Massachusetts Vision Plan: Recreational Resources Summary

The Department of Environmental Management is the largest landholder in Massachusetts. It owns and manages a total of 285,000 acres including 47 state parks, 34 state forests, 15 state reservations, 3 rail trails and 200 facilities. The revenue generated from outdoor recreation in Massachusetts reached one billion dollars in 1991. The state parks alone were visited by 19 million people in 1993. This indicates that recreation is a great source of revenue for the Commonwealth. Major Trails There are miles of trails in different parts of the state that connect the parks, forests and reservations together. For this study, the author focuses on five major long distance trails: the Appalachian Mountain Trail, the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, the Bay Circuit Trail, the Mid-state Trail, and three segments of the Taconic Trails. The combined length of these five long distance trails in Massachusetts is about 500 miles. The Appalachian Mountain Trail, Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, Mid-state Trail, and the three segments of Taconic Trails are long-distance trails that explore a distinct geologic area and follow ridgelines across the state. These trails provide north-south connections with neighboring New England states and New York. In the mountainous region of Berkshire County in western Massachusetts, there are three Taconic trails that weave in and out of Massachusetts and New York; the Taconic Crest Trail, Taconic Skyline Trail and South Taconic trail. However, the South Taconic Trail does not connect with the northern Taconic Crest Trail and the Taconic Skyline Trail. The Appalachian Trail (AT) in Berkshire County, is a National Scenic Trail and a premier hiking trail in the United States (Bruce 1998, p.1). From Salisburg, Connecticut, the trail passes through Egremont and runs 90 miles north to Clarksburg, and eventually to Pownal, Vermont. Within Massachusetts, the AT connects Mt. Everett State Reservation (including Mt. Everett), East Mountain State Reservation (East Mountain), Beartown State Forest (Mt. Wilcox), October Mountain State Forest (Mt. Becket), Mount Greylock State Reservation (Mt. Greylock), and Clarksburg State. Then the AT travels into Vermont as the Long Trail. The Metacomet-Monadnock (M&M) Trail runs through the Connecticut River Valley in Central Massachusetts. The trail originates in Connecticut and terminates at Mt. Monadnock, New Hampshire where it then connects with the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway. The Metacomet trail from Connecticut enters Massachusetts near the Agawam and Southwick town lines where it becomes the M&M Trail. The entire length of the trail is 98 miles long. The Mid-State trail is 92 miles long, stretching from New Hampshire to Rhode Island (Appalachian Mountain Club n.d., p. 1). From Harrisville, Rhode Island, near the border of Willimantic, Connecticut, the trail enters Massachusetts through the Douglas State Forest in Douglas. The trail winds its way northward through Spencer State Forest, Oakham State Forest, Rutland State Park and Wachusett Mountain State Reservation. The trail also passes through towns, villages and farmlands. In Massachusetts the trail ends in Ashburnham and connects with the Wapack Trail in Greenfield, New Hampshire. In Boston, the historic Bay Circuit provides a string of parks for city residents. Today, with cooperation from many greenway advocates, 120 miles of multi-use trails are dedicated for the Bay Circuit in more than 30 towns. Since 1990 the Bay Circuit Alliance, a partnership of public and private organizations and individuals, is working together to complete the Bay Circuit by the year 2000. The goal of the Alliance is a 200-mile long corridor of 50 cities and towns, connecting a total of 79 areas (Bay Circuit Alliance n.d., p.1). The Warner Trail connects the Bay Circuit to Rhode Island. The Warner Trail is 30 miles long from Canton to Diamond State Park in Rhode Island. The trail connects with the Bay Circuit in Sharon. The trail runs through both public and private land and features a number of stream and swamp crossings and unexpected hills such as Moose Hill Audubon Sanctuary, F. Gilbert Hills State Forest and Minehaha Falls. These five long distance trails and the Warner Trail are currently in use today. Rail Trails One of the latest trends for recreation use is converting abandoned railroad lines to rail trails. The total length of abandoned railroad lines in Massachusetts is approximately 485 miles, and 27% have been converted to rail trails (Ernst 1998, in press). Bike Trails A lot of effort has been made to promote bicycle routes in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD). The primary reasons for promoting bike routes as an alternative mode of transportation are for reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. The Massachusetts Highway Department has completed 266 miles of bikeways throughout the state (Massachusetts Highway Department n.d., a, p. 1). Another program to promote biking in Massachusetts is the "Rack and Roll" Program. This program provides bike storage racks on public transit buses, distributes a statewide bicycle map, and provides 400 public bike racks and lockers. Beaches The saltwater coastline of Massachusetts is 1,200 miles in length. Cape Cod, the Harbor Islands, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Elizabeth Island provide an abundance of waterfront activities especially swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, and more. Only 200 miles of beaches are accessible to the public, and they are heavily visited during the summer months of June, July and August. The National Park Service protects 44,000 acres of the Cape Cod National Seashore, along the eastern coastline. The National Seashore allows public access to 27,000 acres along the seashore. In 1998 the Cape Cod National Seashore attracted over 4.8 million visitors (National Park Service n.d., p. 1).

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