Two Of New England's Best Hiking Trails Converge In This Charming Little Massachusetts Town

As the Appalachian Mountain range trails pass into the Northeast United States, New England's rugged landscape unveils some amazing hiking trails that bisect the entire region. Two of those trails weaving through central New England mountain ranges are the Midstate Trail and the Wapack Trail. These trails stretch over 110 miles through three different states to meet in the quaint town of Ashburnham, Massachusetts. The tiny town of just over 6,000 residents sits amidst mountain ranges and presents a distinctive break between the landscapes of eastern and western parts of the Bay State.

This natural delineation where the two trails both preside showcases the natural landscapes in this small town devoid of any interstates, highways, or even stoplights. There's no doubt that Ashburnham is under the radar and it's mostly intended that way. However, if you make time to stop along a New England fall foliage tour or a summer family trip, you'll find a village steeped in New England history with wild and ubiquitous beauty. Even though Ashburnham is small in population, it's big on small town charm with different avenues to explore the nature of the area.

Ashburnham was once known as Dorchester Canada and was colonized by European settlers in the 18th century. It wasn't until John, the second Earl of Ashburnham, was appointed into authority that the settlement adopted its current name. Ashburnham is now known as a Massachusetts town about 50 miles northwest of Boston. The earliest residents of Ashburnham quickly realized that the unique location and water sources were what made the area an asset. The town's mountainous location on New England's central divide sends water in all four directions down the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers, and in turn helped power the tanneries and mills that brought large scale manufacturing to the community in the 19th century. This, and being located on the Central Divide of New England, made it a valuable location for its very first residents.

Ashburnham's open space and state forest are the crown jewels of this enclave in central New England that allow for uncrowded exploration. The 20th century brought the creation of the Midstate Trail, which extends from the southern tip of New Hampshire through the entirety of Massachusetts and into Rhode Island. This highly accessible trail moves through rolling hills, state forest reserves, and mountains before hitting Mount Watatic in Ashburnham. Here is where the Midstate and the Wapack trails meet, just over the New Hampshire border. The Wapack trail is a taste of old New England, gliding in between wetlands and various mountaintops, as well as taking you up to North Pack Monadnock in Greenfield, New Hampshire to complete a scenic exploration across three different states.

The town of Ashburnham lacks stoplights along its roads, so naturally the area is diminutive in amenities. The most notable business landmark in town to check out is the Frederick Historic Piano Collection, but beyond the musical connection to Ashburnham, the appeal to the town is focused around its natural beauty. The outdoor wonders to be explored surround the convergence of the two trails, the Midstate and Wapack. The peak elevations in the Ashburnham area are the region's two monadnocks, which are small, isolated mountains or rock hills similar to the pink granite mountain in the beloved Texas State Park. Ashburnbham's monadnocks are located at Little Watatic Mountain and Mount Watatic, which is the meeting point of the two trails.

At the convergence, you'll find climbers navigating over 100 miles of trails connecting three states in New England. Venturing south from the convergence on the Midstate trail will take you directly through Massachusett's Mount Wachusett State Reservation, a popular hiking mountain in the summer and New England's most accessible ski resort come winter. Choosing to go north on the Wapack trail will take you through wetlands, rolling hills with blueberry fields, and panoramic mountain views that allow you to spot Vermont or the city of Boston on a clear day. Nestled in between the hilly terrain of Ashburnham are also several ponds andone of the many dazzling and scenic lakes in Massachusett, an ideal cooldown spot to end the day of exploration. Ashburnham's uniqueness lies in the opportunity to explore its most natural aspects, while feeling departed from the rest of the world.