Wonderful morning on trail to frog pond. 22 bird species including Great Blue Herons, Wood Ducks…read moreand swans along with Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers. This place is a special gem. Sheryl was esp. helpful. So glad we stopped!

Great flat trail reservation with lots of little critters for the young ones(frogs, snakes,…read morebeetles,..) and a few small ponds for the kids to throw rocks into. We caught a majestic hawk as we paused to take a deep breath in (w/o our masks for a few seconds). It reminded us of how nature puts a pause to time and that trees indeed heal the weary soul. Our 6 yr old made some good memories here.

What's not to like here? I suppose some may complain about…read morehaving to pay to park. Personally I'd like to see an option for those of us living in the Blackstone Valley (and others) to purchase an annual sticker. Similar to the way you might support a local zoo, for example. They would likely get higher donation amounts voluntarily, vs. the extortion-like pay-to-park each visit. Beyond the parking... For those seeking heat relief, on a hot summer day the low parts of the chasm are considerably cooler. Of course this does generally bring the crowds. Remember to bring bug spray. Children will be in awe of the rock formations and most will absolutely love climbing over, under and through the rocks, crevices and small caves. The rocks are normally slippery, more so after a rain or during the humid summer months - decent footwear is a must. Grandparents beware: not the best place to try to follow an 8 year old! However, across the street by the visitor center there's a nice playground for the kids to tire-out. If you want a longer/safer/less slippery hike you can follow Charlie's Loop trail in it's entirety (start by the covered picnic tables). Then maybe veer off onto the northwest side fire road. From there you can find a couple of trails that head back toward the parking lot. This is a great place to walk the dog(s) - leashed. Please pick up after your pet. Also a wonderful spot for snowshoeing - assuming we still get snow. re: parking - if you are local you might find a place over on Mendon Road, from which you can enter the park via the fire road (47CF+628).

Had been wanting to check this out all summer, but being a bit of a cheapo, I didn't want to pay…read morethe $20 non-resident parking fee. Now that its off-season and parking is free I checked it out. Wasn't disappointed. Some nice views, and a challenging, but not overwhelming hike. Will definitely have to come back sometime.

If you're looking for a peaceful outdoor escape in Central Mass, Blackstone River & Canal State…read morePark is a hidden gem. Spring is the perfect time to visit. The trees are just starting to bud, the landscape has that first hint of green, and--best of all--the bugs haven't shown up yet. Add in a warming sun, and it's ideal for a long, relaxed walk. The canal and scenic trails along the Blackstone River are great for walking, running, or biking. If you take your time, you'll spot plenty of bluegills in the water, and occasionally bass or carp. You'll also see fishermen scattered along the canal and river, adding to the laid-back, local feel. What really stands out is how quiet it is compared to other state parks. Unless there is an event, there are no large crowds, and little noise--just open space and nature. Perfect for a casual stroll, a bike ride, fishing, frisbee, a picnic, or just clearing your head.

A slightly secluded walkway. Paved and straight, it's good for a quick little run/walk. There…read morewere about a dozen people walking in the area I was in when I was there even with it being late afternoon, so I would imagine its even busier during peak times.

This is a great place to take an easy, mostly level, 3-mile walk around a beautiful pond. The trail…read morewhich is more like a single lane gravel road, is well marked and maintained. There also numerous, nicely marked trails off this main loop. It's a fairly quiet trail and easy enough that the occasional toddler and stroller passed. At one end of the trail, you need to walk a short way across a bridge under construction. There's not much of a sidewalk to use, but the traffic was very quiet during our weekend outing. According to their website, the initiation of Parklands acquisition was in 1899, and in 1900 the town brought in Warren H. Manning to help architect the entire layout.  There is no parking on the pond boat ramp or at the spaces next to  the bath house. This area is well-marked and the Hopedale Police Department will continue to ticket unauthorized and non-handicap vehicles parked in this area. This area is a drop-off zone only. Vehicles should be parked along Hopedale Street. We found plenty of parking on Hopedale Street, and used the green space there to lunch by the pond. There are benches scattered along the pond loop. Dogs are allowed on a leash and the trail is well marked, which according to their website is the result of the efforts of Mark Andolina, Jr., a Boy Scout from Hopedale Troop 1, who created a new trail map and installed new trail markers as part of his Eagle Scout project. We look forward to a return visit.

Great hike around the pond. the side trails off the main trail are good for mnt bike.read more

I first found out about this path when my boss took me here after work one day. He likes to go on…read morewalks to delay returning home when his psychotic girlfriend (according to him) or her psychotic 10yr old daughter (also, according to him) are too much to handle. Sometimes his goal is to wait for them to fall asleep, then go home. I duck out before it gets to that point. The Upper Charles River Trail will eventually be 24 miles long and through Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, and Hopkinton. It's on an old CSX right of way. I believe the Milford section is the only section complete so far, roughly ~5 miles. I don't jog that long anyway, especially with the sunset getting earlier. I usually park at Fino Field and go the trail until it intersects Route 85 by the Sports Authority, then turn back. Round trip is ~4.5 miles GPSed. The trail is paved and has mile markers in 1/4 mile increments. Traffic is pretty light when I'm there; dusk, weekdays. I see more walkers and less bikers. There are unimproved trails through the woods that you can stumble into and I'm still exploring where they all go. Also, I believe what they call "Vietnam" has an entrance on the north end of the trail across US495. NEMBA actually owns it. (http://www.nemba.org/Articles/VietnamFAQs.html) I'd like to try Vietnam out, but reading reviews saying that there are "6 foot drops out of nowhere" kind of scares me.

Update: I frequent this trail weekly and try to go a few times a week and go in the mornings when I…read moredo. Since August there's been this young couple I want to say in their early twenties with a dog and they have extremely loud music that plays vulgar songs. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud but there are young children and elderly on this trail and they don't need to hear songs about "suck a f****** d***" and other terrible expletives that shouldn't be played at an OBNOXIOUS LEVEL. Not only this but I guess it's you can smoke on this trail even though people are there to exercise so it's pretty rude!! BUT THEY'RE SMOKING WEED! Again I understand weed is recreational now so it's fine and I don't care if people smoke but they were smoking a huge blunt as a mother and a kid and her infant in a stroller passed them and I felt awful as she gave me an odd look and I was behind them. Why do that? There are plenty of areas to go off and hide and smoke do you really have to do it and pass it to each other in front of everyone's children when they're trying to get exercise? It's so rude! Also pick up your dogs shit! I think there should be more police on foot on this trail since were right by the police station or something because I am avoiding this trail until next year they are ALWAYS there. I sat by the lake for almost 2 hours in hopes they would be gone but nope. There they were passing the trail again. Do they live in the woods?? What the hell. The guy always has a backpack and they wear sunglasses. A cute little trail that's pretty clean. Usually pleasant people on this trail for the most part consisting of moms with their kids and the like.

This review is for the Chauncy Lake trail which runs alongside Chauncey Lake in Westborough, MA…read more Note that the trail does not go all the way around the lake to where the beach is. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful, easy hike in the fall! In order to get to the trail if you're going south on Lyman, you'll turn off on Hospital Road and go towards the lake. There is a paved parking lot. Note that there are no bathrooms or water fountains at the trail. There may be some at the beach area but we didn't make it there because the trail ended and we turned around. As a Floridian, I really enjoyed the lakeside hike to see some gorgeous fall colors!

The beach is for Westborough & Northborough residents only & during the summer season there are…read morelifeguards on duty. It's clean & kid friendly with a decent playground area & a covered picnic table area. There is a walking/hiking trail on the backside of the lake that is dog friendly (most are off-leash) . . . unfortunately many people with large dogs don't pick up their dog's s#!t, so watch your step. Boats are allowed & people occasionally wake-board or waterski on the lake, but jet skis are prohibited.

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.

It is not a business, it is run by the government. Totally roped off for safety concerns. So you…read morecannot go onto the top of the reservoir but can view Wachusett reservoir from the sidelines. Beautiful view, nice hike and street parking.

I love this park. I am not from the area but if I lived around here, I'd take my morning walks here…read moredaily. Not my foot traffic, which I also liked.

I really enjoyed this place. I didn't know what to expect. We started to walk from the Eddie's park…read moreand took the internal route. Reached the Pegan Cove Park after around 15 minutes. Then we were just exploring the trail, not much to do. Walked in there for around 30-40 minutes, clicked some nice pictures, saw geese, robin, butterflies, insects etc. If you go on a rainy day, expect your shoes to get dirty with the mud. We saw few boats parked while walking by the loop. Make sure you have your bug repellent with you.

I went kayaking on Assabet River twice. It is very nice to…read morebe on the water and listen to birds. Assabet River is calm and doesn't have strong currents, so it is good for casual kayaking. You can see geese, hawk, ducks, and a lot of turtles. There are many cattails. It is fun kayaking some narrow marsh portion, it is like a maze. Spring and fall is the best to kayak here.

I've been visiting quite a bit lately. It's at the southern terminus of the northern portion of the…read moreAssabet River rail Trail. Decent sized parking lot. You can ride your bike north all the way to the South Acton T station. You can ride the bike trails at Assabet. Or you can ride the dirt road along the river down to CIA headquarters. Crow Island Aviation. I have not been lucky enough to see any planes, but CIA is also the home to Revolution Trapeze, and it's pretty awesome to be able to watch the trapeze practice. There are plenty of walking trails. A canoe/kayak launch. And Ronda of amazing wildlife

We had a beautiful day to walk around the reflecting pond of the Vietnam Memorial park located at…read moreGreen Hill park. Such a beautiful serene area. The plants and flowers that are planted create a peaceful spot. I do like the stations throughout the Memorial that give QR codes to follow up and read about the Veterans. Well done. Thank you for the Memorial park and thank you to the Veterans I do wish there were bathrooms or porta potties. Especially with young ones on the playground

Discovered this park while staying at within Worcester. This park is absolutely beautiful and a…read moregreat place to walk and explore for either exercise or just for something to do. The nicest surprise was the mini petting zoo inside. There were ducks, pigs, sheep, goats, alpacas, donkeys, and peacocks. It was beautifully kept and you could tell all the animals were very well kept and taken care of. There are multiple locations within the park you can stop and park and walk around and explore. We made sure to check out all of the Vietnam memorials and covered most of the main trails. We did not have the right shoes on to explore the hiking trails which was such a shame because they had some beautiful views from what we could see. It is one way in and one way out which was nice to limit the traffic flow within the park!