Where is YOUR Mosely Woods?

[Double Bow]

In an additional post on his fabulous trip report about his completion of the 48, Tom (of Tom & Atticus) shared his experiences with Mosely Woods which for him is a little place that he can get to when he can't get to the mountains for his nature needs.

Where do you go when the woods are calling you strongly but you can't get to the mountains? What is your special place, your Mosely Woods?

 

[Jim lombard]

Nice Thread Double Bow,

Fortunately we have 40 acres of undeveloped land in back of our house...cross a brook and you're there. I enjoy picking berries, snowshoeing and just sitting by the shores of the small pond and listening to the birds.

 

[sapblatt]

Boston area suggestions

I love the Audobon's Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield, MA. Miles of trails, canoeing, birds, deer, etc. Great place to snowshoe and cross country ski.

Maudsley State Park

Middlesex Fells Reservation, off I-93 in the Stoneham, MA area has tons of hiking trails. You could approach 20 miles in there without repeating yourself. some good elevation, rock and views.

They all beat the television!

 

[grouseking]

Across the road Rt 102 or RT 121 in Chester and into the woods is where I go. You can usually hear the road on a busy day, but I almost always see deer and have seen moose tracks, fishercat, bear, and rabbit tracks. Many small ponds to hang out at as well.

 

[Double Bow]

Well, it wouldn't do for me to not share my place(s).

At work, on my lunch I'll walk to the back of the parking lot and enter the area under the powerlines. It's not very pretty but, walking on the dirt road and sometimes finding blueberries sure beats sitting in my cube!

On the way home, sometimes I'll go past my exit and go abut 15min out of my way to go up Hooksett Pinacle. It's a short trail and you're very quickly at the top. Sometimes, there are local college students hanging out. You can see and hear I-93 very well but, I am able to block that out and just look at the woods and the river. I try to imagine how things were when Thoreau visited here and soon my mind is far from the bustle, noise, and worries of today's world despite the fact that I'm just a few miles from downtown Manchester. This is a special place for me.

When time permits, I'll walk around Lake Massabesic(sp) or Livingston Park. Sometimes, I'll get in a short hike up Uncanoonuc or in Pawtuckaway SP (I don't really go to Bear Brook SP, not sure why) but, these places somehow don't have the same charm for me as the Hooksett Pinacle despite having a better hike, less noise, and perhaps a better view.

I don't go there for any of those things. I go there to reflect, especially in winter.

 

[hockeycrew]

My true love is the skyline hike at Blue Hills Reservation. But it's not always worth the traffic to get there.

I chose my latest apartment based on it's proximity to Middlesex Fells and Breakheart Reservation.

None of it compares to the Mountains though.

 

[sp1936]

We can walk out our door and be on the Long Island Greenbelt Trail almost immediately. We take that to Blydenburgh County Park and walk around the lake. About three hours.

Lakeland County Park is about a 10 minute drive away. This small and pleasant park connects with the much larger and spectacularly beautiful Connetquot State Park Preserve. There are many possibilities of varying length. We prefer the big blue loop around Connetquot, and have probably done it hundreds of times. About four hours.

We don't get to Mashomack Preserve as often as we used to, but we should. A magical place. The big loop isn't as long as the guidebook says, about three hours.

Steve

 

[arghman]

Any of the SPNHF properties in NH. Call them up & ask for a lands map, it's either free or a few dollars. They have one property in the New Boston / Goffstown area that I monitor, so that's where I spend a lot of my local hiking time. PM me for more details if you are nearby, as it could use some more "good" visitors.

For late fall / winter / spring hiking I have my other favorite spots (mostly in Goffstown, some in Manchester) but prefer not to post here -- N. Uncanoonuc being the exception, as it is well known. A very good spring warmup hike, as it is steeper than most of the White Mtn trails.

re: Boston --
Middlesex Fells is nice, I wish I had known about it when I lived down there in college. I used to enjoy visiting the Arboretum ( no more cork tree ) , and also walking through the Fenway. Never got around to the Blue Hills.

 

[JohnL]

There's no place like home. I'm fortunate to have quiet woods adjacent to my home where I see wildlife nearly every day. Yesterday while taking an early morning walk, I saw a fox; the second one I had seen in a week. Deer are regulars in my yard and occasionally wild turkey will stroll through. Turtles hatch in my flower gardens and rabbits frequently scamper in the yard. While looking for wild flowers in the woods behind the house this Spring, I came upon a Lady Slipper. It's nice just to go out into the yard, sit on the stone wall and get away from it all.

My House

JohnL

 

[KayakDan]

There's a section of conservation land in Pepperell Ma. that is my favorite little place. Lot's of water and hills. One of our better visits was snowshoing by moonlight a few years ago.
I,like many others,also enjoy Middlesex Fells,or a quick trip up Wachusett.
My "quick weekend" location in late fall or winter is Monadnock.

 

[spaddock]

Gatineau Park for me. 15 minutes from my house. In the winter it has over 100km of groomed cross country ski trails.

-Shayne

 

[Brownie]

Beach guy

Well, I live on Cape Cod with more than enough trails, parks and remote dune hikes.

Right out my door, 1/2 mile away is Nickerson State Park, a major destination for folks car camping.
Many trials, crystal clear lakes and a lengthy paved bicycle trail that connects to the Cape's huge Rail Trail system.

Also, home to Cape Cod National Seashore, a mere 15 minutes away.
Lots of really cool trails that wind in and out of the woods with spectacular dune cliff views to the Atlantic Ocean.
By far my favorite local trek is XC over the great Provinceland Dunes
In fact the only mountain on the Cape, Mt Arrarat, is just a really big dune!

I have enough sand in my life daily which is why I go north to climb on rocks and solid ground!

Brownie

 

[smitty77]

For me it's Tully Lake in Royalston, MA. Only 5 miles or so from the house with lots of space to roam. 3 really nice waterfalls, a 4 mile loop trail, a 7 mile mountain bike trail, the 18 mile Tully Trail, and Tully Mountain (which is actually a glorified hill at 1160 ft). I also have the northern end of the Quabbin Resevoir and the Harvard Forest within 5 miles. Plus Mt. Grace (20 minutes), Mt. Wachusett (half hour) and Mt. Monadnock (1 hour) are all within striking distance on a Saturday morning.

 

[Blue]

Another vote for the backyard. Our road ends at a dirt road which continues to Chester, NH. I love to walk and jog it because there are old stone walls and old farm fields out there. We've skied it in the dark in winter, I've run out with my snowshoes to break it after a storm. It's very peaceful.

-Liza
Derry, NH

 

[Darwin]

Maudsley and Moseley are two different places, however very close in name and proximity to each other. I frequent both places and they are each great to visit when the mountains are out of the question, or just for a nightly walk or winter snowshoe.

 

[dug]

The 115 acres my house is on. Ski trails, open fields, hardwoods, and views of beautiful Manchester, NH.

 

[keepin' on]

...On the way home, sometimes I'll go past my exit and go abut 15min out of my way to go up Hooksett Pinacle. It's a short trail and you're very quickly at the top. Sometimes, there are local college students hanging out. You can see and hear I-93 very well but, I am able to block that out and just look at the woods and the river. I try to imagine how things were when Thoreau visited here and soon my mind is far from the bustle, noise, and worries of today's world despite the fact that I'm just a few miles from downtown Manchester. This is a special place for me.

I went to school in Concord @ NHTI.....I have spent many days and nights on the pinacle. Looking towards the tolls at night is pretty amazing...they sparkle! Took my first night photos there.....It is kinda special for me to Double Bow - it is a great, unexpected escape! An amazing place all around.

Now I retreat to the Trails of Wachusett Mountain (20 min. drive), the Midstate trail (5 mins. or an hour drive), Moore State Park (5 min. drive), or Asnebumskit Hill (10 min. walk).....all close enough to keep me happy.

 

[onrhodes]

I grew up in Bow, NH and the Bow School Forest is a great place to run around in the winter either with snow shoes or XC ski gear. I should actually qualify it as we run all over Bow. My parents house is right near the powerlines that connect to the Bow School trails and we jump onto those and them tromp all over the place. Growing up in the area and knowing that I can't get lost no matter how hard I try because I'll know where the closest exit to any road is within minutes is a reassuring feeling too.
We've done some serious bush whacking following deer paths into the woods and stumbled upon snow hares and all sorts of cool stuff.

 

[hikeritz]

I've got many acres of town forest starting at the edge of my neighborhood for the truly gotta-go-NOW times. A short drive or bike ride gets me to College Rock (climbing & trails), Upton State Forest (hiking & biking), and the trails at Peppercorn Hill.

 

[Barry Sr]

My true love is the skyline hike at Blue Hills Reservation. But it's not always worth the traffic to get there.
QUOTE]

Four miles from those hills, I make it as often as possible betwen trips north.
The dogs love the sky line trail but always want to go hunting to follow some smell around the four corners by the green/red/yellow/blue close to the end by the trailside museum.