As the beautiful foliage season gets underway, there is often talk about heading to the Berkshires, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine to view the best autumn landscapes.  And while those are all very lovely, legitimate places to visit, I am not at all enthused about joining legions of traveling leaf peepers to get there, and I’m sure that there are many others who share my sentiment.

View of Blue Hills from Moose Hill Farm in Sharon.

Luckily, for those of us who prefer to avoid traffic and crowds, there are many beautiful places to visit locally, within the Neponset River Watershed.  For example, just this past weekend, my husband and I hiked around Moose Hill Farm in Sharon, now a Trustees of Reservation property, and the views were just spectacular!  The fields were bright green with winter rye, the bordering forest was splendid in gold and red, and in the distance was a fabulous view of the Blue Hills.  It was as good as it gets, and it confirmed for me, that in this area, you don’t have to travel very far to find a beautiful location.

With the long, holiday weekend upon us, I thought that it might be useful to start a list of places in the watershed, where one can go for a nice walk and appreciate the fall foliage.  The list that follows is an informal sampling of locations suggested by co-workers here at NepRWA, and by no means covers all of the spectacular places one could visit in the area.  (Sincere apologies if we’ve left off any of your favorite spots!)

Do you have a location in the watershed that you recommend for a good hike?  Let us know!

BOSTON

• Neponset River Greenway – Granite Ave. Access – Dorchester. Paved bike trail, fishing, canoe launch
• Stony Brook Reservation – West Roxbury / Hyde Park. Hiking, fishing, paved bike trails

Ponkapoag Golf Course in Canton.

CANTON

• Blue Hills Reservation
• Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon. – Located on a 121-acre wildlife sanctuary, the museum houses Mass Audubon’s extensive art collection.
• Ponkapoag Pond: Bog Boardwalk. – Hiking, rare plants
• The Bradley Estate. – Walking, gardens, historic house

FOXBOROUGH

• Warner Trail – trail passes through Canton, Sharon, Foxboro, Wrentham and Plainville in MA and through Cumberland, RI

MEDFIELD

• Rocky Woods Reservation

MILTON

• Blue Hills Reservation
• Neponset River Reservation – Fowl Meadow, Burma Road and Paul’s Bridge. Walking, historic marker, canoe launch
• Neponset River Reservation – Forbes Woods. Walking
• Neponset River Greenway – Central Avenue Access. Paved bike path

NORWOOD

• Ellis Pond–Walking, fishing
• Fowl Meadow Floodplains– Walking

QUINCY

• Neponset River Reservation – Squantum Point. Walking, fishing, bird watching

RANDOLPH

• Blue Hills Reservation – Scanlon Street Entrance. Hiking

SHARON

• Borderland State Park – Hiking, canoeing, fishing, horse trails, historic house.  Info: 508-238-6566
• King Phillip’s Rock –Walking
• Massapoag Trail – Massapoag Brook – Walking
• Moose Hill Farm/Trustees of Reservation
• Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary – Hiking, walking, educational programs, fee.  Info: 781-784-5691
• Warner Trail – trail passes through Sharon, Foxboro, Wrentham and Plainville in Massachusetts and through Cumberland, RI

STOUGHTON

• Bird Street Conservation Area – Hiking, walking.

WALPOLE

• Adams Farm– Walking
• Bird Park (Francis William Park)– Walking
• Walpole Town Forest– Walking, fishing, Bay Circuit Trail

WESTWOOD

• Hale Reservation– Hiking, fishing, mountain biking, swimming (fee), boating (fee).  Info 781-326-1770
• Lowell Woods– Walking