Caving

Dungeon Rock - Lynn Woods

Dungeon Rock located in Lynn Woods offers a rather amazing caving experience in a place you wouldn't normally expect.

From the Great Woods Road Entrance, you follow Cooke Road up to a beautiful Stone Tower that offers great views of the city of Boston and surrounding area. Recently renovated, a spiral staircase takes you up three floors to an elevation of 255 ft where you can look out all 360 degrees. Nearby you can notice another tower in the distance. The old steel fire tower is no longer accessible from the ground level (the first level of stairs has been taken down) but if you decide to climb it watch your step, as it shakes and many of the steps are missing or rusted through.

If you continue from the Stone Tower on Cooke Road a few minutes further onto Dungeon Road, you will eventually come upon a hill that is dominated by some larger boulders. These rocks offer some fun climbing along with some bouldering around the outside, but the real excitement is what lies inside.

Dungeon Rock unlike many cave formations has a unique history as it is man made. Click here to learn a little more about the legend behind this cave.

If you plan on exploring the cave make sure to bring along some flashlights because as soon as you pass the mouth of the entrance and descend the staircase you'll be quickly absorbed into the pitch darkness.

Inside the cave, you'll immediately notice how large it is, wide enough for a few people to walk across with plenty of head room. As you travel deeper into the cave, the way gets smaller and the ground rockier. If you make it down to the bottom, you'll notice that the trail suddenly drops into water and ends.

A park ranger who we spoke to on our way out said they did pump out the water once and the cave did not continue much further, however if you throw a rock into the water, you'll hear how it seems to descend much deeper than where the path ends.

Links: map of Lynn Woods

Cliff Jumping

Klondike Resevoir - Gloucester, Ma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql1L6P0nzxE

Halibut Point - Rockport, Ma

Must get in before it opens in the a.m. otherwise it is patrolled

*cliff jumping is dangerous, look before you leap*

Spot Pond - Stoneham, Ma

Surf Kayaking

Nahant Beach

Urban Skiing

Potential ski area at Breakheart

Holt Hill ski area

Longboarding

Fishing

Martin's Pond - North Reading

Martins Pond once a popular weekend escape for Boston residents where they could buy cabins on the water for only $200, now offers great opportunities for recreation. Whether your on a kayak fishing by the small bog island on the Pond, or casting off the bridge or small boardwalk on the beach, there is fun to be had. A great playground also provides other activities such as volleyball, basketball, and grills to cook on under a pavilion.

Fields Pond - Harold Parker State Forest - Andover

Fields Pond has many great opportunities for fishing whether along the northern shore line or in the shelter of Collins Pond on the other side of the road. Patches of lily pads on the western end of the lake offer good cover for fish if you have access to a boat and beaver can be seen swimming between the logs on the edge.

In the winter some attempt to ice fish on the frozen lake which can get to 14 inches deep.

Berry Pond - Harold Parker State Forest - Andover

Berry Pond, once a very active recreation site run by the Park offers some good fishing spots, along with a nice place to swim. The Pavillion is still available for use however the bathrooms are locked and one can notice the weeds slowly hiding away this great spot. The beach is still sandy and once and a while you'll feel a cool cold water spring coming up under the sand.

Lake Quannapowitt - Wakefield

Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Ma is conveniently located next to the town's center and has been developed into a great recreation area. A walking path goes around the lake for about 3.1 miles and is traveled by hundreds of people every day and home to many road races and charity walks. The park close to the town's center has a beautiful gazebo and playground along with kayak rentals in the summer.

Sailing and windsurfing can be accessed by public boat launches or through the Quannapowitt Yacht Club which offers weekly races on the lake.

All along the lake are great access points for fishing whether from shore, or out on a boat.

A depth chart can be accessed here: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/maps/ponds/pdf/dfwquann.pdf

Silver Lake - Wilmington

Silver Lake in Wilmington offers a great fishing pier that many frequent along with a small beach with bathrooms and showers and a lifeguard on duty when open.

Pillings Pond - Lynnfield

Hiking and Rock Climbing

Though many think that in order to go hiking or rock climbing you have to go up to the white mountains of New Hampshire or Vermont, there are plenty of opportunities just outside of Boston, you just need to know where to look.

Breakheart Reservation - Wakefield/Saugus

Breakheart reservation is one of my favorite places to go. They have endless hiking trails (though sometimes not well marked) but you can find your way out as long as you have a general idea of where the main roads go. From the entrance at the Wakefield Vocational School, you can take a left on the paved road and follow it down to a nice beach with a playground. There if you look out across the lake you'll notice a big cliff, Eagle Rock which can be accessed if you follow a trail around the lake to the right.

From the top of Eagle Rock there are great views of Boston and you can also see some other rock out-croppings that are hikeable.

In the Voc parking lot there are also a few lines where a top rope can be set up from trees at the top. There is a trail that goes up to the top of these cliffs, which also continues on towards the powerlines.

If you go straight from the Voc originally, take a right when the powerlines go over you.

There are some trails that go up that line and if you stay to the left of the woods, you can hike up to Castle Rock which has some fun bouldering and climbing if you decide to bring along rope.

In my opinion scooters are actually the best mode of transportation at Breakheart (even though nobody seems to use them these days) The paved trails are easy to cruise down, then you can just take the scooter with you when you want to go off on one of the trails without having to lock your bike. Even in the winter Breakheart has a lot to offer, but make sure to check the ice first.

The Fells

The Middlesex Fells is one of the biggest land reservations in Massachusetts and lies conveniently right outside of Boston. One of the most popular places to go there is The Tower.



The Tower is just a short steep hike up to an observation tower that looks out over Boston and I-93, and can actually be seen from the highway.

Climbing Black Rocks Middlesex Fells East

In the East Fells, there's also a great place to go climbing. The Black and White Rocks have many faces, I found the Black rocks to be more enjoyable because there's one route that is about 80 feet high. You can access them in an easy ten minute walk and top rope off the top or walk around to the bottom.

Standing on White Rocks with Black Rocks in the Background

For directions: http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts/Greater_Boston/Black_and_White_Rocks/


Further hiking trails can be found by following this link: http://www.fells.org/thefells/trails.cfm

Quincy Quarries

One of the best places for rock-climbing I've found so far is Quincy Quarries. An urban climber's heaven, this place is an old quarry that has been modernized into a park with lots of opportunities for top-roping and bouldering with many known routes and anchors set up at the top. Taking exit 8 off I-93 can get you there pretty easily, for better directions check out http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts/Greater_Boston/Quincy_Quarries/.

The cliffs are quite steep but there are many great holds from drilling that used to occur there along with some crags and cracks to be climbed.

While you're there be sure to enjoy the urban artwork (graffiti) and great views of Boston.

Warning: Do not swim in the quarries. A lot of the pools do not drop off like you would expect and instead have ledges just under the surface which could cause serious injury.

If you're interested in finding more climbing spots, try this website: http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts/Greater_Boston/

Holt Hill

Another great place for short day hikes or to catch the sunset is Holt Hill in Ward Hill Reservation. Holt Hill located in North Andover is an area comprising of three trails, one leading through a series of bridges in a bog and wetland offers great wildlife viewing, the other two leading to the top of the hill through fields to the summit.

Having been a ski area in the past, you can see from the summit the clear cut area that used to be a beginner hill with a rope-tow.

The solstice stones at the top are a great place to watch the sunset over Boston, but be careful staying too long after sundown as the area is often patrolled with dogs.

Get Out There

Being a resident of Greater Boston (Reading, Ma to be specific) I understand the boredom that often comes with living in this area. As a teenager it seems like there's really nothing to do, except stereotypical teenager stuff. If playing video games and rotting away in your friends' basements are not quite what you're looking to do on the weekends, then this site is for you.

My friends and I over the past few years have tried to find some alternative things to do outside and have found that many of these things have become part of awesome memories that we'll keep for a lifetime. Now I pass on these unique places, hideaways, and the like to you, to explore, respect, and ultimately enjoy.

So here it goes. I've decided to break it all up into a few categories, so scroll through until you find something your interested in.