Skinner State Park really surprised me. The drive up was beautiful and the view at the top over the…read morePioneer Valley made me stop and just take it in. I also liked reading about the old Mt. Holyoke Summit House and the incline railway that used to bring people up the mountain. I'm a sucker for places with a bit of history mixed in with the views And of course I loved seeing it with our friends we met on a cruise 24 years ago!

Iconic set of rolling wooded hills over looking the Connecticut River and surrounding lowlands…read more Skinner State Park is approximately 3,000 acres once privately owned now overseen by the Mass DCR. There are an intertwining network of trails from the base, along the ridge, and through the wooded parkland. Bring a GPS and trail maps are available at the gates and in the Summit House. This was my first time hiking here. A life long buddy & hiking pal encouraged me to join him. He was excited to try out his new hip on some varying terrain. He drove in from Vermont, me from CT. Both of us aging (gracefully) we each used an adjustable pair hiking sticks, which did come in handy both ascending and descending the hills. We found the trails were all very well maintained and well traveled. There's a system of trail markers and blazes to follow. Keep in mind bikes and horse are allowed, so hikers, keep your eye open and give way to wheels & hooves. The Summit House does have access too by vehicle, but (!) parking is very limited up top and DRC Rangers control traffic flow. We parked very close to Hockanum Road (Rte 47) and hiked up. Views at the Summit House stunning 360 degrees. If the House is open (seasonally) take time to tour the former residence and Lodge. View from the House decks are even better. My foot recently repaired foot & my buddies new hip passed the test!

I seriously love this place. I've been coming to Ashley for the past 12 years to walk and enjoy…read morenature. Great place to go for a run or a nice stroll. Side note--Recently my brother's gotten into bird watching and was able to spot FIFTEEN new (to him) birds which he was hyped about. That being said, there are some spots throughout the year I would avoid as it's where the geese lay their eggs.

From the 1/2 Way to St. Patricks Day road race to Jacks Walk this is truly a great place for any…read moreoccasion. So many people were out and about over the weekend enjoying the first sunny day in a week. Seen a few people bring dogs in which is a no no so leave your loved ones at home if you have never been. There are clearly marked signs so don't be that person who gets fined $300 for your inability to follow instructions. Parking is hit or miss, there is plenty of it but you may need to park in the overflow lot where you enter.

What a special day at Quabbin Reservoir! I've always been fascinated by the history of the towns…read morethat were flooded to create the reservoir, so getting to see it in person was something special and our friends told us the history while we drove around and saw different spots along the way. The views were absolutely beautiful, and we may have gotten a little too excited when we spotted the turkeys. The best part was sharing the day with friends we met on a cruise 24 years ago. Beautiful scenery, fascinating history, wildlife, and longtime friends... it doesn't get much better than that.

The Quabbin Reservoir Visitor Center is well worth a visit. The history and evolution of the…read morereservoir including indigenous wildlife are explained in detail. Very friendly and helpful staff. Ample free parking, too. The Reservoir is astounding.

A beautiful place to explore. If you have time take the trail all the way to the end.read more

This is a highly recommended walking/hiking trail right off Rt.21 outside of Ludlow traveling…read moreNorth. The area has a paved and unpaved portion of trail but hikers are asked only to use the paved section, there are many foot paths off the trail leading closer to the water if you wish to fish in season. The total round-trip hike is approximately 6.5 miles; it is a truly a beautiful seclude scenic spot surrounding the Reservoir; particularly interesting are the many boulders at the waters edge and throughout the whole walk evidence of earlier glacier activity. Regardless of the season this location affords you an opportunity to get away and enjoy natures solitude in a secluded pristine wooded environment.

Gorgeous place for a hike! While visiting this area, my buddy and I were looking for a place to…read morehike and I came across this place on the internet. It was close by and looked fun, so we went for a hike there the 4th of July. The sanctuary is well maintained and the trails for easy to find for the most part. Most of the trails are not too challenging, but the North Trail was very steep as it seems you climb down the mountain and then back up it! Not sure what the vertical was on that but going down there was a lot a bit of sitting on rocks and sliding down and climbing back up you needed to use your hands and knees a couple of times. Plus there are a lot of stream crossings, but none too challenging. It was raining when we were there so sometimes the stones were slippery but nobody fell in! If you go to the ledges (see map) first, you get a great view of the valley. If you want to continue on the trail, you need to go down to the stone ledges past the chimney and look north (to your right) and you should see the trail sign down in the woods. We didn't see it when we went there so we went back the other way and circled back around. It took us about two hours to hike around the entire sanctuary. We used the Dutch and Mary Barnard Trail, the Wolves Den Loop Trail and then the North Trail back to the Ledges and then back to the parking area. The main parking area is small...probably only 6-8 cars would fit there. I enjoyed visiting here a lot.

The mountain is a very cool place with the BEST marked trails and map I've seen so far. As someone…read morewho frequently goes the wrong way when hiking it was a huge relief to know exactly where I was on the mountain. The visitor center staff was helpful and parking plentiful. There are many trail options from wide and easy to narrow and more challenging. None of it was tough. I'd say this is a great choice for those who don't hike often, or like a fun over a hard climb. We did a 6 Mile loop to the reservoir on top of the mountain and back down along the Rose Ledge trail.

Northfield Mountain is a great place to go for recreation, education, or just to relax. It is not…read moreonly a recreational/conservation area but also a pumped storage hydroelectric facility (meaning that it has a man-made pond of sorts at the top of the mountain that is used for hydroelectric power when the towns and cities in the area need it...they have free tours to check it out!). There are also a lot of outdoor activities including hiking trails, education programs, canoing, and the list goes on (check out their website). The scenery is incredible, its a very quiet place to go and take in some nature. I was there recently for an environment education program which was a lot of fun and very well organized. I've actually been going to place since I was a kid.

Love walking on this trail! It's very peaceful and calm, just make sure to stay to the side when…read morebikers are passing. Lots of people tend to walk on this path and the path extends pretty far which is nice.

This was a great day and a fun trail. Not too crowded on the day that I went. People are pretty…read morerespectful to stay in their lanes and not wandering all over. Electric bikes, and some gas powered scooters were on the trail exceeding safe limits. This is the only issue I had with the trail. 11 1/2 miles each way. I started at the Belchertown trailhead. Approximately 30 spots for parking and maybe a few along the street. There's also random parking along the trail and some of the smaller towns. There is a cute stop along the trail for refreshments/food. That's about the 4 mile mark.

We went to Ruggles Pond at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. It's a great, VERY small beach…read more There are lots of hiking trails all around. It has a sandy beach and a grassy area - the beach is sunny, the grassy areas are both sunny & shaded. You can swim and kayak/canoe here. The swimming portion is very small, but our kids loved it nonetheless. NOTE: There isn't really any cell service. Very limited. I could send slightly delayed texts and it took a while to send a photo, but no wifi and I could barely make a call. I have Verizon. There is a fee to enter, but we didn't see where to pay. We used a free pass from our library, anyway. For MA residents, a pass to all the state parks for 2018 is $60, so we might invest in that. There are not real bathrooms, from what we saw. We saw a port-a-potty at the end of the parking lot (in direct sunlight). Better than nothing, though! There aren't any shaded parking spots, but there is lots of parking. The parking and the beach are on the same level, i.e.: no having to walk down to the beach from the car. You can use inflatable devices, life vests, pool noodles, etc. It is non-smoking. I am not sure if animals are allowed or not; I forgot to check. The one negative: We saw both leeches AND snakes. I'll attach a photo of the snake. We saw 4 of the same kind. They never bothered us; they slithered away in the water. However, after another person there got a leech attached to him, we noticed there were actually quite a few leeches, so we pulled the kids out and decided to leave. We figure that maybe with more active use, there will be less leeches & snakes, but who knows!

Beautiful spot. Great for hiking, picnicking and a dip in the pond. The pond was like a hidden gem…read morewith nearby lakes packed with people. The park was huge--we didn't get to explore most of it unfortunately but would love to go back.