Bonner Falls

Distance: 1.9 Mile Loop

Difficulty: Easy with a couple small inclines

I have been hearing about a waterfall on North Pack Monadnock and wanted to check it out, but never got around to it or kept forgetting about it. We had a free afternoon and my husband recommended we try to find it.

The trailhead to Bonner Falls is located on Ted and Carolyn’s Trail off of Mountain Road in Greenfield, New Hampshire. There is a small parking lot and ability to park along the road side. The trailhead is across the street from the trailhead and marked with a trail map.

We followed the trail through the forest and over some bridges.

We hiked until we came to a sign for the split in the trail of Ted and Carolyns Trail. Ted’s Trail went left and Carolyn’s Trail went right. We went left on Ted’s Trail.

The trail was easy to follow with yellow trail makers. The hike was a little over a mile walk through the woods with some ups and downs. When we arrived at Bonner Falls there was a little rock scramble to get to the waterfall, which was kind of fun. Unfortunately the falls were dried up.

We looped back to Carolyn’s trail then headed back to the trailhead. The total loop hike was about 1.9 miles. The trail was fairly flat with some ups and downs, but nothing too difficult. I want to go back and see the waterfall after we have had some rain.

Nashua River-Groton

I have driven by the Nashua River in Groton, Massachusetts on several occasions and kept saying I want to paddle it. We finally made it happen. One warm summer day my daughter wanted to paddle board. When we were looking for a place to rent them we found Nashoba Paddler in Groton on the Nashua River. They had a large selection of kayaks and paddle boards. We had called ahead to make sure they had paddle boards and were told they had enough that we did not need to reserve in advance.

The guy working at the rental company was nice and efficient. It was $40 a paddle board for two hours. We were given life jackets, the paddles and the board. They also had a waterproof map of the river we could take with us. Once we were given our paddle boards the guy helped us on the boards and gave us recommendations on where to go on the river to see wildlife. He said we could swim, but do not swallow the water or if we were fishing to not eat the fish.

We headed up stream, the river was fairly flat with little current. There were others kayaking and boating on the river. One of our paddle boards were a little small for us, we returned it and were given a larger one. We are learning to always go longer with the paddle boards as the larger ones are more stable. The guy told us we could stay out as long as we wanted since the first board did not fit us right. We spent about two hours paddling around the river, as that was enough time for us. It was nice floating back to the rental company with the current. The Nashua River was a great place to paddle and explore along with seeing wildlife like various birds and beavers. We did not feel it was clean enough to swim in. We enjoyed our time on the Nashua River and would absolutely return to paddle again and rent from Nashoba Paddler.

After our paddle we were hungry and stopped for lunch at The Cafe at Groton Wellness Center. This is a small cafe inside Groton Wellness Center that has salads, sandwich’s, specials, coffee and smoothies. This is a farm to table cafe. We enjoyed our lunch of different sandwiches. The cafe does not take cash so plan accordingly.

We had a great few hours paddling the Nashua River then having some yummy lunch.

Covered Bridge Falls

Located in Thetford, Vermont is Covered Bridge Falls. The trailhead for Covered Bridge Falls is located off of Tucker Hill Road. After you cross the covered bridge there is a small parking lot on the left with a trail sign in the parking lot. Behind the parking lot is a trail down to the falls.

Covered Bridge Falls is located on the Ompompanoosuc River. When we visited we had recently received a lot of rain, so the waterfall was rushing.

It was only a few hundred feet to the view of Covered Bridge Falls. With beautiful waterfall views and Thetford Center Bridge, a covered Bridge, this was worth the stop.

We were heading north and made a stop at Newbury Country Store, about 20 minutes away from the falls, for some delicious lunch and more beautiful Vermont views.

Farm Pond Park

Farm Pond Park is located on Dudley Road in Framingham, Massachusetts. This is a fun park. With its standard activities like sports fields, playground, skate park, dog park, walking paths, plenty of green space for picnic’s relaxing or lawn games as well as a fun land bridge.

We easily found parking near the skate park. As we walked straight behind the stake park across the lawn towards Farm Pond we came upon a surprise. SWANS!! There were at least 10-20 swans in the pond. They were so fun to watch. I am not sure how often they are there.

Off to the right is the land bridge that goes over Farm Pond towards a railroad station. With it being late April the bushes along the land bridge had not blossomed yet. From research supposedly the trees and greenery can get pretty tall in some sections of the land bridge creating almost a tunnel is some sections. It was still pretty cool to walk across the land bridge.

There were people fishing and enjoying various sections of the park. It was worth the stop after visiting The Garden in the Woods.

Garden in the Woods

Garden in the Woods is located on Hemenway Road in Framingham, Massachusetts. This woodland botanical garden has trails to explore, a variety of plants, along with an educational center and children’s play area. From the parking lot you walk up to the Visitor Center where you pay an admission to enter the Garden in the Woods. The Visitor Center also has snacks, drinks and a gift shop. We were given a trail map and headed out to explore the grounds. With it being late April many of plants were not in bloom yet, but it was still pretty to explore around. There was some pops of Spring.

It was easy to follow the trails around the Garden of the Woods. There was signs marking various plants throughout the woodland garden. Early on in our walk we came to Lily Pond, which I loved because there were several turtles sunning themself. I loved watching them.

There was a family activity area where families could embrace their imagination and love of nature play.

There were several benches around the trails if you wanted to sit and enjoy the scenery or needed to take a rest.

I love a boardwalk and the Garden in the Woods has a good one that goes along a brook.

We spent about an hour exploring the trails and grounds. We walked a little over a mile and a quarter. There were a couple trails we did not explore. I would love to go back when more plants are in bloom as I am sure the gardens are beautiful. They do offer tours of the gardens if you want more information on the various plants. Overall we enjoyed the Garden in the Woods and would return.

While in the area we also stopped at Farm Pond Park for more exploring.

Hampton Beach

In the 20 or so years I have lived in New Hampshire, Hampton Beach has never been a go to place for me to visit. Living in New England we are lucky to have so many amazing beaches. Hampton has had a reputation of being dirty and not always family friendly. In the past years if we have visited Hampton Beach it has been in the off season only to walk the beach. We have spent one night in the off season on the beach, where the sunrise was beautiful.

We have also visited when Hampton Beach had had their sand sculpture festival.

Last summer one of our daughter’s friends wanted to go to Hampton Beach for her birthday and we joined the parents for a beach day. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The beach was a lot cleaner than I had remembered. The facilities new and clean. We felt comfortable letting our teenage daughters walk around the beach, shops and restaurants.

During the summer months there is more to do like shopping, arcade and restaurants. Many of these places are closed in the off season. I still enjoy visiting Hampton Beach in the off season due to less crowds when walking the beach, but now will consider visiting during the warmer months as there has been much improvement to the area.

Stone Arch Bridge Trail

Distance: 2.3 Miles

Difficulty: Easy

Located at 115 Cold Springs Road in Westford, Massachusetts is the trailhead for the Stone Arch Bridge Trail. There is a small parking lot with a kiosk with trail information. The path is wide and easy to follow. You follow the path for a few hundred feet where you come to a fork in the trail. You can bare right and go up a hill or go straight around the hill. We chose to go up the hill as it was less icy. There was not much of a view from the top, but it was a good little work out. You go down the other side of the hill and reconnect with the trail that went around the hill. From here is a straight wide path.

As you walk along the path you come to a large stone bridge. You can walk down stairs off to the right to get a view of this bridge from the bottom.

After enjoying the stone arch bridge we walked up the stairs and continued down the trail. There are a couple side trails that are marked with signs. We took the Loop Trail off to the right that went along a body of water, had a couple small hills and looped back to the main trail.

Once back on the trail we started hiking back towards the trailhead. We took another side trail, off to the right, called Russel Bird Sanctuary Trail. This was a short loop with a small hill. There were a couple benches if you wanted to sit and enjoy the view. We saw some different ducks and two beavers.

Once we looped back to the main trail we headed back to the trailhead. The total hike was 2.3 miles. We enjoyed the trail from the stone arch bridge, water views and animal viewing opportunities. The trail is mostly flat with a couple small hills on the side trails. We would hike this trail again.

Gap Mountain, North Trailhead

Distance: 2.75 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

Parking may not be accessible during winter months.

Gap Mountain has two trailheads. The more popular trailhead is the South Trailhead. We recently checked out the North Trailhead which is located off Route 124 on Bullard Road in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. We visited during the winter months and the trailhead parking lot was gated off and there was no parking signs along the road. There was just enough room to park on the side of the gate, make sure you do not block the gate.

We walked up through the parking lot to the trailhead. The trail starts out meandering through the woods over a couple foot bridges as you follow the white blazes.

The trail does not remain flat for long and starts a gradual to steady incline with some steep sections. With the leaves off the trees we were able to get views of Mt. Monadnock.

After about a 1.4 mile hike of a mostly steady incline we reached the top where we had beautiful views toward Vermont and of Mt. Monadnock.

From here you can continue on to the the the south Gap Mountain that is accessible from the South Trailhead. I am not sure how far it is as we did not do that part of the hike. We would like to go back and continue on the trail. With it being winter microspikes were a must. I did find the trail steep and difficult at times, making it not an easy hike. I would recommend this hike for those with experience hiking.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may receive a small amount of compensation at no cost to you.

Beede Falls

Located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire is Beede Falls. This waterfall is located off Sandwich Notch Road in the town of Sandwich. In the winter months, Sandwich Notch Road turns into a snowmobile trail so you have to park on Diamond Ledge Road and walk up the Sandwich Notch Road. We visited in January and parked on the side of Diamond Ledge Road.

The walk up Sandwich Notch Road had some incline. Also remember in the winter this is a snowmobile trail so use caution when walking.

A little less than three quarters of a mile up the road you come to the sign for Beede Falls and a small parking lot on the right.

The trail to Beede Falls is on the back side of the parking lot and marked with a sign. The trail is easy to follow and only about a quarter of mile. The falls were beautifully frozen.

The main reason I wanted to visit this waterfall in the winter was because I read you can get behind the waterfall. Since we have had several below zero temperature days everything was nice and frozen.

There is not a lot of room to get behind the waterfall, but our family of three was able to crawl on the ice to get behind the falls and enjoy the beauty of Beede Falls.

It was really cool being able to explore behind the falls.

There is an option for a further hike along a stream and to a cave, but we did not have time to check it out today. I would like to come back to explore the trails and also visit the waterfall in the warmer months. The total hike was 1.75 miles roundtrip. If you are able to drive to the parking area, the hike would only be about a half mile roundtrip.

Always use caution when walking and being around ice. Make sure you check thickness and that the area is safe before venturing out on ice.

Rotch Wildlife Preserve

Distance: 1 mile loop

Difficulty: Easy

Located on Ruonala Road in Milford, New Hampshire is a short and fairly flat hiking trail. Rotch Wildlife Preserve has trails along a marsh, through the woods and along a stream. There is a small parking lot off Ruonala Road. The trail is easy to follow with maps at various locations and trail markers. There is also a map online. The trail starts out meandering through the woods, following white trail blazes. Soon you start to get views of the marsh through the trees.

There are a couple benches along the marsh to sit and enjoy the views.

We followed the trail until we came to a split. We went left which followed the Brook Trail, which is marked by blue trail blazes. This trail wandered through the woods and came to a stream. Since we are in a drought there was very little to no water in the brook.

The trail looped around coming back to the marsh.

Once you complete the loop you follow the trail back to the parking lot. The trail was only a mile long. With the trail being near Route 13 you could hear a lot of traffic noise. We found the trail pretty, easy to navigate and perfect if you were short on time and wanted to get in a quick walk in the woods.

Injinji Sock Review

I love trying out different gear for our outdoor and travel activities. When Injinji reached out asking me to partner with them through their affiliate program I replied that I would consider joining if they sent me a pair of socks to try out. Usually when I reply this to companies wanting to partner with me I do not hear back from them. A representative responded stating they would gladly send me a pair. I was excited to try out a new pair of socks.

My husband has gotten into trail and ultra running and uses Injinji socks when running ultra distance races. I was curious how toe socks would fit me as I have larger, stubbier toes.

About a week later I received a package from Injinji, with not one, not two, not three, but four pairs of different toe socks to try out. I received two pairs of Performance Run Lightweight Toes Socks, a pair of Women’s Performance Trail Toe Socks and a pair of Performance Outdoor Merino Wool Toe Socks.

I recently have gotten in to running. My first time using these socks I used one of the Injinji Performance run socks. I was impressed that they fit my larger toes fairly well.

I did a flat trail run on a local rail trail. I was a little worried that I would not like the feel of the socks between my toes. Sometimes I have issues with my toes and toe nails rubbing together causing some pain. These socks were comfortable and prevented my toes rubbing together.

Next I tried out the trail toe socks on a local hike up a small mountain. Again I was more impressed with these socks than I expected. They were comfortable and I loved how they kept my toes from rubbing together. I never felt uncomfortable hiking on the flat sections or going up various inclines.

I have not tried the Outdoor Performance Toe Socks yet as I am waiting for colder weather hikes to wear those, which will be coming soon. After trying Injinji Toe Socks I found them comfortable and they prevented my toes from rubbing together. I will continue to use these socks on my outdoor adventures of walking, running and hiking.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may receive a small amount of compensation at no cost to you.

Sterling Section of the Mass Central Rail Trail

Distance: 3.3 Roundtrip

Difficulty: Easy

Multipurpose trail: Walking, Bike Riding, Running

Located in Sterling, Massachusetts is the Sterling Section of the Mass Central Rail Trail. There are two access points, we parked at the parking lot on Gates Road in Sterling. The second parking lot is at the other end of the trail on Waushacum Avenue just past School Street also in Sterling. There was plenty of parking at the Gates Road parking lot. You have to cross Gates Road to get to the start of the trail. There is a kiosk and a portable potty, which was clean.

We were impressed with how packed down the trail was.

The trail goes between West Waushacum Lake and The Quag, both beautiful bodies of water. There were benches along they way to stop, sit and enjoy the views.

After leaving the bodies of water you walk through a forest before coming near a residential area. Then going by a marsh area before coming to the end of the trail and second parking area. We saw people walking, walking their dogs, dogs are not allowed near the water, running and biking. I am guessing in the winter people snowshoe and cross country ski here as well.

The other fun part of the trail is near the Gate Road entrance is activities to keep children engaged by being prompted by different signs.

Overall, we really liked this rail trail. It is only 3.3 miles up and back. The water views were beautiful. The trail was well groomed. We would absolutely return to this rail trail again.

North Pack Monadnock

Located at the North end of the Wapack Trail is North Pack Monadnock Mountain. There are a couple of trail heads for this trail. We parked on Mountain Road in Greenfield and hiked the Wapack Trail to the top. There is a good amount of parking here.

The trail starts out fairly flat for the first .8 miles of the trail.

Then the trail is a steady to steep incline for another .8 of a mile.

At the summit there is a large cairn and some views looking towards Mt. Monadnock.

From here we continued onto the Cliff Trail. I have never been on this trail before and thought the trail went around the top rim of North Pack providing a lot of views. The first part we did walk around the summit which provided some views. There is one view point that opens up onto a set of rocks giving stunning views towards Boston, the southern part of the Wapack Trail and Mt Monadnock.

We continued along the Cliff Trail which has some rock scrambles descending down the mountain and some flat areas. The trail connected with the Wapack Trail before heading back up to the summit of North Pack Monadnock. The total loop was about 2 miles, which had some difficult sections due to rock scrambles, the only view points were at the beginning of the Cliff Trail.

After reaching the summit again we continued to follow the Wapack Trail back to the parking lot. With it being fall there were a lot of leaves and pine needles on the trail making the climb down tricky at times.

Overall, we really enjoyed the hike. The total mileage was 5.25 miles. Some of those miles were difficult due to rock scrambles. There was some beautiful views. I would rate this trail on the harder side of moderate, good for those who have experience hiking a variety of terrain.

Coolidge Reservation

Distance: A little over two miles

Difficulty: Easy with a couple inclines.

No dogs allowed on the Ocean Lawn

Located in Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts is Coolidge Reservation featuring hiking trails, forests, a pond and beautiful ocean views. There is a small parking lot off of Summer Street, we felt lucky to get a parking spot. There is a kiosk with a map of the trails.

We started off our hike by going up Bungalow Hill, which was off to the right from the trail head. This is a short incline hike up to a rock out cropping with views of the Atlantic Ocean.

There was supposedly a connector trail that went to the ocean lawn, but we could not find it so we went back the way we came and then followed the trail out to the ocean lawn from the trail head.

Even though the trail was not marked well, it was easy to follow down to the ocean lawn.

We passed a pretty little pond that had birds in it.

The trail came out to a beautiful lawn overlooking the ocean.

We could see the Boston skyline and overall gorgeous views of the ocean.

After walking around the ocean lawn and enjoying the views we walked back and near the pond took a side trail down to Magnolia Beach. This beach is not part of the reservation, but still worth the visit.

After walking the beach we heading back to the parking lot. Our total hike was a little over two miles. The trails were mostly flat except going up Bungalow Hill and near the ocean lawn was some incline. The ocean lawn did not allow dogs. I loved this hike, as you got a little bit of everything, a small incline hike with a view, beautiful scenery and a beach.

After our hike we drove into Gloucester and had lunch at Drift, which had great open air seating with ocean and downtown views and delicious food options.

If you are looking for something else to do in the area I highly recommend checking out Hammond Castle and Halibut Point State Park.

Benson's Park

I have been hearing about Benson’s Park for many years, but have never visited it. Located in Hudson, New Hampshire, Benson’s was an Animal Park up until the late 1980’s. Since the animal park closed its doors the town of Hudson and many volunteers has been transforming this park.

The entrance to Benson’s is located on Kimball Hill Road. There is a good size parking lot. Off the parking lot is a dog park, access to the playground and walking paths. I recommended looking at the map to get an idea of the area.

Since we had never been there before we just explored some of the trails without a plan or destination. There were people picnicking, biking, hiking, lots of photographer’s and dogs being walked on leashes. Even though there was a lot of people around once we got on the trails we only saw a couple other people hiking.

The trails were easy to follow and well marked. There are maps at some intersections which was nice.

My favorite part of the Benson’s was the different water features such as a variety of ponds, streams and marshes.

There is also evidence of the animal park around the grounds with old buildings and attractions. They have restored some of it and are working on restoring other area’s. There are a couple monuments, some garden areas and overall beautiful landscapes. There was a restored old shoe, which was cool to see.

We were limited on time and only saw a small section of the park including a two mile hike. I cannot wait to go back and explore more of this beautiful park.

Barrett Mountain to Pratt Mountain on the Wapack Trail

Distance: 7 Miles with option for more

Difficulty: Moderate

The Wapack Trail is a 21 Mile Hike that goes from Mt Watatic in Ashburnham Massachusetts to North Pack in Greenfield New Hampshire. This is a popular trail in the Monadnock Region. The nice thing about the Wapack Trail is there are several options to hike sections of it, if you do not want to do the whole 21 miles. We typically do the Sharon Ledges to Temple Mountain section, but I have been eyeing the Barrett Mountain to Pratt Mountain Section.

We parked in the Wapack Parking Lot across from Windblown and also the trailhead for Kidder Mountain. We crossed Rt 123/124 to walk up the driveway for Windblown. There are signs that mark the Wapack Trail. They have been doing some timber harvesting. There was a nice view of Mt. Monadnock thanks to this harvesting.

After a steady incline you reach the top of Barrett Mountain. There are no view points here, but it is a pretty walk through the forest.

After hiking over Barrett Mountain we continued onto New Ipswich Mountain. Again there was no view point from the summit of New Ipswich Mountain. We continued on to Stony Top where we got some stunning views looking west at Mt. Monadnock.

After leaving Stony Top we continued our hike over to Pratt Mountain. Walking between the mountains is not too strenuous. There are some flat parts and some up and downs.

After summiting Pratt Mountain you start to descend this section of the trail, but make sure you take the short side trail to the lookout over Pratt Pond with views of Boston.

Descending Pratt Mountain is a little steep. We found the steepest sections of this trail was going up Barrett Mountain and down Pratt Mountain. Once we were on the secondary road, Binney Hill Road, you can continue on the Wapack Trail to Mt. Watatic which is roughly another 3-4 miles. We walked down Binney Hill Road, which is a rocky road to the parking lot where a friend picked us up. This total hike was seven miles.

Carroll’s Hill Trail

Located on Westbrook Court in Swanzey, New Hampshire is the trailhead for Carroll’s Hill Trail. As you are driving up Westbrook Court there is a field on your right that has a small trail sign. You can drive into the field and park along the woods. We had my car and chose to park along the road. The grass was long so make sure you check yourself for ticks. Next to the parking area is a small trail sign marking the start of the trail.

The trail starts out fairly flat. There are some intersections in the trail that were well marked with signs with arrows on them pointing to the direction of the trail.

About halfway the trail got more steep. I would classify it as moderate for the Monadnock Region.

The last intersection in the trail directs you up to the viewpoint.

The view was beautiful as you are looking at the top half of Mount Monadnock.

There is a small bench to enjoy the view. There is a pretty steep drop off a cliff in front of the bench so use caution.

It was one mile up to the view point with about a half mile being a steady incline. The view are beautiful and you can get in a good workout in a short amount of time.

Danforth Falls

Distance .3 Miles to Waterfall, but option for longer hike

Difficulty: Easy

Located in the Danforth Conservation Land off of Lincoln Street/Rt 85 in Hudson, Massachusetts is an easy trail to Danforth Falls. There is a small parking lot with a sign marking the trailhead.

The trail is easy to follow. The forest is very relaxing to walk through.

After about a quarter of a mile you come to a junction in the trail. If you go left it loops around giving you a longer hike. If you go right, it takes you directly to the falls. We went right.

As I was walking I noticed the stream was really low and it dawned on me that we have not had a lot of rain this summer so there may not be much of a waterfall. Unfortunately I was right. There was barely any water.

The hike into Danforth Falls was only a third of a mile. It was an easy walk. We will have to come back another time when there is an actual waterfall, which is alright as one of our favorite restaurants, The Railtrail Flatbread Company, is near by and we always love a reason to grab a pizza from there.

Lake Williams Boardwalk and Trail

Distance 1.5 Mile Loop

Difficulty: Easy

Located off Williams Street in Marlborough, Massachusetts is the trailhead for the Lake Williams Boardwalk. There are two small parking lots. One is in the courthouse parking lot, during the week I am not sure if you can park there. On a busy day parking can be difficult to find.

From the parking lot you can either follow the trail to the left to walk around Lake Williams through the woods or go right and start out on the boardwalk. We went right.

This boardwalk is special because it is a floating boardwalk. You walk about a half a mile across Lake Williams.

Once across the boardwalk you can turn around and walk back or continue on the trail around the lake, which is about a mile long. We walked the trail around the lake and found it easy to navigate.

There are also more bridges to walk across.

We enjoyed the 1.5 mile walk around the lake. The floating boardwalk was very cool. It is a little bouncy as it is like walking on a dock. If you have balance issues I may not walk on it. The trail through the woods was fairly flat, making it an easy hike.

Back at the parking lot there is a small park with a gazebo. The day we visited there was an ice cream truck that many walkers were enjoying.

Goffstown Railtrail

Distance: 5.5 miles one way

Difficulty: Easy

Multipurpose Trail

Located in Goffstown, New Hampshire is this shorter rail trail that goes through neighborhoods, by bodies of water and through the woods. This trail is only 5.5 miles long one way. We have walked this trail a couple times as there are softball fields off the trail where my daughter has played.

You can access the trail at different locations from one end of the trail on Factory Street to the other end at Agnes Street. The trail is a mixture of paved and dirt paths.

I have seen people walking, running and riding bikes on this trail. I am sure in the winter people snowshoe and cross country ski here as well.

Even though this is not a long rail trail we enjoy walking along the Glen Lake section near Factory Street Parking. This is a great trail if you want a walk or short bike ride.

While you are in Goffstown make sure you check out Apothem Cafe and Flower Shop for some yummy food and drinks.