Photo: Alan E. Rich Environmental Park
Alan E. Rich Environmental Park - Athol Town of Athol
Main Street
Athol, MA
(978) 249-2496

A park welcoming visitors with car top boat access, picnic benches and a nature trail through Cass Meadow and woodland along the Millers River.

Arthur Iversen Conservation Area - Warwick Gale Rd.
Warwick, MA
(978) 248-2043
landtrust@mountgrace.org

Trails, year-round moss garden, and seasonal waterfall highlight this diverse wildlife habitat area.

Barton Cove Recreation & Camping Area - Gill 82 French King Hwy.
Gill, MA
(413) 863-9300
northfield@gdfsuezna.com

A beautiful rocky peninsula in the Connecticut River, great for a day trip or camping. Rental canoes and kayaks.

Battle-Dorrance Memorial Forest - Orange W. Orange Rd. (Rte. 2A)
Orange, MA
(978) 952-6856
info@newenglandforestry.org

Visitors can walk logging roads to view forest regeneration following a harvest of mature pine in 2003.

Photo: Bear's Den
Bear's Den - New Salem Neilson Rd.
New Salem, MA
(978) 840-4446
information@ttor.org

Short trail to hemlock-rimmed gorge with waterfalls under 75-foot granite cliffs.

Bearsden Conservation Area - Athol Bearsden Rd.
Athol, MA

Miles of forested trails among steep hills, stone walls, & views of the Millers River - beautiful all year round.

Birch Hill Dam - Royalston 68 Birch Hill Dam Rd.
Royalston, MA
(978) 249-4467

An aesthetic and recreational gem, with over 50 miles of roads and trails among streams forests and fields.

Birch Hill Wildlife Management Area - Royalston Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
Winchendon Rd.
Royalston, MA
(508) 835-3607
mass.wildlife@state.ma.us

Rivers and lakes meet at this diverse recreation spot, the waters stocked with trout, the land with fowl.

Brooks Woodland Preserve: Swift River Tract - Petersham Quaker Dr.
Petersham, MA
(978) 840-4446
information@ttor.org

Miles of trails through fields and forest and along river and swamp, with glimpses of both glacial and human history.

No Caption Provided
Brooks Woodland: Connor's Pond Tract - Petersham Quaker Dr.
Petersham, MA
(978) 840-4446
information@ttor.org

One- to two-mile loop trails lead visitors on gentle hikes through dense and more open woodlands.

No Caption Provided
Brooks Woodland: Roaring Brook Tract - Petersham East St.
Petersham, MA
(978) 840-4446
information@ttor.org

Three miles of trails - loops through woodland and swamp, across Roaring Brook, and up, down and around a hill.

No Caption Provided
Brooks Woodland: Swift River, Connor's Pond, & Roaring Brook Tracts - Petersham Petersham, MA
(978) 840-4446
information@ttor.org

Three tracts of extensive trails through mixed forest and mountain laurel, criss-crossed by stone walls and a rich Native American and colonial history.

Bullard Farm Loop - New Salem 89 Elm St.
New Salem, MA
info@newenglandforestry.org

The white-blazed Bullard Farm Loop is a two-mile section of the Chestnut Hill Trail system that gives visitors a view of scenic former farmland as well as peaceful woodlands. The trail to the south from the parking area at the Bullard Farm Bed and Breakfast skirts the Swift River, climbs to North Pond Ridge (and connects to the North Pond Ridge Trail), and returns for the final leg along Elm St. Nearby is a dramatic waterfall known as the Bear’s Den, on land protected by The Trustees of Reservations.

Cass Meadow Wildlife Management Area - Athol Pequoig Ave.
Athol, MA
(508) 835-3607
Mass.Wildlife@state.ma.us

An example of early successional habitat along the Millers River.

Chase Memorial Forest - Royalston S. Royalston Rd. (Rte. 68)
Royalston, MA
(978) 952-6856
info@newenglandforestry.org

A diverse land, now conserved for timber and wildlife habitat, its old road a link in a winter snowmobile trail.

Photo: Chestnut Hill Trail
Chestnut Hill Trail - Orange Gidney Rd.
Orange, MA
info@newenglandforestry.org

A lovely 3.25-mile loop through woodlands that show the result of a responsibly planned timber harvest.

 

back to Area Guide