While Newburyport is a haven for SEAFARING activity and beachside relaxation, the opportunities for other, GREENER (soon to be orange/red/yellower) outdoor recreation are just as ripe. For a fairly well populated suburban area, Newburyport and the surrounding North Shore communities are blessed with an abundance of wooded, quiet space.
Hit the trails for some gear-grinding mountain biking or find your inner outdoorsman by getting lost in the woods.
But you needn’t be Thoreau or Bear Grylls to enjoy yourself in our area’s many parks and woodlands – stopping to smell the flowers and picnics with fam are still in style!
The crown jewel of Newburyport’s parks and outdoor rec is of course, Maudslay State Park (formerly known as Maudesleigh and formerly owned by the Mosely family). Home to deer, coyote, eagles, osprey, and owls (I’ve had more consistent owl sightings here than any one place I’ve ever been, including the Adirondacks and Maine), Maudslay encompasses over 480 acres of walking, hiking, biking trails and carriage roads which traverse expansive open fields, thick forests of pine, azaleas, and rhododendrons.
One way to ensure animal sightings is to bring your own: Maudslay is filled with trails for horseback riding and is a dog walker’s paradise. Just don’t forget your poochy poop bags – the Maudslay Rangers WILL fine you! To be fair, why don’t horse owner’s have to pick up after their animal’s waste? I’m struggling to find the appropriate supportive analogy, but you get the gist.
And in winter, break out the sleds and cross-country skis. I have to question the silly snow-shoers who break out their gear at the first sign of a single snowflake, though. When strollers and toddlers in sneakers are passing you along the trail, you may consider waiting for just a tad more snowpack ??!?
Sprinkled throughout the property are the historic remains of the Mosely family’s sprawling estate: huge ornamental gates, an old stable, pet cemetery, stone bridges, and an absolutely echo-tastic root cellar (cellar, cellar, cellar) to name only a few of the highlights. Maudslay State Park is also the headquarters of Theater In The Open-which produces an amazing Halloween event and plays through the year. The Park also hosts a number of wonderful concerts and trail races throughout the year. For more info, hit: www.maudslayassociation.org.
Just down the road from Maudslay, is Mosely Woods. Maudslay’s little sister park offers a covered picnic area, a wonderful play area for kids complete with climbable dinosaur bones, and views of the Merrimack River. Unfortunately, those views are views of the Whittier Bridge construction project on Rt. 95 for the foreseeable future (the State’s website offers October 2016 as the completion date. Let’s all hold our breath in anticipation). The good news as it pertains to Mosely Park (and Maudslay) is that when finished, the bridge will offer connecting pedestrian/bike paths to the parks, making them more easily accessible to Amesbury and Salisbury.
In town, of course we have Cashman Park along the river, accessible by the Clipper City Rail Trail — A nice walk and a nicer excuse to hit up Haley’s for some ice cream (and we can’t make mention of that rail trail without reminding readers about the Salisbury Rail Trail on the other side of the Rt. 1 drawbridge). On the grounds of Cashman you’ll find soccer and softball fields, basketball and tennis courts, boat launches, and a nautical themed kids park. Your canine friends have lots of room to stretch (and lift) their legs here as well (though technically only from 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM). Then there’s Waterfront Park, downtown, umm on the waterfront.
When one of the many festivals and local events bring in live entertainment and summertime outdoor movies, this park can get JAMMED with people and good times. Otherwise, it’s a more serene place to relax a la Seurat’s “La Grande Jatte.” For those of you who don’t speak art historese, here is the visual translation:
Rounding out the downtown park scene are the small but always popular Inn Street Playground sandwiched between State Street and The Purple Onion (on that note, go there NOW and try one of their onion-centric sandwiches), Atkinson Common accessible from High & Mosely Streets or from the ballpark on Merrimac Street., Cushing Park (which contains Kent Street Playground), Bartlett Mall (pronounced “mal” if you’re a native Newburyporter), Perkins Playground in the south end, and Jason Sawyer Park out near the Plum Island Lighthouse.
But really, those are all just the tip of the cupola for our area. Large, small, and many right around the corner. The Essex County Greenbelt Association works to conserve farmland, wildlife habitat and scenic landscapes throughout the region. Check out their interactive map (www.ecga.org) Some of my personal favorite locations…..
West Newbury
Also over in wild, wild West Newbury (but not affiliated with the Essex County Greenbelt) is the Mill Pond Recreation Area, part of the West Newbury Open Spaces group of trails. This extensive network of trails includes the aforementioned Mill Pond and adjoining Pipestave Hill Equestrian Area, which links to more trails across the street behind the Page School/Children’s Castle water tower.
Though the whole area is open to the public, there is a picturesque hilltop cottage, available for private rental through the Town Of West Newbury. The pond itself is popular with (non motorized) boaters and fishermen (and there’s even skating in winter – it’s the site of the small but jovial West Newbury Winter Carnival). You’ll also find dogs and horses enjoying a dip, side by side in the cool waters.
Indian Hill Farm Reservation (www.ecga.org/explore_our_properties/view_property/1337-indian_hill_farm_reservation) – I like to ride my bike through the bucolic back roads of West Newbury and then run up this small but steep hill and then down around the reservoir to train for trail running/outdoor obstacle races.
Newbury
Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary. (www.ecga.org/explore_our_properties/view_property/1263-rough_meadows_wildlife_sanctuary) – 265 acres of salt marsh and trails on the east side of route 1A in Rowley.
Then there’s The Trustees Of Reservations, another organization protecting outdoor spaces in Massachusetts. My recommendation for our area:
Old Town Hill. (www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/old-town-hill.html) – 168 foot hill in Newbury perfect for a jog or a relaxing walk. On a clear day, the views atop the hill take your gaze all the way to Mt. Agamenticus (another worthy outdoor jaunt in our area-ish) in Southern Maine. The trails also take you across Newman Road to old pastures and access to the Little River, a tributary of the Parker River.
Ipswich
Castle Hill on Crane Estate. This one has WOW FACTOR on many levels. It’s worth it just to see their seemingly never-ending lawn/view down to the ocean and accompanying trails to Crane Beach. They host Thursday Night Concerts in the summer. Interesting side note: the mansion is the site of the films The Witches Of Eastwick and the 1987 feel-good film adaptation of Flowers In The Attic.
Appleton Farms. (www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/appleton-farms.html) – another must-see gem in Ipswich.
And while we’re in the neighborhood of Ipswich, there’s still 721 acre Bradley Palmer Sate Park (www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/bradley-palmer-state-park.html) and 40 more miles of trails just across Ipswich Topsfield Road at Willowdale State Forest (www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/willowdale-state-forest.html)
—Maudslay, Mosely, and Measly—
Measly Park is, of course, the tiny, quaint imaginary park I concocted just for the sake of this sentence. I’m running out of gas, I know. Perfect time for a walk in the woods…