Walking and Cycling in the Essex National Heritage Area, Massachusetts

Bicycling

Andover Village Improvement Society
Thirty miles of trails, boardwalks, and bridges that are open to the public on over 1000 acres of AVIS reservations in Andover. The website offers a map, directions and photos.

Bay Circuit Trail / Bay Circuit Trail in Newbury
Community by community, the dream of connecting more than 79 areas of protected land in a greenway around Boston is now becoming a reality. The Bay Circuit Trail goes through nine communities in the ENHA. The northern terminus of the BCT is at the Atlantic Ocean at Plum Island Beach. The trail runs in common with the Merrimack River Trail(MRT) west along the Plum Island Turnpike to the Joppa Flats Education Center and Wildlife Sancuary(Mass. Audubon). In Newbury, the trail passes through the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm(SPNEA) and Old Town Hill Reservation(TTOR) and joins the Merrimack River and the Parker. Much of the trail is on roads, many of which travel through historic areas or through the picturesque salt marshes that make up much of the town's landscape. The MRT continues along the Merrimack River to Maudslay State Park, New Hampshire and ultimately Canada. To the south, the trail enters Rowley and goes on to Prospect Hill(DEM), Willowdale State Forest and Bradley Palmer State Park(DEM) in Ipswich, and continues west around Boston to Duxbury Bay. Maps and detailed trail descriptions are available on the BCT website plus a free sample map of the trail through Boxford, Andover and North Andover.

Coastal Trails Coalition
The Coastal Trails Network is an emerging 30-mile, public system of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking the unique coastal features, town centers, neighborhoods and transportation hubs in the communities of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport and Salisbury. With several miles currently in public ownership, the trail network has already begun to offer residents and visitors a healthy, alternative means of exercising, shopping, commuting or simply enjoying the region's abundant natural, historic and cultural resources.

ECV - Essex County Velo
In addition to social group rides and competition in road, cyclocross, mountain bike and kids' racing, ECV is involved in all forms of bicycle advocacy and has sponsored numerous trails cleanups and work projects.

Friends of Our Trails
FOOT is an informal group of outdoor enthusiasts based in Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, Massachusetts. Our goals are: to have fun, to organize local non-motorized walks and bike rides, canoe/kayak paddles and cross-country ski trips, to be advocates for local trails, and to help build, maintain and map them, to be of assistance to existing trails and conservation organizations in our towns and city, and to focus on, but not be limited to, the three Newburys.

Mass Bikes
The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition works to improve bicycling conditions for all types of cyclists. Their website provides lots of information for bicyclists of all ages on where to bike, biking safety and biking path advocacy.

North Shore Cyclists
The North Shore Cyclists (NSC) is a recreational bike club which draws its membership primarily from the North Shore area of Massachusetts. Most of their bike rides are routed along the back roads and shorelines north of Boston. In addition to scheduled weekly rides, the club holds cookouts, weekend excursions, and special rides (including a century in August). The 200 plus members span the spectrum from beginning cyclists who join to learn more about the sport to advanced cyclists who participate to be challenged by fast paceline riding.

Agassiz Rock
Big and Little Agassiz Rocks, The Trustees of Reservations property, are dramatic examples of giant boulders plucked from bedrock and carried far away by the last glacier. A short loop trail leads up Beaverdam Hill where Little Agassiz Rock appears as a giant granite monolith silhouetted against the sky. It rests - seemingly precariously - on a small jagged stone, leaving an opening below. A short distance away, other boulders lie perched on the edge of this glaciated upland. Below, in a small shrub swamp, rests thirty-foot-tall Big Agassiz Rock.

Essex County Greenbelt Association
Great walking paths away from the crowds! Check out their website for maps to download, directions and parking info.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield
The IRWS offers more than 10 miles of interconnecting trails that invite you to explore the forests, meadows, and wetlands.

Maudsley State Park, Newburyport
An exquisite place for walking, biking, and informal picnics. The state website has an excellent map with which to plan your visit.

Joppa Flats, Newburyport
Joppa Flats Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by Mass Audubon, highlights for visitors are the many species of birds that utilize the area.

Parker River, Newburyport
Located in the southern three-fourths of Plum Island a natural barrier island stretching along the Massachusetts Atlantic coast between the mouth of the Merrimack River to the north and the mouth of the Ipswich River to the south.Several miles of foot trails meander through dune, shrub/thicket, freshwater marsh, and other Refuge habitats. Observation towers and platforms afford commanding views of the Refuge and surrounding lands and waters. The website, maintained by the Friends of Parker River, has lots of information about the Refuge including maps and directions.

Misery Islands, Salem
A system of trails provides access to most parts of The Trustees' Great Misery Island, including spectacular overlooks, stony beaches, and grassy fields. Little Misery Island is accessible from Great Misery Island by wading across a narrow, shallow channel at very low tide. On the beach of Little Misery can be seen the remains of the steamship, The City of Rockland, wrecked off the coast of Maine and scuttled here many years ago.

Mount Ann Park, Gloucester
The Trustees' Mount Ann Park features thick, hilly woods of white pine, oak, maple, beech, birch, and hemlock that lead to a huge, smooth-topped granite outcrop summit that overlooks Haskell and Dykes Pond, water reservoirs of the city of Gloucester. The summit offers views of Gloucester Harbor to the south and Crane Beach to the north.

Old Town Hill, Newbury
A large and beautiful salt marsh crossed by tidal creeks in the lowlands and valleys surrounding a glacial drumlin known as Old Town Hill. This unusual half-upland, half-marine landscape makes for a rich and diverse ecosystem.

Ravenswood Park
Long treasured by residents of Gloucester and neighboring towns, Ravenswood Park offers a tranquil wooded setting for walking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing along almost ten miles of trails and carriage paths.

Weir Hill, North Andover
Rising gently above Lake Cochichewick, The Trustees' Weir Hill (historically pronounced “wire hill”) offers hiking trails that pass over the crest of the 305-foot double drumlin and track the shore of Lake Cochichewick.