My mom and I stopped by Walden Pond when we spent a day in Concord a week or so ago, and it was a…read moretreat to experience it on my first visit to Concord. Walden Pond is a pond, not very different from ponds all over the country. What makes it special is its association with Henry David Thoreau. He lived in a cabin on the shore of the pond for two years, and the pond and his experience living there inspired one of his most famous works, "Walden; or, Life in the Woods." The park has a lot to offer. There are trails, including the Pond Path, which circles the pond. There are beach areas. There is a visitor center, where you can watch a short documentary about Walden Pond. There's a gift shop/bookstore, where you can buy a copy of Walden to read while looking at Walden. There's also the replica of Thoreau's cabin (you can also visit the site of the original cabin). My mom and I visited the Visitor Center, watched the documentary, and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the main beach. We saw tons of people hiking, swimming, boating, kayaking, and more. Walden Pond is a special place - a must visit if you're also visiting Concord for the first time.

The pond is a great place for solitude, but don't expect solitude on a weekend with warm weather…read more Everyone and their mother was out swimming, barbecuing, drinking, etc. While it's amazing to see everyone being active, I do wish part of the pond had a quiet area. There is a lot of construction and swimming, but it would be so nice for one small corner to be off limits to swimming and have benches just for a peaceful aspect. It's a beautiful area though and the visitor center is well done. Lots of neat information and a fun gift shop.

First time here, but I don't know a single person that hasn't recommended it without rave reviews…read more PROS: Trails. Great for off leash dog walking. There were tons of dogs roaming about, owners right on their heels, so no worries about unattended animals. Clean(er) ponds, since they're connected to flowing water sources. There was only spot we saw where the water seemed stagnant. Most everywhere else it was relatively clean. It's not crystal blue Caribbean waters, obviously, but for your dog to swim in, it's good. CONS: Parking seemed tight. Found a spot, but it looks like local residents are not happy about street parking for overflow, so there were signs prohibiting street parking. This was at the Drabbington entrance. I'm sure there's another entrance I don't know about. OVERALL: My new gold standard for off leash hiking.

Great hike! This hike is easy and the length is 1.2 mi, it might take 30 minutes to walk around…read more The huge surprise was that you can let your dog walk without the leash. A lot of people bring their dogs. This hike has a lake where your dog can swim. Nature is beautiful, when you are walking around you could hear the woodpeckers. The only problem is parking. There are not a lot of parking spots, and if you go there, there are only residents parking on the weekends. There is no additional parking available for people who just visiting the park.

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.

great place to take a walk. dog friendly as well. trail has loops and offshoots to make it fun!…read morewould recommend checking it out.

Cash only!! (Only reason it's not a 5!) Plan ahead…read more... Solid service by Bri, and the young men who launch you and help you back in. Thanks for such an affordable, reliable kayaking opportunity. Part of my summer rituals now.... Know that the website is not current, either.... But what they do, they do well!

Friendly staff, great location. I've gone during the week and on the weekends and there are…read moresometimes a wait on the weekends. We had a great experience and it was a beautiful day! It's definitely worth the ride!

A lovely place to observe art while going for a walk. Staff were absolutely lovely and the gift…read moreshop was filled with art themed treasure.

As a Trustee member, I am so happy that this park is included on my membership. I enjoy walking…read morearound and exploring the sculptures and going for a walk. You might want to make sure that they are open for regular hours before heading out there. There was one time we drove there and were informed that they were closing early because of a wedding was taking place. We weren't even allowed to do a quick drive around although they were closing in an hour and there were many visitors around. Lesson learned and I planned ahead by checking their website for future visits.

Came here for a company outing and this place was so much fun. It's so quiet, pretty, you feel like…read moreyou're really out there, especially with the fall views and all (recommend coming here during Fall like I did). We picked string beans, cherry tomatoes & flowers and it was so much fun. Staff were super friendly. I do recommend wearing boots or shoes that can get muddy though (some people wore white sneakers I was like yeah no). There's definitely lots to do!

First of all, this a butcher farm that has a few animals they rehabilitate so they call the whole…read morefarm a "wildlife sanctuary." This is misleading at best. There is no fruit to buy and just a few vegetables near the fresh pork for sale of the slaughtered pigs. There are several areas to view of different animals on the kill list... basically a place that promotes the Mass Audubon Society. I would never go back!

This was one of the best trips I've been on. A friend of mine who had taken another trip with SUP…read moreYO invited me to go with her. There were 12 of us and everyone got along. I don't know if the type of vacation (hiking and camping) helped to self select the people but by the end of the week we had gotten really close as a group. SUP YO also picked amazing guides. They were fun, funny, knowledgeable, and basically one of the gang with guide authority. The owner of the company came with us on this trip. She was fun, did everything we did, never put on any airs, and I felt like she was "one of us.". All of the food, hotel, etc was taken care of. We even celebrated a birthday for one one of the hikers in the group! I am looking for more trips to go on with SUP YO and a group of us are planning to go in another trip or a weekend hike together again!!

From the owner: SUP YO exists to connect like-minded souls through outdoor adventure. With transformative…read morepaddleboard yoga, hikes, retreats, and outdoor escapes, we inspire others to step outside of their comfort zones, challenge themselves in mind, body, and spirit, and discover their truest selves.

Beautiful! How can you rate a lake? Well there are a few things that come to mind: rest area, bug…read morepopulation, accessibility, and swim-ability. Rest: there are places all around the banks to plop down or set up some folding chairs. There is lots of tree coverage and shade around the lake. Bugs: Plenty. (I think they're primarily baby dragonflies because it's Spring and 'tis the season) Accessibility: There's a parking lot! (G-d bless the 21st century in which natural areas come with parking lots) It also is along the Narrow Gauge Rail-Trail so it's accessible by a bike/walk path. You do need to do a tiny 1-minute hike down a small hill to get to the lake. Swim-ability: Rules for swimming are unknown. I can tell you that right on the edge of the lake, it's a little scummy, so I'm not sure it's appealing/a good idea to do so. No trash though! All in all, a wonderful lake to visit, might not spend the day here, but still worth the pretty views.

Fawn lake is surrounded by a loop trail. It is still a quiet and pleasant trail to walk after…read moredinner. The scenery view is okay but not nothing special or breathtaking. It is an easy hiking trail with an accessible parking lot. The length of the loop trail is about one mile with marks. During the winter, the trail could be muddy after snow or rain. If you were looking for a stunning place, Fawn lake may not be the first choice.

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a bit off the beaten path but it's very close to Boston…read moreand provides some fun easy hikes and bird watching! The Weir Hill trail winds arounds the park and gives you a nice opportunity to stop by the Assabet River bank. We saw a huge blue heron fly by! The river bank is also a nice boat launch area if you have a kayak or canoe. The Weir Hill trail is about a mile round trip and has a slight incline through some deciduous, secondary growth forest. We were here on a Saturday afternoon and saw very few people around. It's definitely very quiet. This is a nice place to stop by and check out when you're coming back from a day/weekend trip further west.

I went kayaking in Sudbury river in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The river is calm…read moreand we saw many animals, including birds (geese, swan, and a number of others that I couldn't see but hear), fish, muskrats. During COVID-19 pandemic, kayaking is one of the best activities that can keep social distance.