I came across an article the other day called why walking is good medicine which you can find at http://alternativehealthfortoday.wordpress.com – it’s worth a read and a few minutes of your time. But that’s not why I mention it.

It gave me the idea for today’s blog post about walking trails in the forests and coastal lowlands of New England.

These walks are not for the great hiking masses looking for towering lookout peaks or trails in the clouds challenging both flexibility and endurance. These are for those occasions when time is short or your capability level requires flat easy going trails.

New England has many forest and coastal trails that show off the beauty of ponds and wildflowers and the diversity of our northern woods and coastal marshes rather than breathtaking vistas above tree line. Here are a bunch of my favorites from the region.

Peoples State Forest – Barkhamstead, Connecticut:

There are a number of easy walking trails near the Stone Museum (open seasonally at weekends). Try the Beaver Swamp Loop Trail which is 3-miles and takes you through the extensive wetlands created by beaver activity, and where you’re likely see wildlife activity of one form or another. Other gentle trails in Peoples State Forest include Charles Pack Trail – 1.9-miles – Agnes Bowen Trail – 2.5-miles – Jessie Gerard Trail – 1.3-miles. More details on each trail can be found here.

More information about things to and where to stay on a Connecticut Vacation here.

Saco Heath Preserve – Saco, Maine:

Saco Health Preserve is a unique place in New England. Located in southern Maine it was formed when two ponds filled with decaying plant material called peat and grew together to form a raised coalesced bog. This is where the surface of the peat is perched above the level of the groundwater – a type of bog usually only found much further north in the continent. You can take a 1-mile walk through the woodlands to the heath where a boardwalk takes you through the peatland area. Spring is a particularly colorful time to take this walk with pinks, lavenders and whites blazing throughout the heath. The Nature Conservancy operates the heath and you can get details here.

Kidney Pond Loop – Baxter State Park, Maine:

Baxter State Park is one of the jewel parks in Maine. Though the Kidney Pond Loop walk is easy and still relatively short at 3.1-miles, getting to the park will require some planning. Maine is the largest New England State and Baxter State Park is deep in the North Woods region – a long way from the coast. But if you enjoy walks in the wilderness and the chance of seeing moose and other wild animals and birds, then you’ll find this one tough to beat.

The trail starts at Kidney Ponds Campground in the southern end of the park. There are numerous side paths you can take to various scenic points with the chance to see wildlife at every turn. This is a walker’s heaven. For more details check out Baxter State Park Authority web site here.

More things to do and places to stay can be found at our special Maine Vacation guide here.

Fort Hill – Cape Cod, Massachusetts:

Just a mile south of the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in Eastham you can find the entrance to charming coastal walk at Fort Hill. Once woods then cleared for farming land and the home of a whaling captain, today visitors can enjoy the open fields and encroaching forest on the edge of Nauset Marsh. The 2-mile round trip interconnects with the Red Maple Swamp Trail. Download a guide to all the walking trails on Cape Cod including this one here.

There are many things to explore and lovely inns to stay at you can find at our Cape Cod Vacation guide here.

Harvard Forest – Petersham, Massachusetts:

Harvard Forest has been participating in a long term ecological research program to study the effects nature and humans have on an environment. This 3,000-acre forest also includes the Fisher Museum and two self-guided trails for walking. The Black Gum Trail is a 1.5-mile walk through the woods and swamp near the museum and includes a boardwalk loop. The shorter John Anderson Farm Trail is 0.75-mile and takes you through pasture and croplands. If you can coincide you visit to the museum it makes for pleasant afternoon activities – a gem of a trip in Central Massachusetts. >>> More.

For all the other special places to visit on a Massachusetts Vacation go here.

John Hay II Forest Ecology Trail – Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire:

Part of the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge the grounds are open to public use year round. The John Hay II Forest Ecology Trail offers a self-guided walk through mature mixed hardwood conifer forest and along the shore of Lake Sunapee in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

The Fells organization maintains the estate and gardens of John Hay and offers further information on the nature trails at the Fells official web site here.

Sandy Point Trail – Stratham, New Hampshire:

New Hampshire does not have a large coastline. But it does have the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve which includes a large estuary located off of the Piscataqua River. The reserve includes the Discovery Center at Sandy Point and this is also the starting point for a 1-mile easy walking trail through a tidal estuary. The Sandy Point Trail is a self-guided interpretive trail through a refuge for Bald eagles, Osprey, great blue herons – need I say more? The trail follows a boardwalk for easy walking. >>> More.

Many more things to see and places to stay can be found at our New Hampshire Vacation guide here.

Beavertail Park – Jamestown, Rhode Island:

Beavertail Park is named for its shape on the map. It lies at the southernmost tip of Conanicut Island which separates the east and west passages of Narragansett Bay. It’s a rocky and windswept area and perfect for a coastal walk and to blow the cobwebs of the week out of your soul. The more adventurous take the walking paths along the rocky coastline that lead past the lighthouse. The path will let you explore tidal pools and inlets, and climb cliffs and ledges for ocean views – easier paths are available inland. Directions and more information for Beaver Park here.

Visit our Rhode Island Vacation guide here for where to stay and what to see.

Robert Frost Interpretive Trail – Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont:

Located near the town of Middlebury in Central Vermont, the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail is a 1.2-mile easy walking loop through a magnificent northern forest. This trail is a National Recreation Trail that commemorates Robert Frost’s poetry; several of his poems are mounted along the trail in the woods and fields. >>> More

Lots more information and resources available about lodging and things to see at our special Vermont Vacation guide here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
New England Online Magazine

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