It’s a beautiful time to hike in New England. And for many of these day hikes, you’ll just need comfortable shoes, long socks (watch out for those ticks), and a daypack for water and snacks. It’s always a good idea to bring your smartphone, just in case. Plus, apps like Map My Hike can give you helpful and instant feedback on where you are via GPS coordinates, mileage, pace, elevation, distance, and more.
About an hour south of Boston, Weetamoo Woods and Pardon Gray Preserve in Tiverton, R.I., combine for some 9 miles of well-marked, color-coded trails that slice through forest and meadow, past farmland, and over streams. Throughout the 650-plus acres, which date to King Phillip’s War, you may see historic stone walls, a wooden footbridge, historic sawmill remains, an old stone-arched bridge, ancient outcrops of rock, and, depending on rainfall, a babbling brook. It’s a flat, peaceful hike with interconnecting trails, so you can make your hike as long or as short as you want, to a point. Take the kiddos through the shorter Meadow Trail loop or bring Fido on a leash. Various trailheads: East Road, Lake Road, Lafayette Road, Tiverton, R.I.
The coastal Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, N.H., about a 10-minute drive from Portsmouth, is a gem of a shorter hike, with sweeping ocean views, rocky outcrops, tidal pools, marsh, and forest. There’s a flat two-mile loop that takes you past some postcard-worthy shots. Bring a picnic basket. Kids may also enjoy exploring The Seacoast Science Center, in the park. 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye, NH. 603-436-7406.
The White Mountain National Forest is a veritable hiker’s paradise of some 750,000-acres in New Hampshire, boasting some 1,200 miles of trails, from very easy to aggressively difficult, that start from various trailheads in various towns. Known for its foliage, the area encompasses woodland, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and the highest peak in the Northeast: the 6,288-foot Mount Washington. There are various routes to get up and/or down parts of Mount Washington — and a cog railway can take you in one or both of those directions. But call ahead first, as the rail stops running at first frost in November, as the mountain is notorious for unpredictable and severe weather. 3168 Base Station Road, Mount Washington, N.H. 603-278-5404. www.thecog.cog
On the opposite end of the White Mountains’ difficulty spectrum, we have Diana’s Baths in Bartlett, N.H., near North Conway. A gentle one-mile out-and-back, the effort pays off in spades: Diana’s Baths is raw natural beauty. A series of surging, rushing waterfalls, pooling onto polished slabs of ancient rock, worn smooth as marble by centuries of running water. It’s breathtaking. Kids will love it, too, but just be aware the rock can get slippery.
Tucked into the north-western pocket of Massachusetts, the Berkshire Mountains offer dozens of hikes for novices to experts, including part of the Appalachian Trail (www.appalachiantrail.org) and summiting Mount Greylock, the highest point in the state at an estimated 3,491 feet. Calling Greylock inspirational might be an understatement here — it famously inspired Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville. Trails in the Berkshires range from the easy to the aggressive. A solid backpack resource is the AMC guide: amcstore.outdoors.org/best-day-hikes-berkshires-2e. Roads to Greylock summit close on Oct. 31. Ask about trail closures at Visitors Center: 30 Rockwell Road, Lanesborough. 413-499-4262.
Vermont’s Long Trail — it’s not just a beer, though you may want one after all this hiking — runs some 272 miles from Massachusetts to Canada. The “footpath in the wilderness,’’ with 185 miles of side trails, slices through green forest, cold streams, and over rocky peaks. (Maintained by the Green Mountain Club, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, Vt. 802-244-7037. www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail.)
Lauren Daley is a freelance writer. Contact her at ldaley33@gmail.com. She tweets @laurendaley1.
