Leaf peeper alert: Here are six nearby places to catch New England's fall foliage

Emilia Cardona, The Gardner News
·4 min read

New England is known for its colorful mosaic foliage that looks straight out of a painting, and both natives and visitors are looking for the best views of peak fall color.

Experiencing the foliage in Massachusetts is a great way to stay active and be in nature during the fall season. So, grab family, friends, and even your furry four-legged pal to see the tops of trees change into festive yellows, oranges, reds, browns, and even purple.

According to the Farmers' Almanac editors, North Central Mass. residents can expect peak foliage starting Thursday, Oct. 5 through Saturday Oct. 21.

Greater Gardner residents don't have to go far to experience the beauty of a New England fall. There are several places a drive or hike away in the area. Here are six nearby nature spots where you can do your own leaf peeping.

The summit of Mount Watatic is a great place for fall foliage viewing.
The summit of Mount Watatic is a great place for fall foliage viewing.

Mount Watatic

A 15-minute drive north of Gardner is Mount Watatic in Ashburnham. It's one of the most popular trails in the Greater Gardner area and it's a short hike to get to the summit where hikers are able to see lots of colorful foliage. Dogs are welcome but they have to be leashed.

The trail is considered moderately challenging and is 2.1 miles long round trip. The trail in Mount Watatic begins in a swampy flat area and hikers pass by a small pond before the trail starts inclining. After the pond, the trail is mostly woodlands unit you reach the summit that is marked with a large cairn where treetops can be seen for miles.

Hager Park

Hager Park in Westminster is the closest park to Gardner where visitors can see a landscape filled with fall foliage. The park is 57 acres of forest, wetlands and hiking trails. One of the trails leads hikers to Hager Park Mountain where the elevation is perfect for seeing the fall color. The park is only a 10-minute drive from Gardner and dogs are welcomed but must be leashed.

Swift River Reservation

In Petersham, a 20-minute drive from Gardner, is Swift River Reservation. The reservation is 439 acres of woodlands and wetlands filled with wildlife including beavers and porcupines. There are three main trails, and the third trail leads hikers up to the top of the hill where people can see the surrounding valleys, which makes it a great spot to see the peak foliage. Dogs are welcome but must be leashed.

More: Foliage prediction for New England Fall color returns to Vermont, but will it be a vibrant season?

Willard Brook State Forest

Willard Brook State Forest is located in both Ashby and Townsend, which are only 30 minutes from Gardner. There are five trails in the state forest; here are two trails that are easy to moderately challenging for beginner hikers. Dogs are allowed but they must be leashed.

  • Willard Brook Trail is considered easy and it's a 2.1-mile-long round trip excursion. It hits an elevation of 600 feet.

  • Brooks, Friends, Orange, and Yellow trail is 9.2 miles long round trip and the elevation hits 1,000 feet. There are several vistas and summits throughout this trail, so hikers don't need to do the whole trail to get a nice view of the foliage.

Wachusett Mountain State Reservation

A Greater Gardner essential, Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, is only a 15-minute drive from Gardner. At the reservation there are several trails, short or long, easy to very challenging, for all kinds of hikers and leaf peepers. The peak of Wachusett Mountain hits 2,600 feet and dogs are allowed but they must be leashed. There is a $5 parking fee for Massachusetts residents.

Quabbin Reservoir

Quabbin Reservoir is a Central Mass. hidden gem tucked away in the small town of Belchertown. The reservoir is one of the largest unfiltered water supplies in the United States with 120,000 acres and miles of trails in Quabbin Park for visitors to explore. There are restricted areas in which hiking, biking or any water sports are not permitted in order to protect the drinking water of many communities. The reservoir is a 48-minute drive with light traffic west of Gardner and dogs are not allowed at the reservoir, or at Quabbin Park.

Here are three trails that are considered easy to moderate for beginner hikers but have vistas where plenty of foliage is able to be seen.

  • Bald Mountain Hill trail is an easy looped trail that is 1 mile long round trip. On the trail there is a vista for hikers to stop at and enjoy the view of the forest. The vista is about 200 yards into the trail, and it does get steeper to get to it.

  • Soapstone Hill trail is a moderately challenging trail that is 2.7 miles long round trip. Elevation for this trail hits 850 feet, perfect for taking a picture of the foliage along the reservoir.

  • Quabbin Hill Trail is a moderately challenging trail that is 6 miles long round trip. The elevation for this trail hits 1,000 feet, which gives hikers the best chance to see miles of colorful treetops during peak foliage.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Six places near Gardner to see New England's fall foliage at its peak