Lots of area here. On one side is a river and on the other a quarry with a good view of Mount…read moreWachusett. There are benches and well maintained trails. Currently there is ample parking but during the height of the pandemic sometimes the lot would fill up. The landscape is a mix of woodland and a few marshier areas by slower sections of the river. Amazingly there were no mosquitoes though you wouldn't think they would spray for them in a conservation area. Further down the road is a spot where you cam put kayaks and canoes in the water.

An easy, 4.5 mile loop exists at the Cook Conservation Area. The loop combines Farnsworth Trail,…read moreLancaster Trail, & Chapman Trail. Wide, relatively flat, and well cared for trails follow the Nashua River and passes by the remains of the Shoeshank Mill. Wildlife seen include wild turkey, white-tailed deer, tufted titmouse, & American robin. Plenty of shore fishing and two unofficial swimming spots complete with rope swings can easily be found. There are two picnic tables by the river. It would be pretty easy to walk a kayak down to the river edge though there is a kayak put in further up route 70 (towards Lancaster center). NO AMENITIES. Please carry out your trash (especially your bags full of dog poop). Sadly, there are a lot of poop bags and Dunkin' Donuts trash, especially near popular fishing spots as of late.

It was a damn fine day to be at the Wachusett Reservoir Dam, in the low 80's and partly sunny. This…read moreis a beautiful spot, with hundreds of steps to conquer if you want to go to the bottom of the dam and back up. There is also a picturesque fountain with a pool at the bottom of the dam, a great spot to picnic as there are shade trees around the fountain. There are many trails around the reservoir, boasting great views of the pristine waterfront. You can't walk on top of the dam however, as it's been closed off for security reasons. There are many aprking spots around the reservoir, and near the busy dam, you can park on the side of the road. Be careful crossing, it's busy there. We've been here multiple times, and would be happy to return.

It is not a business, it is run by the government. Totally roped off for safety concerns. So you…read morecannot go onto the top of the reservoir but can view Wachusett reservoir from the sidelines. Beautiful view, nice hike and street parking.

I wasn't impressed with this site. It's in the eastern half of the state and you hear almost…read moreconstant noise from planes, a train, and automobiles. We took the Chasm trail but the trail off it to the chasm itself was closed for repairs. Hit the Summit trail and didn't see an overlook at the top, just an ugly concrete water tower. My now my knee was bothering me as I am not a spring chicken, so we went back down to the parking lot. Looked at the map and saw it was quite a ways beyond the water tower to the lookout. I probably could have made it to the outlook and back if I hadn't gone off on the chasm trail. Maybe this is a better site for younger folks, though they did have reading glasses at the kiosk for older folks like me, which I've never seen anywhere before and which, along with clearly marked trails, got them a second star.

I came and did the yellow trail counterclockwise starting at the trailhead off oak hill rd. The…read moretrails were really well marked and easy to follow. The 3.3 mile trail was pretty easy and took me an hour to complete. When I came at 3:30 on a Thursday there were only 2 cars in the parking lot. When I left at 4:30 there were 7 cars at the trailhead. Nice place. I was staying at the minuteman campground and it was only a 5 minute drive from there.

Nice ride, free parking, benches and sculptures along the way. Safe ride from Ayer Culver DR to…read moreSmith Street acess.... I put that on Google maps years ago! Spot off at the library, continue to Salt and light downtown and even down to CVS or Shaws plaza. Safer than going main Rd the whole way and pretty views.

On a beautiful 68 degree day I came here to walk the rail trail with friends but would've loved it…read morejust as much had I run, biked or rollerbladed. There were many families out doing the same but because everyone is courteous and follows etiquette of passing and staying on the right or left, it remained quite enjoyable. The trail itself is a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. The locals are friendly, and the trail itself is flat and well maintained. Yet much of the landscape remains untouched and there is plenty of wildlife (great for bird watching), plants (native, non-native, and unfortunately invasives too), and interesting rock formations to observe. I like to take advantage of the tranquility offered only by nature (the sound of the streams, melodic bird songs, the stillness, and even the smell of the great outdoors). We also stopped by the little ice cream shop in Pepperrell which was a lovely break and a bit of a reward for all the excercise we all got. The only downside, as someone who is highly allergic to insect bites, is the highly aggressive mosquitoes. But just make sure you wear plenty of bugspray and bring enough to reapply. Also don't forget your hat and sunscreen!

There is some interesting flora here - cattails, alder pine cones, yellow irises - but a lot of the…read morearea is too muddy to traverse. There's a building but it's closed to the public and no portable toilets are provided. There is a grassy area for flying model planes. Watch the steep drop from the roadway to the dirt road.

This site is near a major road and has free parking. The trails to the quarry and kiln are short…read moreand could easily be done with a young child. If you're more ambitious there are longer sections I went on with typical New England woodland plants. I and my hiking partner were the only ones there, so social distancing is not an issue. I did have to pee in the woods because there are no bathrooms.

Nice local place to take a walk, learn about the environment, and geocache. The trails are…read morerelatively flat but are not well marked as there is heavy geocaching traffic. The dirt parking lot is just off of 117 and there are maps and booklets to borrow during your trip. The booklet teaches you about fauna & flora found off the trails. Additionally, you can see the old lime quarries and lime kiln. Nice place to visit if you're a local.

I went kayaking on Assabet River twice. It is very nice to…read morebe on the water and listen to birds. Assabet River is calm and doesn't have strong currents, so it is good for casual kayaking. You can see geese, hawk, ducks, and a lot of turtles. There are many cattails. It is fun kayaking some narrow marsh portion, it is like a maze. Spring and fall is the best to kayak here.

I've been visiting quite a bit lately. It's at the southern terminus of the northern portion of the…read moreAssabet River rail Trail. Decent sized parking lot. You can ride your bike north all the way to the South Acton T station. You can ride the bike trails at Assabet. Or you can ride the dirt road along the river down to CIA headquarters. Crow Island Aviation. I have not been lucky enough to see any planes, but CIA is also the home to Revolution Trapeze, and it's pretty awesome to be able to watch the trapeze practice. There are plenty of walking trails. A canoe/kayak launch. And Ronda of amazing wildlife

I truly enjoy this area--it's a beautiful spot for walks, and it's clear that many people feel the…read moresame. Unfortunately, a small percentage of owners choose to keep their dogs off-leash despite the posted leash regulations, which creates an unsafe environment for others. As a responsible dog owner, it's disappointing to see these rules ignored, especially when it leads to incidents. I've been approached aggressively by off-leash dogs twice now (in the last week alone), making it difficult to enjoy the space with my puppy. Most people are considerate, leashing their dogs when near others, but it would be helpful if there were stricter enforcement or penalties for those who disregard the rules to help maintain a safe, welcoming environment for everyone. It is really not a difficult task to leash dogs. And I have asked multiple times for owners to leash while walking by and they absolutely refuse to do so. And I was then attacked and so was my puppy. If you do plan to walk here, I'd recommend being prepared to be attacked by an off leash dog and I would recommend recording the incidents since these dog owners flee the area and blame you for their dogs attacking you. I know numerous responsible dog owners who are unable to walk there due to also being attacked by off leash dogs. I also use to run here as well, but had to stop due to being chased by these dogs. I'd say it is only 10% of the time and by a limited amount of people but it has happened enough to make me nervous.

Great local gem for walking and bike riding. The pond is a reservoir for the town of Hudson, so no…read moreswimming, just plenty of natural beauty seen by the 2 mile path that surrounds it. Access it from Taylor Road, off Rt. 62 in Hudson. Parking is limited. I'd consider it parking "in the rough."

Picturesque trails with a little pond and a small deck seating area and bench around the pond…read more There is a mansions and what appears to be private homes (?) on the grounds as well as a large field. This is not a place to go deep in the woods and the trails are pretty short but it's nice and clean and well maintained, good place for a walk and maybe a picnic.

I have been here several times - once to tour the Doyle Mansion, which is only open something like…read moreonce a year, another time to tour the conservation center when it opened (they were very proud of their composting toilets), and today on the outdoor trails. They're nice and flat and cover more ground than you would think for an urban area. All are well maintained. I don't think they should charge people though to take pictures.

The rock walk in Fitchburg really opened my eyes more of the history of Fitchburg. Peter Capadaglia…read more brought out the history of Fitchburg with the main concern on the Rollstone bolder and Rollstone hill. The work they are doing for the city of Fitchburg to make this history more excess able and to make it a self guided tour by using QR codes on the granite post through Fitchburg all the way to the top of Rollstone hill. This is being done by all grants which we need to continue this work. Rollstone hill is a Hidden gem that needs to be made known to anyone that visits our great city of Fitchburg. Peter does two guided tours a year one in the summer one in the fall. This summer tour they were able to have the assistance of FATV Fitchburg Access Television. They filmed the tour and are going to make it available to people who would never be able to make up top to Rollstone hill and to others who never heard of Rollstone hill in Fitchburg. Let's make Fitchburg great again

They offer guided tours once or twice a year and I've been wanting to go on one. I finally got a…read morechance last fall and I'm really glad I did! The guide tells you a lot about the local history and his pace is really good. As expected since the tour goes up a large hill into a quarry, there's some steep climbs and lots of loose rocks around, but it was manageable. I know they're working on creating a self-guided option. If you get a chance to do the rock walk, do it!