Misery Island Reservation Loop

Castle Hill refers to either a 165-acre drumlin surrounded by sea and salt marsh or to the mansion that sits on the hill. Both are part of the 2,100-acre Crane Estate located on Argilla Road in Ipswich, Massachusetts.Take a walk through the public garden or down to the beach. Plenty of beautiful photo opportunities to be had here.

Park in the parking area off of Refuge Rd. Take the Dunes Trail, a boardwalk path for the ~1-mile loop. Enjoy the views from an observation deck on three-story-high dunes. This trail is accessible from April-October.

Park in the parking area near Bellevue Pond. There are multiple entrances to the reservation (some closer to the reservoir itself than others). I have spent days in there hiking around and never seeing the water and there are days when I just hiked right in to the water and sat and enjoyed it. The trails are perfect for mountain biking as well. I spent so much time here when I lived in Boston b...

The Halibut Point Trail is a scenic ~1.6-mile loop that traverses both the old Babson Farm Quarry and coastal overlooks, offering sweeping Atlantic Ocean views, tide pools, and remnants of 19th-century granite quarrying. On a clear day, you can see as far as Mount Agamenticus in Maine and the Isles of Shoals off New Hampshire. The site blends geological history (quarry), cultural heritage (W...

Park along the trail and then hop on. The Freedom Trail allows you to not only see the most beautiful parts of Boston (which is an absolutely gorgeous city) but you can learn some history too! Head off the trail a bit to explore the Charles River, the waterfront near the aquarium and picturesque Beacon Hill. If you have a nice day and want an easy way to see the best parts of Boston, this is de...

Located just north of Boston, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. The refuge lands are both scenic and diverse, with approximately 4700 acres of habitats including sandy beach and dune, cranberry bog, maritime forest and shrub land, and both salt water and freshwater marsh.Although the primary functi...