Top Places In New England For Hiking
New England is home to some of the most beautiful foliage during the Fall, the Boston Red Sox, highly acclaimed seafood, the New England Patriots, the Boston Celtics (you know, all the sports), great walking cities like Boston and Providence – and it has some of the best places to go hiking. As the days get warmer, and we move into summer, we all are ready to get a break from working from home or being at work. This means, it’s time to enjoy nature. If you live in the New England area, here’s the top places to go hiking this summer or any season when the weather is good!
Blue Hills Reservation
If you live in Massachusetts and are looking for a way to get outside, and get some exercise – Blue Hills Reservation is a highly rated state park that stretches upon a few towns in the state. Located in Milton, Massachusetts, this is a perfect spot to do some hiking, catch the city skyline, or just take a casual walk.
Breakheart Reservation
One of the prettiest, and calmest places to enjoy nature in Massachusetts is Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. If you go to Breakheart, you will notice it’s pretty busy, all of the time. There’s a reason for it too. Breakheart Reservation offers paved trails for bikers, taking a walk, running, or getting outside with your dog. These trails have a mixture of flat pavement, hills, and some steeper parts of the reservation than others. You can enjoy hanging out by the water at Breakheart while your dog takes a swim in the lake, or just loving the fresh air and sun through the trees. You will not get a full hike experience if that is what you are looking for (climbing up a mountain). But, you will certainly be going a little uphill if you’re looking to break a sweat in the outdoors!
Middlesex Fells Reservation
Another Massachusetts gem is Middlesex Fells Reservation. Located in Stoneham, Massachusetts – this reservation has easy trails, and more difficult trails depending on what you’re looking to do. If you live in the North Shore, this is an easily accessible reservation since it’s close. It offers beautiful scenery, while you’re exploring the woods. So if you don’t want to travel to New Hampshire or Vermont, this is your next best option to get a hike in!
Cadillac Mountain
If you live in Maine, chances are you may have been to Bar Harbor, or explored Acadia National Park. If you live in New England, heading up to Acadia is probably on your bucket list! Cadillac Mountain is in Acadia National Park, and has some of the most gorgeous views, trails, and is a hike to remember if you haven’t been there before. If traveling to Mount Desert Island in the Fall, Cadillac Mountain is one of the most amazing places to go to see a view of the foliage on top of a mountain (literally like a postcard). Acadia National Park has a ton of hikes that are somewhat easy and difficult, and is one of the most scenic places ever – and is also known for being the first place the sun rises in the country.
Franconia Notch State Park
There’s a lot of reasons why people in New England flock to New Hampshire (all the time of the year). One of those reasons being the mountains. New Hampshire is home to the White Mountains, which might as well be one of the best features of living on the east coast. Franconia Notch State Park is one of the most naturally beautiful places in all of New England. It’s home to all the outdoor activities you could think of, for any time of year – camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, swimming. With Franconia Notch being right in the White Mountains, you’ll be sure to explore all the natural beauty New Hampshire has to offer – and will come across some cute local stores and restaurants that are a must try on your trip to or back from this park!
Mount Washington
Another treasure of New Hampshire – Mount Washington. If you live in New England, you have probably seen the bumper stickers that say “This car climbed Mount Washington.” And, you can also climb Mount Washington too. Mount Washington is known as the highest peak in the Northeast. So, as you can imagine, the views are pretty wild. There are a good amount of trails that you can hike on Mount Washington, although you can expect them to be a little difficult if you’re trying to reach some mountain views (due to the elevation of Mount Washington being 6,288.2 feet). It is another of the must-see places in New England, and to be honest, it’s hard to miss a view of these mountains when you’re driving in the area!
Jay State Forest
Jay Peak Resort is one of the nicests resorts in the country, and also lies in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Home to the beautiful Green Mountains, Vermont is another state in New England that has some stunning scenery as well as great spots for a hiking trip. Jay State Forest is home to mountain, “Big Jay” and “Jay Peak,” and has a vast amount of nature for hiking. These are not your typical flat, easy, trails that you would do a light hike on. Chances are if you have traveled up north to Vermont to hike, you’re looking for a full hiking experience. Close to the Canadian-US border, Jay Peak brings visitors from all over to ski, and hike these gorgeous Green Mountains. So, next time you’re in New England, take a trip up to Vermont, take a hike, listen to the birds, and of course, drink some Green Mountain coffee.
