This was my second experience whitewater rafting, and it was perfect, because of the staff ant Crab…read moreApple. Our guide Tyler was amazing, engaging with everyone in the boat. He was helpful, supportive, and I always felt safe. Also I had a lot of fun! Everything was taken thoughtfully taken care of by the staff, from our food orders to the pictures after. We were matched with people of similar age and ability in our boat. FYI, our family was myself, my husband and 17 yo son. If you have a chance to choose Crabapple, do so. You'll get a family run business that focuses on service, safety, and fun. Just a note, our first experience whitewater rafting was in a different state and with higher class rapids. As a newbie, it was much less fun as our guide there barked orders and yellled if we weren't "pulling our weight". So don't align the class of rapids with the fun factor... go with people who will make it fun.

Really enjoyed my rafting trip on Saturday the 18th! The team was welcoming from the moment we…read morearrived. Brendan was our guide and he was very patient with our group of 6 (4 of whom it was their first time). I was very impressed with how knowledgeable he was about the area we were rafting in and felt like I was in excellent hands. There were 4 rafts in total on our trip. They have plenty of changing areas for after your trip and the food was ready when we arrived back to the headquarters. It was very foggy the day of our trip so they gave us our photos for free which was a nice gesture. They have a merch shop as well if you want to take back a souvenir. I would recommend them to anyone.

WOWWWW I've never met a more rude company. Also, they do not have any set or coherent cancellation…read morepolicy yet will cancel when you show up. So we booked paddleboards online from 4-6 PM. We made the mistake of thinking that our reservation was 5-7 PM. We showed up at 5. They close at 6. It would seem we still have 1 hour of our reservation left either way, no? Well, no. When we got there they rudely told us we were an hour late and they "put away" our paddleboards. If we had come at 4 we would've been out until 6 anyways...I truly don't see a difference. They don't cite a cancellation policy online. Anyways, the entire interaction was incredibly rude and they were very condescending and acted like they couldn't believe we could've gotten the time wrong. Innocent mistake, not very kind or understanding company.

We had a blast with four of our grandchildren, some of whom got to go tubing for their first time…read more From initial booking to docking our Bayliner at the end of our morning, every person that we dealt with was terrific. HIghly recommend High Country Marine for those unfamiliar! We have been a repeat customer for over 20 years!

We went to Ruggles Pond at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. It's a great, VERY small beach…read more There are lots of hiking trails all around. It has a sandy beach and a grassy area - the beach is sunny, the grassy areas are both sunny & shaded. You can swim and kayak/canoe here. The swimming portion is very small, but our kids loved it nonetheless. NOTE: There isn't really any cell service. Very limited. I could send slightly delayed texts and it took a while to send a photo, but no wifi and I could barely make a call. I have Verizon. There is a fee to enter, but we didn't see where to pay. We used a free pass from our library, anyway. For MA residents, a pass to all the state parks for 2018 is $60, so we might invest in that. There are not real bathrooms, from what we saw. We saw a port-a-potty at the end of the parking lot (in direct sunlight). Better than nothing, though! There aren't any shaded parking spots, but there is lots of parking. The parking and the beach are on the same level, i.e.: no having to walk down to the beach from the car. You can use inflatable devices, life vests, pool noodles, etc. It is non-smoking. I am not sure if animals are allowed or not; I forgot to check. The one negative: We saw both leeches AND snakes. I'll attach a photo of the snake. We saw 4 of the same kind. They never bothered us; they slithered away in the water. However, after another person there got a leech attached to him, we noticed there were actually quite a few leeches, so we pulled the kids out and decided to leave. We figure that maybe with more active use, there will be less leeches & snakes, but who knows!

Beautiful spot. Great for hiking, picnicking and a dip in the pond. The pond was like a hidden gem…read morewith nearby lakes packed with people. The park was huge--we didn't get to explore most of it unfortunately but would love to go back.

One thing about me: I'm gonna make my annual pilgrimage to Vermont for a maple latte, maple buffalo…read morewings, and some clean air hiking. Read on for the hike, the campground, and the park. Me, husbo, and dog hit a twofer this weekend - 2 hikes, 1 day. What can I say - I was feeling inspired. Hike We did the Mount Olga trail - accurately rated moderate. It was up, up, and more up. There's no lookout after all that uphill but there is a fire tower that gives 360 degree views. Ordinarily, I like to see fire towers, but not climb them. I was determined this time, tho. Unfortch right at the turn off for the tower my hamstring started to twitch which means I have about T-5 minutes until a debilitating cramp unless I get myself together. I didn't want to chance it so we continued around the loop. I REALLY liked this trail. I found all the uphill interesting, somewhat challenging, a few good rock scrambles, too. On the way down there were a few butt sits, and a water crossing, too. I love varied terrain like this. Minimal bugs and just enough people out to not feel alone, but to also go for 20 minutes at a time without seeing anyone else. The hike starts outside the visitor center and ends just above the campgrounds. About the campground: It's beautiful, wooded yet airy. Huge sites with sturdy picnic tables and glorious fire pits. They even have lean-tos! I've a right mind to book one this week before they close for the season. Bathrooms My husband used them before the hike and said they were CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. Now I know that well-run campgrounds always keep a pristine bathroom but this was a surprise to him. Between the bathrooms and the camp sites he was really excited about finally going camping as a family (I usually go solo). Visitors Center Charming building and wonderful staff. The man checking us in provided accurate information and was very warm and friendly. I cannot WAIT to go back here once the spring rolls around. Lovely all around. Things to Know: -parking and overflow parking at Visitor Center -$5 entry fee per adult person. Day pass also valid at other state parks during the same day -dog friendly

Vermont will nickel and dime out of state visitors instead of building a stable fiscal state…read moreinfrastructure. It gets tiresome after a while. No sites are level, costs 20$ for residents nightly yet 25$ to use the dump station once. And they wonder why the politics are a mess

We had a great ride. The owners are very nice. They take good care of the horses. They prep horses…read morefor you. You go on a nice ride through the woods and field. Horses are well behaved and easily follow each other. Great for kids. They all kids under 6 to ride doubles with parent. Over 6 can ride alone. Nice thing to do in VT. They ride year round. I would recommend it!

I went horseback riding here with my sister and her husband a few weeks ago. None of us were…read moreexperienced with riding, and this was perfect for us. The ride was 45 minutes through a beautiful wooded path. Our guide was great and very helpful. We even got to trot a few times, which was a lot of fun. For the price, I think this was a great experience. Would definitely recommend! Also for the record, I think that 1 star review below is a bit silly. How can you knock them down 4 stars because the pony died??

We were out for a drive and saw the sign for the park and decided to stop. The park was officially…read moreclosed to cars but you can park in the small lot in front of the gate. It's a little gem of a park, an old marble quarry and some quirky wooden walkways and bridges that look down on the Hudson brook. The brook has created some unusually rock formation that you can look down on your walk. There's also some nice hiking trails on the other side of the park from the waterfalls.

Been to the Berkshires MANY times but never to this wonderful find in North Adams -- just a short…read moredrive from Mass Moca. This unspoiled gem of a state park is a must see for anyone who loves natural beauty and the outdoors. Only open in season so check dates on their website before coming. Highlight is the photogenic white marble dam and waterfall that is best viewed from one of the bridges or platforms. Many types of interesting rocks and walkways that take about an hour to explore. Picnic areas surrounded by majestic trees everywhere. Oh, they waived the $10.00 parking fee that day -- maybe because it was early October and the leaves had not turned yet? (which also kept the crowds down to a few dozen). Can't wait to come back next year to see the fall colors.

Zoar Picnic Area located on Zoar Rd. in Charlemont is one of our favorite places to go during the…read moresummer. This picnic area has a ton of different benches and grill. The other great part about this park is the fact that it has easy accessibility to the river which is great when it come to swimming on a hot day. Yearly we make it a point to bring our water resistant chair and plop in the water for hours. Overall, the park is pretty basic but it is definitely a go to for us.

This is a great place to just grab a tube and go all on your own for free. Life jackets should be…read moreworn for younger kids .Its a great time with a 45 minute lazy river ride and great scenery .Some areas have higher rapids but for the most part pretty safe just have to hang on when going through rapids (best part is the rapids) so enjoy the ride .I've been coming here since I was like ten .I have great memories.

If you're wanting to fish (or learn to) in the Shelburne Falls area - I urge you to give Eric a…read morecall. He's a one-man shop. Neither of us had fished before Eric gave us about four hours of instruction in fly fishing. He's a former school teacher, and you can tell - he's patient, knowledgeable, and thorough. Prior to taking us down to the shallow river near his house, he gave us a briefer on the types of insects local fish are attracted to, then showed us the manmade fly baits he uses to catch such fish. After that he took us to one of his favorite fishing spots on the Deerfield. Though catching fish can never be guaranteed, he helped position us for a successful outing - we caught four fish - rainbow trout and small-mouth bass!!! In addition, he was flexible with our schedule, helped rent us waders from a local shop, and even poured us a beer at the beginning of our lesson. Eric is fantastic!