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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 Spring! |
Upcoming Local Walks ($1 for non-members...but, please, become a member!): Sun, May 13, 2012. Whitney & Thayer Woods, Cohasset. Brisk 8-mi. hike incl. holly grove, Oden's Den & lunch on Turkey Hill w/scenic views, 9:30am. Bring lunch, water, sturdy boots. Meet at Trustees of Res. pkg. lot on W side of Rte. 3A, 2 mi. S of jct. w/Rte. 228. Storm cancels. No e-mail after 5/11. L Beth Mosias. [Due to a (minor) injury, Jim Loughlin will be substituting for Beth as leader of this walk.] Sun, May 13. Bedford/Burlington/Lexington Woodlands, MA. Very hilly 6-mi. wander through conservation and landlocked municipal lands. 9:45am-2:30pm. Meet at Shawsheen Cemetery. Intersection Rtes.4/225 and Shawsheen Ave., Bedford, MA. Main entrance, keep right, left at directory board, park beyond fence in dirt lot or adjacent paved roadway. Heavy rain cancels. L Mark Levine. Sun, May 13. Breakheart Reservation, Saugus, MA. Mod. to stren. Approx. 5 mi. hike over many hills & rough terrain. 9am-2pm. Bring Lunch, H20, snacks. Meet at Northeast Metro School. From Rte. 1 in Saugus take Main St. exit W 2.5 mi. (becomes Farm St.) R on Hemlock St. to end. From 95/128 exit 39 in Wakefield, take North Av. E 2.5 mi. (becomes Nahant St.), R on Farm St. L on Hemlock St. to the end. Cancel if rain. L Nelson Caraballo. Tues, May 15. Prospect Hill Park, Waltham, MA. 6:30-8:30pm. Moderately paced sunset hike on trails and roads with views. From 95/128 exit 27 Totten Pond Rd. Continue east 0.7 mi to park on right. L Henry Gardner. Wed, May 16. Blue Hills, Milton, MA. 6pm-8pm. Bring rain coat & water. Meet at the main Houghtons Pond parking lot. From Rte. 93 take Exit 3, Houghtons/Ponkapoag. Proceed 1/2 mile North (toward Boston) on Blue Hill River Road to its end. Turn Right and proceed 0.2 miles to the Houghtons Pond parking lot on your right. L Bob Vogel. Thurs, May 17. Slide Program: Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming. Missile site, caves, river and mountain hiking, famous folks from the old West. Presented by Judy Praznik. 12:30pm, Cabot Auditorium, 5 Joy St., Boston. Brown bag lunch, 11:30am-12:15pm. L Local Walks Committee ((617) 786-8850). Sat, May 19. Blue Hills Bird Walk, Milton, MA. Bird Walk 3 miles through Fowl Meadow, 8-11:30am. Learn to bird by listening for and identifying late migrant and nesting species in the best birding area in the Blue Hills Reservation. Bring your binoculars and a bird book if you have one. From Route 93/128 Exit 2B, take Route 138 north 1.7 miles, go left on Neponset Valley Parkway for 0.5 miles to the small lot at Brush Hill Rd. Joint with Friends of the Blue Hills. L Steve Olanoff. Sat, May 19. Blue Hills Skyline Trail, Quincy, MA. 7-mi. loop hike with a number of steep hills, 10am-3pm, mainly on Skyline Trail, lunch on Nahanton Hill with great view, bring lunch, water and sturdy hiking shoes. Meet at Shea Ice Rink, Willard St., Quincy. From SE Expressway Exit8, S 0.6 mi. on Willard St. From I-93/Route128 Exit 6 Braintree, N 0.7mi. Storm cancels. L Mike Tuohey. Sun, May 20. Blue Hills, Ponkapoag Pond, Canton, MA. Quick paced 7-mi. hike in southern Blue Hills, 9:30am-2pm. Bring lunch & water. From Rte. 93/128 exit 2A, take Rte. 138 S 0.7 mi. to Ponkapoag Golf Course lot on L. Heavy rain cancels. L Henry Gardner. Sun, May 20. Lynn Woods, Lynn, MA. 5 mi. Leaders Choice. 9am-2pm. Bring lunch, H2O, snacks. From Rte. 95/128 take Walnut St. exit, 4 mi. From Rte. 1, take Walnut St. exit, 2 mi. Make L on Pennybrook Rd to Western Gate pkg. lot. L Nelson Caraballo. Sun, May 20. Wayside Inn to Sudbury Memorial Forest, MA. Approx 4 mi., backroads/trails, 1-4pm. Bring snacks, water & sturdy water-proof footwear. Reg. req'd. L Gail Zwink. Sat, May 26. Blue Hills Wildflower Hike, Quincy, MA. 7-mile hike in the eastern section of the Blue Hills Reservation viewing wildflowers and climbing scenic hills, some steep, including the new trail along the restored Blue Hill Reservoir. 10 am-3:30 pm. 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. Joint with Friends of the Blue Hills. L Steve Olanoff. Sun, May 27. Parks and Greenways - Belmont, MA. Six miles, mostly wooded hike including Beaver Brook Reservation, from 10:00a.m.-1:30p.m. Bring a lunch. From I-95/Route 128, take Exit 28A/Trapelo Road 3.4 miles east to the third set of lights, then turn right onto Waverly Oaks Road, and take an immediate left into the parking lot. Bus 73 (from Harvard T) to the end and walk 0.3 miles. Severe storm cancels. Please see http://amcboston.org/walks for cancellation notice. L Mike Stadelmaier. Mon, May 28. Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA. Scenic 4-mile walk from 10:15am-12:30pm. Bring a snack. Meet at the Admin. Building on the Arborway. The Forest Hills T station is 0.6 miles away. Severe storm cancels. Please see http://amcboston.org/walks for cancellation notice. L Mike Stadelmaier. DCR Blue Hills Hikes & Happenings - Spring 2012 (PDF) DCR Blue Hills Hikes & Happenings - Spring 2012 (HTML) DCR Blue Hills Adult Walking Group - Spring 2012 (HTML)
Want more listings? Interested in listings for other AMC chapters and committees? You can do a complete search at http://trips.outdoors.org. |
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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 |
