Between Boston And Cape Cod Is A Wildlife Area To Fish, Hike, And Admire Scenic Wetlands

Every summer, millions of people visit Cape Cod in Massachusetts. After traveling to Boston, they make a beeline for the beaches in Chatham, Falmouth, and Provincetown. But what if you aren't a beach bum? Maybe you'd prefer to enjoy nature in another way. If so, stop by Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area en route to this arm-shaped peninsula. It's your chance to go hiking and fishing among idyllic wetlands before tucking yourself under an umbrella along the beach.

Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area is just one of 250 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), covering more than 220,000 acres, in the Bay State. MassWildlife protects this land and its flora and fauna, while allowing people to use it for activities like hiking, fishing, and hunting. One of them, Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area, is in Middleborough, a town in Southeastern Massachusetts with bike paths and a historic core.

This 3,178-acre area was farm and logging land, as well as a World War II training ground for military activities, before it was declared a WMA for its hardwood and softwood forests, streams, lush wetlands, and an enormous Atlantic white cedar swamp. One Google reviewer calls Rocky Gutter an "Amazing spot for a walk to just get away or to look for birds and small mammals." There is no cost to visit any of the WMAs in Massachusetts.

Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area is a quiet, picturesque spot with 15 miles of former logging roads that are now open to hikers and mountain bikers. The Rocky Gutter Trail is a good place to start. The 4.3-mile, out-and-back trail crosses Rocky Gutter from east to west (or vice versa) with pine forests, streams, and cranberry bogs along the way. Shorter trails then fan out from this main one. Keep an eye out for white-tailed deer and even eastern coyotes along the way. Though they're hard to find, the rarely seen waterwillow borer moth, which is only found in this region of the world, also lives in these wetlands.

You can also go fishing in Rocky Gutter if you have a Massachusetts freshwater fishing license. The Rocky Gutter Brook is a well-known spot for trout fishing. You can also catch bullheads, chain pickerels, and largemouth bass, among many other species, in Tispaquin Pond, a nearly 200-acre pond that sits just outside the boundary of the WMA.

Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area is about 55 miles south of Boston, one of the greenest cities in the world. Its Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), the busiest airport in New England, receives nonstop flights from cities all around the world. After exploring Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area, it's just 19 miles to Bourne, hidden on the Cape Cod Canal, and considered the "Gateway to Cape Cod." The beaches then spread out from there, if you're still interested in soaking up the sun.