Beautiful conservation land in Acton. Largish parking lot on Taylor street at 27…read more The area by the parking lot has some formal gardens - a Day Lilly garden, hosta garden, butterfly garden, etc. all surrounding a large open field with plenty of shade trees, picnic tables and benches. You see lots of people relaxing, lunching, reading, moms with kids etc in this area. There is also a paved wheelchair accessible trail in this area. The back area is woods complete with streams and a bog. The trail overall is 1-1/2 miles (including the handicap accessible portion). A leisurely 30-40 minute walk.

Great place to get outside and walk around a little. There are a ton of benches to rest of read a…read morebook. Lots to see.

This is a nice site with woodland trails, boulders, ledges, and ponds. There is a sunnier area…read morewhere the utility lines cut through, and a nice variety of flora. No animals were visible or audible at the time of day we came, including birds, although the site is owned by Mass Audubon, Signage is good and while there are no bathroom facilities there is a Shaw's not too far away. There is no admission or parking charge. I took off a star because the entrance to the lot is very steep and angled. If you are not careful you will scrape the bottom of your car.

It was pouring down rain but the walk was still pittoresque. The flat terrain was perfect for a wet…read moreday

I love walking in here. The trails are easy to navigate and I love seeing the herons, ducks,…read morebeavers, and turtles. You can easily spend an hour in the refuge. It's a great place to walk and clear your head.

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.

One of the best Trails ever!! If you are looking to ride your bike, ROLLER skaters and this is the…read moreone you wanna ride on. I've been going there since last month and lost over 5,800 Calories LOL! even tho I'm weigh 168.8 pounds. Details: Start to begin length is exactly 12.56 miles ONE WAY! Yes, it's huge starts from Ayer, MA through NH Border. Ride times depends but for me is an 55 minutes to do one way and comeback as I have done it couple times. Total time is about 2 hours to do 24 miles. People's are very friendly and waves their hands/ Hellos while passes by (: P.s Pets are allowed.

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.

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.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! 5 STARS! GREAT BROOK FARM STATE PARK IS ONE OF THE BEST BARGAINS IN BOSTON!…read moreIt's One of the Secret Hidden Gems of America that most people have never head of before or been to either. It's located about an hour outside of Boston in Carlisle MA. YOU GET AN ICE CREAM ADVENTURE WITH LOTS OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, A DAIRY FARM TOUR & YOU SEE A ROBOT COW MILKING MACHINE FOR ONLY $3! If this was $3 a person, it would be a Fantastic Bargain; but it's not. It's $3 a carload! You pay only for the parking space & ALL The Adventure & the Tour is Free! This place is a Steal! Open Dusk to Dawn. Start by downloading the Yodel Parking App. This is a Carry In & Carry Out Trash Facility including dog waste. Bring some trash bags. You can spend the entire day here. We only had time to stay for a few hours.& did some hiking, the dairy tour & hit the Ice Cream Country Store for desserts. This is a 1000-acre park which features more than 20 miles of hiking trails. You can view Native American sites & 17th century cellar holes which were leftover from English settlers. What's unusual about this place is that they have an active dairy farm. They offer free tours several times a day on the weekends only from May to October. You can do the following @ Great Brook Farm State Park. Bring your own gear. * Hiking * Horseback riding * Mountain biking * Biking * Canoeing & Kayaking * BBQing no Charcoal * A Pond, Picnic Tables & Restrooms * Visit with the animals * Take the Dairy Farm Tour * See the Robot Cow Milking Machine * Eat some Homemade Ice Cream The weekend only tour is provided 3 times a day @ 1, 3 & 5 PM. It provides detailed info & you learn learn all about the dairy farm. Seeing & petting all the farm animals was great. The robot milking machine was what everyone came to see. The robot milks 160 dairy cows. The cows wait in line like at a checkout stand at the store. The cows decide on their own when they want to give milk. When it's the cow's turn, they step into the milking machine. The robot has a built in program for every cow. It reads a number tag on the cow's ear & utilizes lasers & vacuum-type hoses to milk the utters. The ice cream here was very good. We all had the peach. Be sure to bring an ice chest because you'll want to take a quart or 2 home with you. Also if you can't decide on what flavor to get they have something called a Flight. It's like a beer or wine flight - 5 different flavors of ice cream so you don't have to decide. Fun Fun Fun Exercise & Learning All for only $3.00 a carload. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

We went on a fantastic snowy walk here with our dog. The Acorn trail is open for hiking in the…read morewinter- dogs allowed. We parked in the lot for the ski touring, crossed the road, and were on our way. We did the North and South loop of the Acorn trail, totaling about 2.5-3 miles. The trail was decently traversed, but I would definitely recommend hiking/snowboots in the winter. It was very peaceful and beautiful here - tall pines and some big pastures.

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.

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.