From wooded hiking trails to pristine beaches and one of the largest drinking reservoirs in the world, there are many choices for a nature outing within a couple hours’ drive from Boston.
Lori Valigra
Boston is known not just for its dozens of universities but also for the picturesque landscapes surrounding it. Within a couple hours’ drive are miles of quiet hiking trails, woods and meadows for birding, and rivers for fishing and kayaking. If you’re looking for a place to explore as the weather warms up, here are four of our favorites.
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Newburyport, MA
A stopping point for migratory birds, this refuge occupies the southern three-quarters of Plum Island, an eight-mile barrier island. It has 4,600 acres of diverse upland and wetland habitat including 3,000 acres of salt marsh, hiking trails, and places for kayaking, canoeing, and other activities. Wildlife includes piping plovers (some beaches at the refuge are closed during the summer to protect the delicate birds) and other shorebirds, butterflies, seals, deer, and coyotes, depending on the time of year. Tens of thousands of tree swallows stop at the refuge in mid-August, and monarch butterflies visit in September. “The refuge has a truly wild beach,” that is not built up like many of the tourist beaches along the coast, says Kate Toniolo, a park ranger at the refuge. The refuge also offers opportunities to volunteer and it hosts events such as a children’s fishing day in June and a wildlife festival on October 11. The refuge is a few miles from the commuter rail that leaves North Station. A half-hour drive southeast from the refuge takes you to the famous Woodman’s eatery, home of the fried clam, in Essex, MA.
Drive from Boston: 60 minutes
Great egrets (top) and a piping plover parent and chick (bottom) at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, north of Boston (Credit: Jim Fenton)
Quabbin Reservoir
Belchertown, MA
One of the largest man-made public water supplies in the United States, the Quabbin serves Boston and 40 surrounding communities. The Quabbin has fishing, hiking paths of various levels, and a watchtower on a hill, from which it’s not uncommon to see eagles. Other wildlife includes moose, foxes, and 27 species of fish. Since 9/11, some of the areas are off limits, but there still is enough hiking, fishing, bird-watching and scenic viewing to keep visitors busy. The reservoir is 18 miles long and has 181 miles of shoreline, including 61 miles along the reservoir’s 60 islands. The park is open dawn to dusk.
Drive from Boston: 90 minutes
Enfield lookout at the Quabbin Reservoir (Credit: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation)
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Wells, ME
Named after the writer and scientist credited with launching the modern-day environmental movement with her book Silent Spring, this 9,000-acre park is scattered along 50 miles of coastline in southern Maine. It has a one-mile hiking trail with 11 stations where visitors can see dunes, coastal meadows, and a tidal salt marsh. Many birds, such as piping plovers and terns, and mammals including deer and moose, can be seen. The refuge allows hunting and fishing for those with permits. It’s open daily from dusk until dawn and is two miles from the Downeaster train’s Wells, ME, station.
Drive from Boston: 70 minutes
The hiking trail at the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in southern Maine (Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston Harbor has 34 islands with wildlife, wildflowers, and birds, including killdeer, the rare barn owl, and the least tern. Picnicking, camping, and hiking, often with beautiful views of Boston, are available. Spectacle Island has a swimming beach with lifeguards, and five miles of walking trails that lead to a panoramic hill overlooking the harbor. Its visitor center features a history exhibit, which describes how the site was home to a quarantine facility in the 1700s and a municipal dump from the 1920s to 1959; more recently, it received more than three million cubic yards of dirt dug out during the construction of the Ted Williams tunnel. Grape Island has blueberries in the summer, camping, picnic areas, wooded trails, and a “wild edibles” tour. The three-hour Boston Light tour takes you inside one of the oldest lighthouses in the country—and the only one still run by a lighthouse keeper—on one of the far islands. The islands have various special activities for individuals and families throughout the summer.
Ferries depart from various locations along Boston’s waterfront. Check the website for schedules and specific departure points. It’s recommended that you book ahead for the Boston Light tour.
Boston Light, on one of the Boston Harbor Islands