My GOD took me to the dump instead of the park. Good luck finding an entrance if you are not from…read morehere.

The Leominster State Forest is a beautiful adventure into all the sexy sites of Massachusetts. The…read moretrails around here are well worn in, making outdoor activities such as hiking, jogging and rock climbing easy to approach and appreciate both above and below the tree line. The rock faces around here are great to scale, and the lakes around here are more than kayak-friendly. Don't miss out on this outstanding slice of nature!

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.

Where to begin. Let's start with the campsites. Campsites are nice, clean ,and large. Each site has…read moreits own fire pit and charcoal grill. They do have bathrooms and water spickets. Now the bad. If you want to stay up till 3am listening to cultural music blasting and people partying and yelling, then this is the place for you. When I go camping I go to relax and get away from the every day Hussle. Didn't get an ounce of sleep all weekend due to the after hours noise. They have a posted quiet time and that is after 10pm. When brought up to the DCR they said it's useless to enforce this. Looks like I will not be camping at Willard Brook State Park again.

I enjoyed hiking and swimming here over the years, but read in recent reviews sometimes the beach…read moreis closed. I called but got voice mail. I emailed but got no answer. So I figured no notice is on the website, it must be open. Nope. There was a big red flag that said no swimming. This is something they should have noted on alerts. Instead the only notice was about trying to get little kids vaccinated. If you just want to hike you'll be fine, but the once fast moving brook has really shrunk up into a stagnant fraction of its former self. It reminds me of the negative transformation of the beach at Pearl Hill State Park over the past several decades. It's sad.

The actual location of these trails is along Route 2 eastbound near power lines, beyond Palmer Road…read morebut before Mount Elam Road. There are a couple places you can pull over to hike. The first leads to a lake. We saw evidence of a campfire and primitive shelter there, which may be why a warden, who was friendly, was out patrolling. The second is less well maintained but does have lots of blueberry bushes. If you go when they are in season they would provide a nice snack. There is a sign along the highway for moose but we did not see any, nor any other fauna. Foliage is typical for the eastern woodland region.

I attended an event at this park held indoors, though there are also outdoor options. The drive up…read moreto the parking lot was quintessential Fitchburg with nonstop potholes. Outdoor lighting is inadequate and I was stumbling and lucky I didn't twist my ankle in one the holes when I left after dark. The interior is nondescript with fake wood panelling and some Finnish paintings and wall hangings. If you need a venue in the area and other places aren't available you could use it in a pinch.

It's just a very serene and pretty place to spend a few hours. Loved the walkable covered bridge!read more

Lake Potanipo (sometimes called Potanipo Pond) is a highlight of the small town of Brookline. The…read morebeach has been cleaned up considerably, and it's open (albeit in a limited way) to the general public. It has a small, charming lighthouse along with a public beach. It's picturesque. A great little place for hikes&leisurely walks. Lake Potanipo is an understated place. Its waters eventually lead to the Gulf of Maine. Not bad for a little quiet country lake.

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

Love this little hike onto a small summit that overtakes a spectacular view. My pup loved it even…read moremore.

I really enjoyed the view at the top, even enough to nap up there. The one downside I saw were…read morethese Boy Scouts who were chasing each other near the end of the top. This is how "accidents/tragedies" happen! The path up was pretty straight forward...I went straight until I hit the top. There are on markers, that I could see. But you can follow other hikers up and back down if you get lost. Love the workout, but next time I'm bring BottleS of bug sprays because they just refuse to leave you alone!