WhiteMTHike
Active member
Has anyone ever hiked this? How is it? Would you suggest it for a day hike in October?
Thanks for any advice.
Thanks for any advice.
Harold Parker State Forest in Mass.?
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Kevin Judy and Emma
Well-known member
Harold Parker
There is good low-elevation hiking there, but I warn you, this area is better known for other nefarious activities.
If you're interested in this area I suggest checking out this site:
http://www.avisandover.org/reservations.html
The Hammond and Skug Reservations border Harold Parker and the trails interconnect.
IMO a better reservation in this area is the Ward Reservation a few miles north on Prospect Rd. just off Rte. 125. There is some elevation here which provides views of the surrounding Merrimack Valley and south all the way to Boston's Skyline. Trails can be followed all the way to Boston Hill where there are also good views. There is also a bog bridge around a true bog to explore.
http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/371_ward_reservation.cfm
Depending on how much hiking you wanted to do, going to all of these in one day would not be too taxing.
KDT
There is good low-elevation hiking there, but I warn you, this area is better known for other nefarious activities.
If you're interested in this area I suggest checking out this site:
http://www.avisandover.org/reservations.html
The Hammond and Skug Reservations border Harold Parker and the trails interconnect.
IMO a better reservation in this area is the Ward Reservation a few miles north on Prospect Rd. just off Rte. 125. There is some elevation here which provides views of the surrounding Merrimack Valley and south all the way to Boston's Skyline. Trails can be followed all the way to Boston Hill where there are also good views. There is also a bog bridge around a true bog to explore.
http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/371_ward_reservation.cfm
Depending on how much hiking you wanted to do, going to all of these in one day would not be too taxing.
KDT
marty
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I strongly agree with Kevin about the "nefarious activities". I also agree that there are many better options north of Boston, such as the ones Kevin provided.
Here is another suggestion that is fairly close to where Harold Parker is:Weir Hill Reservation
Have fun in whatever you choose. Make sure you are prepared for deer ticks!
Marty
Here is another suggestion that is fairly close to where Harold Parker is:Weir Hill Reservation
Have fun in whatever you choose. Make sure you are prepared for deer ticks!
Marty
cooperhill
New member
Kevin said:There is good low-elevation hiking there, but I warn you, this area is better known for other nefarious activities.
KDT
I used to work for DCR (the agency that operates this park) and they had a saying "find yourself in a state park". What you find there is sometimes not pleasant.
At any rate, here is the official park website:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/harp.htm
I'm with Kevin and Marty - on the whole, i've found TTOR (Trustees of the Reservation) properties to be really nice. There are some really nice ones around Ipswich.
Amicus
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I think your best bet is to follow the Bay Circuit Trail, which links most of the best hiking places in eastern Mass. The Bay Circuit Alliance's website includes this wonderful and up-to-date collection of Maps and Trail descriptions that cover the BCT's entire 200-mile extent (which is 87% complete, as they have recently filled a few more gaps).
The BCT traverses every reservation and park mentioned above, except the Trustees' Weir Hill in No. Andover. That is a little one, however, which I red-lined in about three hours last Feb. It has a couple of good views, including Lake Cochituate, but the Ward Reservation/Holt Hill, five miles to the south, is far bigger and more interesting. Boston Hill is a detour adjacent to Ward on its east perimeteer, and contains what is left of the B. Hills ski area, which pioneered summer skiing one summer in the '80s - an idea still ahead of its time.
I've hiked all the BCT from the Ipswich and east Rowley alternate east trail-ends to Wayland, and can provide more detailed information on any of those sections, if you're interested. The last page or two of each Trail Description describes other, more detailed maps and sources of information for all hiking trails and "gems" in eastern Mass., not limited to those on the BCT.
The BCT traverses every reservation and park mentioned above, except the Trustees' Weir Hill in No. Andover. That is a little one, however, which I red-lined in about three hours last Feb. It has a couple of good views, including Lake Cochituate, but the Ward Reservation/Holt Hill, five miles to the south, is far bigger and more interesting. Boston Hill is a detour adjacent to Ward on its east perimeteer, and contains what is left of the B. Hills ski area, which pioneered summer skiing one summer in the '80s - an idea still ahead of its time.
I've hiked all the BCT from the Ipswich and east Rowley alternate east trail-ends to Wayland, and can provide more detailed information on any of those sections, if you're interested. The last page or two of each Trail Description describes other, more detailed maps and sources of information for all hiking trails and "gems" in eastern Mass., not limited to those on the BCT.
bcborder
Member
State Police are Cracking Down
Harold Parker has excellent single track mountain biking, some of the best in Boston area. This is probably the best way to see all the park, it's a pretty large area.
I'm a big fan on the Bay State Trail; however, it doesn't take you to the best scenery in Harold Parker which is, in my opinion, the trails around the ponds.
The State Police are putting quite a bit more effort into the "men in the woods" problem and I don't think it's much of an issue anymore. I used to fairly often ride by people who were obviously not in the park to hike. It's rare these days that I see any cruising.
Harold Parker has excellent single track mountain biking, some of the best in Boston area. This is probably the best way to see all the park, it's a pretty large area.
I'm a big fan on the Bay State Trail; however, it doesn't take you to the best scenery in Harold Parker which is, in my opinion, the trails around the ponds.
The State Police are putting quite a bit more effort into the "men in the woods" problem and I don't think it's much of an issue anymore. I used to fairly often ride by people who were obviously not in the park to hike. It's rare these days that I see any cruising.
