boston/Inside Routes 95/128
Middlesex Fells: Cross Fells Trail	p. 3
Middlesex Fells: Rock Circuit Trail	p. 8
Middlesex Fells: Skyline Trail	p. 12
Middlesex Fells: Reservoir Trail	p. 17
Wilson Mountain Reservation	p. 21
Blue Hills: Ponkapoag Pond	p. 26
Blue Hills: Observation Tower Loop	p. 32
Blue Hills: Great Blue Hill Green Loop	p. 37
Blue Hills: Houghton's Pond Yellow Dot Loop	p. 41
Blue Hills: Skyline Trail	p. 45
Arnold Arboretum	p. 50
Jamaica Pond	p. 56
Stony Brook Reservation	p. 60
Boston Harbor: Spectacle Island	p. 64
Lynn Woods	p. 68
Breakheart Reservation	p. 72
North of Boston
Coolidge Reservation	p. 79
Ravenswood Park	p. 83
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge at Plum Island	p. 87
Crane Beach Loop	p. 92
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 97
Weir Hill Reservation	p. 102
Ward Reservation	p. 106
Bald Hill Reservation	p. 112
Appleton Farms Grass Rides	p. 116
Halibut Point State Park	p. 120
West of Boston
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge	p. 127
Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge	p. 131
Great Brook Farm State Park	p. 136
Wachusett Reservoir and Reservation	p. 140
Mount Pisgah Conservation Area	p. 146
Minute Man National Historical Park: Battle Road Trail	p. 150
Walden Pond	p. 155
Lincoln Conservation Land: Mount Misery	p. 160
Lincoln Conservation Land: Sandy Pond	p. 164
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 168
Noanet Woodlands	p. 172
King Philip's Overlook and Rocky Narrows Reservation	p. 176
Rocky Woods Reservation	p. 182
Noon Hill Reservation	p. 186
F. Gilbert Hills State Forest: Blue Triangle Loop	p. 190
South of Boston and Cape Cod
Great Esker Park	p. 197
World's End Reservation	p. 202
Whitney and Thayer Woods	p. 207
North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 212
Camp Titicut Reservation	p. 216
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 222
Wheaton Farm Conservation Area	p. 227
Borderland State Park	p. 231
Freetown-Fall River State Forest	p. 235
Caratunk Wildlife Refuge	p. 241
Myles Standish State Forest: Easthead Trail and Bentley Loop	p. 246
Ellisville Harbor State Park	p. 251
Lowell Holly Reservation	p. 255
Sandy Neck Circuit	p. 260
Nickerson State Park: Cliff Pond Loop	p. 264
Fort Hill	p. 268
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary	p. 272
Great Island	p. 278
Cape Cod National Seashore: Pilgrim Heights	p. 283
Nature and History Essays
An Urban Oasis	p. 31
Introduced Pests: A Threat to Our Eastern Forests	p. 55
The Life and Times of a Bog	p. 111
Massachusetts' Watershed Wilderness	p. 145
Henry David Thoreau: Naturalist, Explorer, and Writer	p. 159
King Philip's War: An Early American Conflict	p. 181
The Taunton River: Flowing Through History	p. 221
Endangered Predator: Eastern Timber Rattlesnakes	p. 240
A Haven for Coastal Wildlife	p. 277
A Timely Acquisition: The Birth of Cape Cod National Seashore	p. 287
Appendices
The Bay Circuit Trail	p. 288
Cross-Country Skiing	p. 290
Wildlife Watching	p. 292
Index	p. 297
About the Authors	p. 301
Appalachian Mountain Club	p. 302
About the AMC in Eastern Massachusetts	p. 303
AMC Book Updates	p. 303
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