I work with free family programs at the Appalachian Mountain Club that visit this park, so I to see it regularly.
The Ashland Town Forest is large, 550 acres of forest, streams and 5 different hiking trails, including the Bay Circuit Trail. You can go 1-2 miles on the trail and see vernal ponds, streams and quarries. What's really neat is the history behind this land: Governor Danforth once owned this land, and likely used it to help victims of the Salem Witch Trials and their families start a new life away from persecution in Salem. The nearby Salem's End Road is named for this. Several collapsed caves near the water towers are believed to be the first spot where the victims found shelter, and they're now known as the Witches Caves and Devil's Den.
This is a great place to get away from it all. I see more deer than people when I'm here! read more