Noanet Woodlands - Dover MA

                         Today although a little bit wet and rainy I ventured to Noanet Woodlands in Dover which was about a 50 minute ride from my house. Well worth the drive and definitely a great place for a day hike. There are enough trails here to walk around for hours in order to see everything. As for me I was crunched for time and only stayed for an hour and a half and left wishing I had more time.
                          The parking lot is on Deham street at Caryl park and there are tennis courts, a basketball court and at the head of the trail there is a fantastic map that shows you all the trails, and what color they are blazed, to follow in order to get to your destination. Compared to Noon Hill, which is also managed by the trustees of reservations, the trails at Noanet as much better marked and everything was very easy to find.
                          I followed the red trailed which is called Caryl Loop. That trail leads to Noanet Peak Trail which I took and after a good paced 25 minute hike I reached the top. There was decent elevation gain throughout the hike up and the view from the peak even on a cloudy day was amazing. I can only imagine what it would look like on a clear, sunny day.
                         After coming down from the peak I followed the trail back down to where it intersects back to the Caryl Hill trail and also Peabody Loop. I took the Caryl Hill Loop trail and followed the signs to the Dam and Mill site which is a really serene place. After stopping at the dam for some pictures I followed the trail back to the parking lot but not before passing over a cool little brook flowing right through the woods.
                        I can't justify giving Noanet 5 out of 5 stars just because I've yet to hike the remaining trails but I can absolutely give it a 4.5 out of 5 for now and I promise if you take the trip to Dover you will be very pleased. I will post pictures as soon as I have some time but def before the end of the weekend

New Post Friday

I promise I will have a new post on Friday. I will be visiting Noanet Woodlands in Dover MA. Hope to have some great pictures and a review up by then!

Friendship Park - West Bridgewater MA

                  Although Friendship Park in West Bridgewater MA isn’t a hiking trail I felt the need to post it along with some pictures. I absolutely love this park. It is a great spot to bring kids, your dog, and even have a picnic. I have been coming to this park since I was little and my Nana would bring me. She always brought a few pennies with her so I could throw them in the wishing well. Now I walk my dog here at least twice a week and she loves it. There are so many places for her to explore.
                  The park has an extremely long history which makes it that much cooler when you’re walking around and actually seeing signs of how it was once used by Native Americans. In 1649 Myles Standish purchased the land from the Massasoit Indians as part of the Bridgewater purchase.
                  The town of West Bridgewater has done a great job taking care of the park and adding features such as bridges over streams and other key features while at the same time keeping the historical pieces intact.
                  If you are ever in the area this is a must see. Its not the biggest park but what it lacks in overall size it makes up for in character and history. The address is 50 River street, West Bridgewater MA 02379.   

                                              

Noon Hills Reservation - Medfield MA

                    Today was my first hike of the season and I decided to take a trip to Medfield MA and hike at Noon Hill Reservation. I must say I’m fairly new at hiking trails but this would be a great experience and a great physical workout for hikers at any experience level. The temperature was 75 degrees and it was a bit overcast but the sun popped out many times throughout the hour and forty-five minutes I was there. Basically a perfect day for hiking.

                    From where I live it took an hour to reach my destination and I believe it was well worth it. Noon Hill features many different trails, each with varying degrees of elevation gains and drops. Some trails were very easy and others a little more strenuous but nothing that anybody would be turned off by. Part of the trail I was on is considered a portion of the Bay Circuit Trail which will soon be almost 200 miles weaving through Massachusetts! As I said I was there for almost two hours but if I had decided to explore more I could have easily been there for another hour or two. Another nice thing about Noon Hill is that there is a trail extension across Causeway street that connects it with Shattuck Reservation which I will be hiking at a later date.

                   The trails are marked throughout by numbers and also by blue and white markers nailed on the trees along the paths, but as I found out following them doesn’t necessarily mean you will find what you’re looking for. In fact I attempted to find the “Noon Hill Overlook” to try and get some good pictures from above the trees and followed the white markers on the trees and somehow never managed to find it. Nonetheless it was still a great experience and I will definitely be returning and when I do I will not leave until I find the overlook.
                    I absolutely recommend wearing hiking shoes or boots which I will soon be investing in as my Nike Air Max’s weren’t quite the ideal shoes to wear, but I had no other option. While on the trails make sure you pay attention to the ground as there are many roots and slippery rocks to turn an ankle on and believe me you don’t want to have to walk back to your car on a sprained ankle on this trail.
                   Another necessity is bug spray. The mosquitoes were vicious. Off Deep woods would be the ideal choice but to each his own.
                   All in all my first hike this year was everything I could have hoped for. Out of a possible “5 Stars” I give Noon Hill a 4 out of 5 only because there should have been clearer postings of how to get to the Overlook and also Holt Pond. I’m sure with more experience at Noon Hill I will have no trouble finding those spots. I already can’t wait for my next hike which could happen as early as Tuesday depending on the weather.
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One hike in the books

Just got home from my first hike of the season at Noon Hill and it was awesome. Pictures and a review coming shortly.

Introduction

                  My name is Zack and this my first attempt at blogging so I hope everyone enjoys what I am going to try to do. The summer is almost here and I recently decided it was time to make a change and begin to get in better shape and live a more active, healthy lifestyle. I recently began hiking and enjoy it very much. Biking is another of my favorite activities to do this time of year.
                  My goal for this summer is to hike at a minimum of 25 different trails across Massachusetts and even some in the surrounding New England area. Hopefully I surpass that number but I think 25 is a modest goal to shoot for.
                 After each hike I will be posting pictures and reviews of the trail I took that day. I will rank on a scale of 1-5 on how much I recommend visiting a certain hiking spot. From time to time I will be reviewing different types of hiking eqiupment. I will also blog about various other outdoor activities such as kayaking and biking trips I take when I begin to tire from strictly trail hiking.                 
                  If you have hiked at any good trails you think I should know about or you have any questions please feel free to comment or email me! Happy hiking!