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Appalachian Mountain Club
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Appalachian Mountain Club
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The AMC Boston Chapter Local Walks/Hikes Committee leads day hikes and nature walks year-round in eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. They range in length from 3 to 20 miles over terrain which ranges from smooth and flat to rocky and hilly. A typical hike is 5 to 8 miles in length along woodland trails over rolling terrain with some hills and takes 4 to 5 hours, including lunch. The pace is usually moderate, allowing participants to socialize as they walk. Some of our hikes are hilly enough to be useful as conditioning hikes for the more rugged trails in the White Mountains or elsewhere. Dogs are not permitted on AMC Local Walks/Hikes unless explicitly stated in the hike description. Proper footwear required incl. traction gear for snow/ice. AMC Local Walks on Twitter To see the kinds of activities we do, go to the listing of recent walks/hikes (2011-12) or check out the other pages linked above. Our hikes are announced in the Backcountry section of the monthly members' magazine, AMC Outdoors. To find out how to join the AMC, go to www.outdoors.org/join. The Hiking Areas page is a compilation of over one hundred of the larger areas for day hikes out of Boston plus information on obtaining trail maps. The Photo Gallery pages contain a growing collection of photos of trail scenes from those areas and from recent walks. The Easy Walks page has a list of nearby places where there is a scenic, level walk that is easy to follow. The Nature Walks page is about what to expect from an AMC nature walk, what to bring, and where to go on your own nature and bird walks. The Local Walks/Hikes Authors page is about the Weston conservation lands guidebook written by AMC Local Walks/Hikes leader Elmer Jones and the guidebook to plants commonly seen on walks written by AMC Local Walks/Hikes leader Hilary Hopkins. Leadership opportunities: AMC members with an aptitude for leading group hikes and knowledge of a local hiking area are encouraged to contact the Local Walks/Hikes chairman listed below and in AMC Outdoors magazine at the beginning of the Boston chapter activities. Website contributions: Send corrections, additions, and photos to hike2012@rwinters.com. You can also direct any questions to this address.
Think Winter! |
Upcoming Local Walks ($1 for non-members...but, please, become a member!): Sat, Feb 4. Stony Brook Reservation, West Roxbury Woods, MA. Hike to Turtle Pond, glacial formations & Bald Hill w/view, 1:00-4:00pm. From jct. of Washington St., W. Roxbury Pkwy. & Enneking Pkwy., go S on Enneking Pkwy. 1.3 mi. to stop sign, L 0.3 mi. to pkg. lot on R. Storm cancels. L Dick Fallona. Sat, Feb 4. Cambridge Parks & Greenways, MA. 6-mi. hike featuring Fresh Pond, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Charles River Greenway & Harvard, 9:45am-12:45pm. Easy return by T. Meet W side Alewife T sta. at passenger drop-off sign. Call if severe weather. L Mike Stadelmaier. [Allow extra time if you are arriving at Saturday's Alewife to Harvard Square hike by subway. Buses replace trains from Harvard Station to Alewife Station, Nov 5, 2011 through Mar 4, 2012, from start of service Saturday through end off service Sunday. Shuttle buses will replace Red Line trains between Harvard and Alewife Stations, making all intermediate stops.] Sun, Feb 5. Marblehead Light and Castle Rock, Marblehead, MA. Approx. 4-mi. walk from Deveraux Beach to Castle Rock & Marblehead Light w/optional hot chocolate after, 12:30-3:30pm. Take Rte. 114 from Salem or Rte. 129 from Swampscott, R on Ocean Ave. to Devereux Beach pkg. lot. Storm/icy roads cancels. L Sara Epstein. Sun, Feb 5. Annual Soupe de Poisson Hike, Blue Hills, Milton, MA. In honor of Mead Bradner, 5-mi. hike on variety of trails, some steep, incl. Skyline Trail w/views. 12-4:30pm. Bring cup, spoon and $1.50 for hot chowder. Registration required. L Jim Goyea. Sun, Feb 5. Pond Meadow, Braintree, MA. Easy/moderate 4-mi. walk/snowshoe. 9:45am-12pm. Bring snack/water/hiking poles/sturdy footwear/traction devices/snowshoes. Meet Braintree lot. Rte3 S (past Braintree split) exit17 to traffic circle, 3rd R (Union Street) east 0.7mi., R (Middle St) 0.7mi., L (Liberty St), immediate R into lot. Storm cancels. L Marc Hurwitz. Sat, Feb 11. Charles River in Winter, Cambridge, Watertown, MA. 10:00am-2:30pm. Moderately fast-paced walk along river in Cambridge, Watertown, Arsenal-on-the-Charles. Bring lunch and water. Storm cancels. Limited to 10. Registration required. L Sharon Marshall. Sat, Feb 11. Blue Hills, Milton, MA. 6-mi. hike around Wolcott, Tucker hills w/shorter option, 10:00am-2:30pm. Bring lunch/winter footwear/traction devices. Meet at Houghton's Pond lot. From Rte. 93/128 exit 3, go N to stop sign at Hillside St., R 0.2 mi. to lot on R. Storm cancels. No e-mail after 2/10. L Beth Mosias. Sun, Feb 12. Purgatory Falls, Milford, NH. 6-mi. lollypop route along picturesque stream past waterfalls, cascades, along ledges & hilly forest terrain, 9:30am-3:30pm. From Nashua NH go W on Rte. 101A toward Milford 7 mi., L onto Rte. 101 W ramp toward Wilton, NH 5 mi., continue N thru light (cross Rte. 101A) over bridge onto North River Rd., 0.8 mi. cross Center Rd. 0.5 mi. to McClellan Tr. lot on L. Depending on weather traction devices and/or snowshoes may be necessary! Call if weather uncertain. L Mark Levine. Thurs, Feb 16. Slide program - Hawaii, the Aloha State. Visit beautiful Labrador! Program presented by Corinne Waite at 12:30pm, AMC's Cabot Auditorium, 5 Joy St., Boston. Brown-bag lunch 11:30am-12:15pm. Local Walks Committee. Sat, Feb 18. Middlesex Fells, Winchester, MA. Slow paced nature walk focusing on plant ID & fun natural history, 9:30am-12:30pm. From Rte. 93 exit 33 rotary, follow S. Border Rd. towards Winchester 2 mi. to Long Pond lot on R. Parking limited; arrive early. Heavy rain or snow cancels. L Boot Boutwell. Sun, Feb 19. Blue Hills, Quincy, MA. Snowshoe 6 miles in the Chickatawbut section, the most remote area of the Blue Hills Reservation. Will hike in hilly areas if no snow, 10am-3pm. Meet at Shea Ice Rink, Willard St., Quincy. From SE Expressway Exit 8 in Quincy, go south 0.6 miles on Willard St. Or from I-93/Route 128 Exit 6 in Braintree, go north 0.7 miles. Or for public transit take Bus 238 from Quincy Center T station. Call if weather questionable. Joint with Friends of the Blue Hills. L Steve Olanoff. Mon, Feb 20. Blue Hills, Ponkapoag Pond, Canton, MA. Moderately paced 5-mi. hike/snowshoe around pond, 10:30am-2pm. Bring lunch & water. From Rte. 93/128 exit 2A, take Rte. 138 S 0.7 mi. to Ponkapoag Golf Course lot on L. No e-mail after 2/18. L Beth Mosias. Sat, Feb 25. Blue Hills, Milton, MA. 5-mi. snowshoe or hike, 11:00am. Meet at Houghton's Pond pkg. lot. From Rte. 93/128 exit 3, go N to stop sign at Hillside St., R 0.2 mi. to lot on R. L Claire Braye. Sun, Feb 26. Minute Man National Park, Lexington, MA. 1:00pm-4:00pm. Walk, snowshoe if recent snow. Meet at Fiske Hill In Lexington off Route 2A. 128 to Route 2A W. You should see a sign for Minute Man National Park. Go in direction of the national park, but park in lot off of 2A Fiske Hill. L Gail Zwink. Sun, Feb 26. Sandy Pond, Lincoln, MA. Moderate snowshoe/hike around pond. 10:30am-2:30pm. Bring lunch and winter footwear. Snowshoes/traction devices required as conditions warrant. Meet at Lincoln RR Station. From Rte. 95/128 exit 28, take Trapelo Rd. W 2.5mi. to stop. L onto Lincoln Rd. 1.3mi. to Lincoln RR sta. pkg. on R before tracks. Storm cancels. L Henry Gardner.
DCR Blue Hills Hikes & Happenings - Winter 2011/2012 (PDF)
Want more listings? Interested in listings for other AMC chapters and committees? You can do a complete search at http://trips.outdoors.org. |
| Site Contents: | ||
Local Walks/Hikes Home - this page. Recent Local Walks/Hikes (2011) Local Walks/Hikes, 2010 - brief descriptions Local Walks/Hikes, 2009 - brief descriptions Local Walks/Hikes, 2008 - brief descriptions Local Walks/Hikes, 2007 - brief descriptions Local Walks/Hikes, 2003 (partial) Hiking Areas - list of hiking areas and map info Middlesex Canal - canal walk details Hunting Seasons - hunting seasons to be aware of |
Conditioning Hikes - nearby trails with elevation gain Easy Walks - walks that are level and easy to follow Nature Walks - nature and bird walk info Photo Gallery - photos of the hiking areas and hikes Local Walks/Hikes Authors - books by Local Walks leaders Cat Rock and 80 Acres - sample chapter from Elmer Jones' book Common Plants index - index from Hilary Hopkins' book Common Plants sample pages - sample pages from Hilary Hopkins' book
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BLUE = south of Boston PURPLE = north of Boston GREEN = west of Boston BROWN = out of state |
