Step To It
There's only one way to truly enjoy the beauty of Greater Boston: by putting one foot in front of the other. And with sky-high gas prices, there's no better time to rediscover the oldest form of transportation. So strap on your most comfortable shoes and let your mind ramble on one of these walks, selected for the nature lover, history buff, shopaholic, and people watcher in all of us.
Crane Beach, in Ipswich.
The Hale Reservation, in Westwood and Dover.
(Photos by Josh Campbell)
The World's End Reservation in Hingham.
- |
Following are four of the 18 walks featured in the August 31 issue of the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. For the full article, pick up the Boston Sunday Globe or go to boston.com/magazine on Sunday, August 31.
BOSTON | CAMBRIDGE
COMMONWEALTH AVENUE MALL
Boston
Distance 0.9 mile one way
Estimated Time 30 minutes
Crowd Dog walkers, joggers, strollers, occasional bench sleepers
Inner Peace Quotient 6 (from 1 to 10)
Route Follow the path in the center of the greenway on Comm. Ave. from Arlington Street; it ends between Hereford Street and Mass. Ave.
Terrain Part of Boston's Emerald Necklace, the mall is a tree-lined oasis in the middle of a major city thoroughfare. It's also a history lesson, dotted with statues and memorials. Learn about Alexander Hamilton, William Lloyd Garrison, Abigail Adams, and other notables. Don't miss the statue of sailor historian Samuel Eliot Morison (near Exeter Street) - and be sure to look at the quotes inscribed on the surrounding rocks and the little bronze beach creatures embedded in the base.
NORTH
CRANE BEACH
Ipswich
Distance 3-mile loop
Estimated Time 1.5 hours
Crowd Depending on when you're there, beachgoers - or no one
Inner Peace Quotient 10
Route Follow Green Trail from Crane Beach parking lot. Bear right (R) to head toward Castle Neck River side (it's a loop, so you'll return on the ocean side). Bear R again when you get to Red Trail; follow Red Trail all the way around back to Green Trail. Bear R at Green Trail (there's a path to the right down to the beach just before this intersection) and follow it back to the parking area.
Terrain There are 5 1/2 miles of trails amid the 1,200 acres of dunes and maritime pine forest at Crane Beach. Stick to marked trails and boardwalks to avoid harming the vegetation or disturbing the natural habitats that exist here (it's a major nesting site for piping plovers, once an almost extinct species). This is serenity at its best: sea breezes through willowy beach grasses, one of the longest stretches of white sand beach you'll find on the oft-rocky North Shore, and endless water views.
WEST
HALE RESERVATION
Westwood and Dover
Distance 2 miles
Estimated Time 1 hour
Crowd Families - and grown-ups nostalgic for summer camp
Inner Peace Quotient 8
Route From the Cat Rock parking area, follow blue-blazed Storrow Pond Trail to red-blazed Page & Sadie Trail; follow that around Noanet Pond and back to Storrow Pond Trail.
Terrain Hale Reservation's mission is to preserve open space (1,200 acres of it) and promote environmental education and responsibility, especially among children. To that end, its volunteers and rangers maintain about 10 miles of marked trails (and many other unmarked trails) through quiet woods and past scenic ponds. This walk circumnavigates the 50-acre Noanet Pond, Hale's largest body of water, where there's a fishing dock for anglers (catch and release is encouraged). For more information, go to halereservation.org.
SOUTH
WORLD'S END RESERVATION
Hingham
Distance 4-mile loop
Estimated Time 2 hours
Crowd Nature-seeking suburbanites
Inner Peace Quotient 8
Route From main entrance, follow the unmarked figure-eight-shaped perimeter trail to termination of World's End; return along the other side of the loop.
Terrain Hardly rugged but not at all developed, this 250-acre peninsula - originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, now maintained by the Trustees of Reservations, and technically part of the Boston Harbor Islands - offers incredible views of Hingham Harbor, the Boston skyline, and the Weir River. The 4-mile trail roughly traces the edge of the reservation, and additional carriage paths and trails cross the grassy coastal drumlins that make up the landscape. It's a relaxing, moderate hike that's even better if you go at off -peak hours - basically, any time except midday on weekends.
