AMC Outdoors, July/August 2006
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon, Mass.: Massachusetts Audubon’s oldest sanctuary, 1,984-acre Moose Hill features 25 miles of trails winding through a diverse world of rocky bluffs, ferny wetlands, and meadows darting with birdlife. Scan the landscape from a tower atop 534-foot Moose Hill, mosey over boardwalks in a red maple swamp, or clamber atop the precipitous rock outcrops on Bluff Head. A nature center and maple sugar shack add opportunities for exploring the natural and cultural history of the area.
Getting There: MBTA Attleboro commuter rail to Sharon, then follow Moose Hill Parkway 1.5 miles; www.mbta.com.
Info: AMC’s Best Day Hikes near Boston (AMC Books), www.massaudubon.org, 781-784-5691.
Lincoln Woods State Park, R.I.: Lincoln Woods is renowned for its rocks, attracting legions of climbers to boulder-strewn woodlands laced with miles of walking paths. Elsewhere in the park, the sandy shore of Olney Pond draws earth-bound urbanites looking to sun, swim, and fish in the lake’s warm waters. From the bus stop, paths skirt around the lakeshore to the northwest section of the park, where a network of trails wind past granite boulders with names-Death Crack, Green Drool, Ball Buster-that only a climber could love.
Getting There: RIPTA bus route 54 from Woonsocket depot or Kennedy Plaza in Providence; www.ripta.com.
Info: www.riparks.com, 401-723-7892
Hubbard Park, Meriden, Conn.: East Peak rises nearly 1,000 feet above 1,800-acre Hubbard Park. Castle Craig crowns its summit, a crenulated observation tower built in 1900 from the basaltic rock that composes this long ridgeline. A section of the Metacomet Trail runs along the mountain spine and passes over the Hanging Hills of Meriden, one of the most dramatic stretches of this 62-mile long-distance trail.
Getting There: Meriden Bus Route C (weekdays only) from the Meriden Railroad Station; www.cityofmeriden.org.
Info: Connecticut Walk Book East (CT Forest & Parks Association), 203-630-4259.
Bear Mountain State Park, Bear Mountain, N.Y.: Bear Mountain stands sentinel above the Hudson River, lording more than a thousand feet above the mighty waterway. The first section of the Appalachian Trail was constructed here in 1923, and remains the central artery in the 5,000-acre park’s vast network of hiking trails. From the summit, far-reaching views survey adjoining Harriman State Park to the west and Hudson Highlands State Park across the river to the east; both are also accessible by public transportation.
Getting There: Short Line bus (West Point route) from the Port Authority Bus Terminal; www.shortlinebus.com.
Info: Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails Map, (NY-NJ Trail Conference), 845-786-2701.
The Appalachian Trail, Pawlings, N.Y.: On weekends you can hop aboard a train at Grand Central Station and disembark near the Connecticut border, directly onto a little-traveled section of the AT. From the duly-named Appalachian Trail station, overnight opportunities await in either direction. Head south for 3.3 miles to reach an open vista from the flanks of 1,100-foot West Mountain, spending the night at the nearby Telephone Pioneers Shelter. Or head north 5.9 miles along wooded Hammersly Ridge to Wiley Shelter, less than two miles from the state line. Katahdin’s only 608 miles farther...
Getting There: take MTA’s Harlem line to the Appalachian Trail station; www.mta.info.
Info: Appalachian Trail guide, New York-New Jersey (Appalachian trail conservancy).
Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, Pa.: Wissahickon Creek burbles for seven miles through a portion of Philadelphia’s 9,200-acre Fairmount ParkÑone of the largest metropolitan parks in the world. More than 50 miles of trails travel along the stream and across the often rugged valley slopes. A SEPTA train parallels the park and provides access from several locations, but the best entry point is from the end of the line at Chestnut Hill West, where you can quickly drop into the deepest, wildest part of the park: Wissahickon Gorge.
Getting There: SEPTA line R8 (Chestnut Hill West) from downtown; www.septa.org.
Info: Friends of the Wissahickon, www.fow.org, 215-247-0417.
Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, Baltimore, Md.: Totaling more than 1,100 acres, these contiguous parks protect the largest swath of open space in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Gwynns Falls and Dead Run creeks flow past century-old stands of oaks and tulip poplar, and once provided hydro-power to the city’s early mill industry. Today the old mill race has been converted to a walking path that tours streamside meadows, small rocky cliffs, and historical sites. The parks are a key component of the Gwynns Falls Trail, a 15-mile recreational greenway running from downtown to the western city limits.
Getting There: MTA bus routes 15 and 23 access the north and south sections of the park, respectively; www.mtamaryland.com.
Info: Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, www.leakinpark.com
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