One of the most scenic seaside settings in all of New England is that of Plum Island, a barrier island just east of the city of Newburyport, MA. Parts of the island includes the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which is a great place for bird watching, walking, and just enjoying the solitude the area has to offer. One of the most remote-feeling sections of the refuge is about midway down the island, where the Hellcat Wildlife Observation Area and the Hellcat Trail can be found. The trail, which starts from a parking area on the right side of the road (heading south) is mostly a boardwalk that cuts through some otherwise inaccessible land that includes thick brush, high grass, and swampland. It is an easy, level trail that can be done as a fairly quick loop, and some of it is exposed, affording views of Plum Island Sound and the low hills in the distance. Figure on a half hour to an hour to do the loop, including breaks to soak in the views.Most of Plum Island is breathtakingly beautiful, especially at sunset, and the Hellcat area is certainly one of the most scenic parts of the island. The trail is easy to do and parking usually isn't a problem, so this is a good walk to do with beginners or those who otherwise might not be into hiking.
The Blue Hills Reservation, which is located south of Boston along Route 128, is a vast area of steep hills, woodlands, rivers, and ponds. And while Houghton's Pond is wildly popular in the summer with its beach and huge parking area, there is another body of water nearby (Hillside Pond) that is almost completely unknown. Part of the reason that Hillside Pond is quiet and lesser-known is the fact that there is no real parking area near it, while another reason is because only minor trails lead to the pond. But it is a beautiful spot, with Tucker Hill forming a peaceful backdrop, giving it a tucked-in feel, and deep woods surrounding it that make the pond seem much more remote than it actually is. A narrow and rather rough trail goes around the pond, while a series of slightly wider trails meander nearby. 
A group of us went on a moderately difficult 5-mile hike through Caryl Park, the Noanet Woodlands, and, briefly, Hale Reservation a couple of weeks ago. We all parked at the Caryl Park lot on Dedham Street near the center of Dover, and entered the woods on a wide, mostly level trail. There isn't much to Caryl Park, which is owned by the town, but the woods are absolutely beautiful in some parts (see photo), especially as you get closer to the Noanet Woodlands. We started on the Caryl Trail (which is blazed in yellow), then took a left on the Peabody Trail (blue blazes) around where the Noanet Woodlands begin. From there, we walked through deep woods to our first stopping point, namely the Mill Site.
The area around the Mill Site is particularly scenic, with rushing water falling sharply from a small pond that feels much more remote than it actually is. The pond is one of three that are connected by the Noanet Brook, with the middle pond having a pleasant area with a picnic table where people can stop for lunch or a short break (see photo). From here, we jumped back on the Peabody Trail and skirted along the wooded base of Noanet Peak before stopping at a point where the trail veers off to the left.
It was at this point that we took a right and started climbing Noanet Peak, a relatively high hill (for the Boston area) that can be extremely rugged in spots. We took some minor trails here and there, eventually ending up at the summit, with its extensive views mostly to the east, including the Boston skyline in the distance (see photo). From here, we descended back to the Peabody Trail, took a left on the Larrabee Trail (red blazes), and took a series of minor trails into the Hale Reservation where we had lunch at Powissett Pond. From here, we took a direct route back through the Noanet Woodlands and Caryl Park, getting back to the lot from Powissett Pond in a little less than 45 minutes.
A good place to start a walk along the beaches in this area is in Swampscott Center, a picturesque spot located along King's Beach (see photo). From the center of town, a walkway heads generally southwest, crossing the Lynn border within minutes. Paralleling Lynn Shore Drive, the walkway gradually goes uphill, allowing for excellent views back into Swampscott.
Not too far after crossing into Lynn, a paved loop veers left and heads out to a rocky point that has sweeping ocean vistas, including scenes of Nahant and an island just off its shore (see photo). From there, the paved path loops back to the main walkway, giving more nice ocean views along the way, and continues back along Lynn Beach.
The walkway continues on a southwest course, sometimes right up against Lynn Shore Drive, and other times being a bit further away from it, slowly dropping closer to the ocean. Before it drops toward Nahant Beach, however, another sweeping view unfolds, this one of a long, flat stretch of Lynn Beach where it meets Nahant Beach (see photo). Eventually, the walkway starts curving south as it begins its route along Nahant Beach.
The Nahant Beach stretch of this walk can be busy during the warmer days of the summer, but on a day when the beach isn't crowded, it feels a bit more isolated then the stretch along Lynn Beach, Views eastward of Nahant Bay can be found along the entire path (see photo), with an interesting view of the Boston skyline across the causeway to the southwest. It is a long walk to the end of the beach, with terrific views of Lynn and Boston at the end. From this point, you can continue walking through Nahant or backtracking to Swampscott.
A number of us saw some of these rugged sections of the eastern Middlesex Fells late last month, including the extreme eastern edge of the reservation where the land drops off sharply. From Black Rock (see photo, you literally cannot go further east, as the Fells simply ends in such a steep dropoff that it feels a lot like a cliff From this point you can see some of the residential sections of Melrose as well as Melrose Center in the distance.
We also hiked south a short distance from Melrose Rock, ending up a Black Rock, which is perhaps even more stunning than Melrose rock, with the same sharp dropoffs as well as more sweeping views of both Melrose and Malden (see photo). Black Rock is a great place to stop for a lunch/picnic break, as there are lots of rocky outcroppings where hikers can sit and enjoy the views far below.
We started at the Minute Man Visitor Center, which is just off Route 2A near where Lexington and Lincoln meet. We initially walked east, getting to the eastern end of the Battle Road Trail near Route 128, then going up the Fiske Hill trail to the top of the hill, where there is a peaceful meadow surrounded by woods (see photo). From there, we went down the other side and soon ended up back on the Battle Road Trail, heading west this time.
After skirting the visitor center, we wound our way through a mix of woods and fields with Route 2A off to the left and Hanscom Field Airport nearby to the right. A little over a mile from the visitor center, we came to a beautiful tree-shaded stretch of the Battle Road Trail (see photo), stopping at the Hartwell Tavern for a short time before continuing on to the Bloody Angle, a few more historic structures, and a boardwalk before meeting up (briefly) with Route 2A near the Lincoln/Concord line.
Walking away from Route 2A on the Battle Road Trail (and going past a farmstand that was unfortunately closed for the season), we soon ended up on another boardwalk that led to the historic farming fields (see photo), which is perhaps the most picturesque part of the Battle Road Trail. We looped around the fields, ending up back near Route 2A, then walked the short stretch marking the end of the Battle Road Trail. From here, we walked along Route 2A for a bit less than a half mile, stopping for lunch next to The Wayside and the Orchard House, just east of Concord Center.
After lunch, we backtracked east along the Battle Road Trail, making a few stops at the historic farming fields, one of the boardwalks, and the Hartwell Tavern. By this time, the tavern was open to the public, so a few of us toured the historic home (see photo) before continuing on. From there, it was a relatively quick walk back to the visitor center and the cars. The total trip was around 13 miles, but a fairly easy 13 miles since much of the walk was flat.
A group of 25 of us went on a long hike through Hale Reservation in Westwood (and briefly crossed over into the Noanet Woodlands in Dover) a little more than a week ago. Hale is a huge reservation, so we went at a brisk pace from the start, looping northwest from the Cat Rock parking area over to the pristine Storrow Pond (see photo) near the northern edge of the reservation. After spending some time enjoying the sights of the pond and the sounds of the stream that fell away from it, we turned southwest, hiking through some of the most remote-feeling land in the Boston area along a part of the Storrow Pond Trail. 
After nearly a mile of walking through some very deep woods, we approached Powissett Pond (see photo), which is in the hilly western part of Hale Reservation. Like Storrow Pond, Powissett Pond is a small but scenic body of water, and we spent some time on the picnic tables there relaxing and wandering around the beach area. From there, we started climbing west toward the southwestern edge of the reservation, staying mostly on a fire lane trail, but eventually veering off to reach the highest point of the hike.
After several fairly steep twists and turns along some minor trails, we made it to the top of Powissett Peak, which is about 400 feet above sea level and has some sweeping views to the west (see photo). It was a bit windy at the top, so we didn't stay long, backtracking to the fire lane and dipping down into the Noanet Woodlands where we had lunch. From there, we took some little-used trails east back into Hale, skirting Strawberry Hill and ending up back near Powissett Pond. From there, it was an easy (and scenic) walk back to the parking area via a trail that went alongside Noanet Pond, the biggest body of water in the reservation.
There aren't too many "mountains" in the Boston area, so having the word attached to a recreation area, even if it's not accurate, is rather intriguing. And after finally hiking through the Wilson Mountain Reservation in Dedham last weekend, I can say that no, Wilson Mountain is not really a mountain, but it is a peaceful, scenic spot with deep woods, bubbling brooks (see photo), and a surprisingly steep hill with decent views at the top.
We started our hike from the small parking lot (room for 10 cars or so) along Route 135 just east of Route 128. The green dot trail started out as what looked like a logging road, but it quickly became narrower and steeper once the red dot loop veered off to the right. As we skirted the top of the hill, some limited views of the Blue Hills could be seen to the east, but then we quickly lost the views as we descended into a deeply woooded are with many streams. A little more than halfway through the green loop, we took a side trail up to the red dot trail, where we took a right and were soon dropping steeply from the hill, on the part of the trail where the red and green dot were one and the same. Then the red dot trail left the green dot and passed through a beautiful pine forest (see photo) before starting a rather treacherous scamper up toward the summit of Wilson Mountain.
Once we reached the summit, we took a breather, enjoying the fine views of the Boston skyline and the unusual rock formations at the top (see photo). Then we went back along the side trail down to the green dot trail where we continued on from where we had left off earlier. This part of the green dot was mostly flat and eventually went parallel to Route 135, but it was still quite nice, with several streams and some wetlands along the way. The trail took us back to the parking lot, but we continued on to another trail that skirted the eastern boundary of the reservation and led to a large meadow. From there, we turned around and headed back to the lot.
Pond Meadow is a smallish park mostly in Braintree, though some of it is located in Weymouth. It abuts Route 3, so parts of the area are tarnished by traffic noise, but much of the area is quiet. There is a main walkway that is paved loops around the pond, with some dirt paths veering off the loop. We hiked on both the paved walkway and most of the dirt paths (except for the yellow trail), walking about 4 miles total, much of which was along or within site of the pond. Perhaps the most scenic trail was the part of the red trail that meanders along the north edge of the pond. It was quiet, scenic, and afforded near-constant views of the water. But the trails away from the pond were also scenic, including part of the blue trail that crossed bucolic streams (see photo) and wandered through rolling terrain.
Last Weekend, I went on a snowshoe walk through the Eastern Blue Hills in Quincy after a moderate snowstorm. Conditions were perfect for snowshoeing, as the snow was light and powdery, so I set off that morning from the Shea Rink on Willard Street, starting on the Skyline Trail and soon moving on to the beautiful Sawcut Notch trail (see photo). The Sawcut Notch was in great condition and was mostly pretty level, so it was easy going for the first part of the hike.
After awhile, the Sawcut Notch Trail started to rise a bit as it approached a scenic and remote hill called Great Dome. I skirted Great Dome--there is a trail that goes up the hill, but it is being phased out--and headed toward Little Dome and some marshy areas, taking some pictures of streams and wetlands along the way (see photo). A short ways after Little Dome, I took a left and found my way to Crags Foot Path, which is a peaceful, mostly level trail (and was particularly beautiful that morning).
I hadn't really done any elevation gains up to this point, so just after the Furnace Brook Path veered off to the left, I took a right up a little-used path, scampering up the side of Rattlesnake Hill. The path soon brought me to the Skyline Trail once again, where I took a right and carefully hiked up the side of Rattlesnake Hill. When I got to the top, it started to snow, making for a really nice scene (see photo). I spent a few minutes at the top before retracing my steps and taking the Skyline Trail back to the parking lot.