Scenic spot with beautiful grounds, approx 200 stone steps up or down to different levels, if you…read morefeel like Rocky that day. There is a street level vantage point atop the dam area, or you would drive down a different route to get to the reservoir path below the dam. You do not *have* to do the 200 steps, but it's a good workout. Fountain, water basin, excellent jogging or walking area. Historic building with fascinating architecture at the foot of the dam. Really a fantastic stopover between good eats and quaint villages. The bridge across the dam had a locked gate when we visited, but it is still an excellent vista and visit.

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.

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.

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.

We really enjoyed the hike ~ lots of markings explaining the greenery and flowers. Lots of heavy,…read morethick vines wrapped around trees ~ creepy looking, yet fascinating. The quarry and kiln were amazing. We did bring our dog with us, and she was on leash the whole time. Unfortunately, there were others there with their dogs who were not on leash and would run up to us and our dog. She is a puppy and gets nervous, so I wish people would adhere to the rules and keep their dogs on leash. Other than that, a great experience!!

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.

It's a nice place to let your dogs swim in the drinking water. It's also a nice place to let your…read moredogs shit on the trail. Great fishing too.

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.

The beauty of nature, it's all around !…read more The leaves change, the water babbles over a brook and feeds into a lake! Love it. This state park is beautiful! It's massive! At every turn it's the best of all times! They have dedicated parking! They have flowers, trees, the leaves changing! Let the joy of the out doors be your inner peace. Explore nature.

I've been here a few times, it's not a huge park at approximately 400 acres, but it is big enough,…read moreand absolutely beautiful at certain times in the spring with an abundance of azaleas and rhododendrons producing a plethora of spectacular blossoms. There are two popular running and hiking trails, Eames Pond via old Bringham Road (1.8 miles) and Davis Hill Field/Laurel Hill Loop (1.7 miles). We hiked most of these two on this visit. There are many other trails for hiking, walking and exploring including the Black Hill Road Trail, Azalea Path and Judy's Secret Garden Loop Trail. Many of these feature beautiful azaleas, rhododendrons and other flora to be admired in the Spring. Eames Pond offers nice views, from the bridge and some of the trails. There is also a lovely cascading stream, small waterfall, sawmill and other historic buildings. There are some picnic tables scattered about, I could argue Moore needs more of these! That said, Moore needs a lot more parking. The lot is small, and many people park alongside the road, making it difficult for two cars to pass. Overall, this is a very pleasant park to visit, and you can take dogs on a leash. Note that there is no swimming here.

The trails in this piece of woods not far from the urban parts of Leominster are well maintained…read more It's a one mile loop which in parts goes along vernal pools. However, we did not see or hear any frogs. It was not that muddy even in spring. The entrance is a rutted dirt road and parking is on gravel. This is typical New England woodland habitat but with houses visible along the trail. It's not "pure nature" but is good if you aren't able to handle strenuous hiking.

Mount Wachusett is so much fun every season of the year! This time I was there in July and hiked…read morePine tree Trail. It is the shortest trail however it is very steep and even though I'm from Massachusetts and I used to climb this mountain every year growing up, this was a challenge for me. I live in Florida and it's flat I had my map, a bottle of water, a protein bar, my phone and my windstorm whistle (the world's loudest). I felt pretty safe. With a lot of huffing and puffing and some encouragement by a few hikers along the way, I made it to the top. Just as I exited the trail, a park ranger stopped me and notified me that the summit was closed due to blasting! He said that by the time I go back down, I might be able to get to the summit. It was rather a disappointment, but I just laughed about it. Quirky things like this had happened my whole trip up to Massachusetts. On the way down, I found a walking stick that someone had made out of a branch and it really helped me because the rocks were huge and it was hard for me to maneuver. I then decided that I was going to take my shoes off and go, barefoot like I did as a child and it helped tremendously as my feet had better grip than with the shoes on. Once I hit the crossroads between trails and it was dirt, I had to put my shoes back on. I met a woman near the end of the trail and she hikes the pine tree trail all the time just for exercise. We talked until we hit the parking lot of the visitor station. Christine sells upcycled winter fashion. You can see her work at salvagesistas.com I also met a man at the summit with his three children, and I was highly impressed that he had his children out in the fresh air learning about Mount Wachusett, and all the great places they could see from the tower.

It's been eight years since my last visit to the mountain. Amazing how it's changed yet remains the…read moresame! My bestie drove us and we paid $5 admission; I don't recall having to do that last time, but I'm happy to support the park. Drove up part way and parked at an overlook then walked to the top in the after heat. Beautiful vista of Nashoba Valley and Worcester county. You can see Mount Monadnock well but not Boston so much but as New England weather changes so do the vistas. Peaceful calm and very much worth the trip. Great memories of epic hikes. I love coming here because this place will always be home to me. Mount Wachusett, come check it!! =D

A lot of history, great time !!! Learning about the boulder and railroad in Fitchburg.read more

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