Most Mass Audubon Trails Reopen
BARNSTABLE, MA — The Mass Audubon Society has reopened trails at nearly all its wildlife sanctuaries statewide.
Audubon officials said the reopenings happened after careful analysis and consultation with local officials and community leaders, and in accordance with health and government guidelines on easing restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Nature centers, restrooms, and other facilities maintained by the state's largest nature conservation nonprofit remain closed, but Mass Audubon is happy to again welcome members and other visitors to explore 200 miles of trails at more than 50 sanctuaries, from the Cape and Islands to the Berkshires.
"We are so pleased to be able to invite members and the general public to enjoy our trail systems in their full measure, from coastal rambles to secluded streamside paths and invigorating hikes to ridgetops," said society President David O'Neil.
"This is what Mass Audubon is all about, especially in challenging times such as these," O'Neill added. "Our wildlife sanctuaries encourage people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to explore the natural world, safely and courteously, whether re-establishing connections with nature or forging them for the first time"
An online parking/timed-ticket reservation system is being tested at sanctuaries that typically experience heavy visitation. Reservations will help limit the number of visitors at any one time, for everyone's safety and enjoyment. Trails with this system include Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick and Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield.
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln plans to open its trails and Blue Hills Trailside Museum in Milton plans to open its outdoor exhibits later this month.
See a full list of open trails below:
Berkshires
Canoe Meadows, Pittsfield → trail map
Lime Kiln Farm, Sheffield → trail map
Pleasant Valley, Lenox → trail map
Tracy Brook, Richmond → n/a
Connecticut River Valley
Arcadia, Easthampton & Northampton →trail map
Conway Hills, Conway → trail map
Graves Farm, Williamsburg & Whately →trail map
High Ledges, Shelburne →trail map
Laughing Brook, Hampden →trail map
Lynes Woods, Westhampton → trail map
Richardson Brook, Tolland → trail map
Road's End, Worthington → trail map
West Mountain, Plainfield → trail map
Central Massachusetts
Broad Meadow Brook, Worcester → trail map
Burncoat Pond, Spencer → trail map
Cook's Canyon, Barre → trail map
Eagle Lake, Holden → trail map
Flat Rock, Fitchburg → trail map
Lake Wampanoag, Gardner → trail map
Lincoln Woods, Leominster → trail map
Nashoba Brook, Westford →trail maps
Pierpont Meadow, Dudley → trail map
Poor Farm Hill, New Salem →trail map
Rocky Hill, Groton →trail map
Rutland Brook, Petersham → trail map
Wachusett Meadow, Princeton →trail map
North Shore
Eastern Point, Gloucester →n/a
Endicott, Wenham →trail map
Ipswich River, Topsfield → reservation required
Marblehead Neck, Marblehead →trail map
Nahant Thicket, Nahant →n/a
Rough Meadows, Rowley → trail map
Greater Boston
Boston Nature Center, Mattapan →trail map
Broadmoor, Natick → reservation required
Habitat, Belmont → trail map
Moose Hill, Sharon → trail map
Museum of American Bird Art, Canton →trail map
Stony Brook, Norfolk →trail map (only the boardwalk)
Waseeka, Hopkinton → trail map
South of Boston
Allens Pond, South Dartmouth & Westport →trail map
Attleboro Springs, Attleboro →trail map
Daniel Webster, Marshfield →trail map
Great Neck, Wareham → trail map
North Hill Marsh, Duxbury → trail map
North River, Marshfield → trail map
Oak Knoll, Attleboro →trail map
Tidmarsh, Plymouth → trail map (parking lot & entrance trail closed due to upcoming restoration work)
Cape Cod & the Islands
Ashumet Holly, Falmouth → trail map
Barnstable Great Marsh, Barnstable →trail map
Felix Neck, Edgartown → trail map
Long Pasture, Barnstable →trail map
Sesachacha Heathlands, Nantucket → n/a
Skunknett River, Barnstable →trail map
Wellfleet Bay, South Wellfleet →trail map
This article originally appeared on the Barnstable-Hyannis Patch
