Between Boston And Portsmouth Is A Scenic New England State Forest With Camping, Swimming, Fishing, And Trails

Though Massachusetts is famous for its historic cities, seaside villages, and gorgeous beaches, much of it is actually covered with forests. More than half — an astonishing 56 percent of the land, or almost 3 million acres – remains covered with trees in the Bay State. So it's time to venture into the woods at Harold Parker State Forest, an area brimming with outdoor activities. Best of all, the state forest is an easy detour as you travel north from Boston to Portsmouth. 

Massachusetts was once covered with glaciers. As they retreated, they left hilly land, large boulders, and bowl-shaped depressions across the northeastern corner of the state. English settlers quickly cleared the land for farming during the mid-17th century. It took 200 years for the forests to start regrowing.

The state started buying land around Andover, a Massachusetts town with art galleries, museums, cafes, and scenic trails, in 1914. Two years later, Harold Parker State Forest became one of the first state forests the the region. The forest, which kept expanding throughout the first half of the 20th century, now covers 3,295 acres. You'll find 11 ponds, 56 certified vernal pools, and several rare species, including the blue-spotted salamander, in this picturesque state forest.

Harold Parker State Forest is home to an impressive 56 miles of trails and roads, which can be used by cyclists, dogs, horses, and people. A good number of them are easy to moderate hikes, and the most popular ones circle the state forest's ponds. You have a good chance of spotting turtles and beavers along the Brackett Pond and Bear Pond Loop. It's a 2.2-mile trail that winds through the wetlands, so it might get a bit buggy. "The sun filled views of the ponds were gorgeous!" raves one AllTrails user.

You'll find more great viewpoints along the Field Pond trail. The 2.9-mile loop has little wooden bridges and benches if you need a breather along the way. Or, if you want to spend more time in the forest itself, the longer, 4.2-mile Harold Parker (East) and Salem Pond Loop is tucked in the woods.

Opportunities to fish and swim are plentiful in the park. Berry Pond, one of the state forest's two natural glacial ponds, has a small sandy beach. It features a day-use area with a terraced lawn, picnic areas, a gazebo, and bathrooms. You can then go fishing here, as well as in the 10 other ponds in the state forest. Field Pond, the largest pond, and Sudden Pond, full of bass and yellow perch, tend to yield the best results. Feel free to bring a boat, though motorized ones aren't allowed.

Harold Parker State Forest is also home to one of Boston's closest campgrounds. The Loraine Campground is spread out along Frye Brook and through the forest on the southern edge of the state forest. It has 91 campsites for you to bring your own tent, trailer, or RV. Each of these sites is outfitted with a fire ring, grill, picnic table, and water faucet. Six yurts were recently added to the site as well. "This is a great campground for families, couples, or all by yourself. Campsites are not right on top of each other and lots of tent sites available," according to one Google reviewer.

From May 23 to October 12, you must pay a daily parking fee to visit Harold Parker State Forest. There's an additional nightly fee to stay at the campground, which is usually open from early May until Columbus Day weekend. You can reserve a campsite through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation online in advance.

Harold Parker State Forest is an easy spot to include in a New England road trip, since it lies only 24 miles north of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), the region's largest airport, which receives nonstop flights from cities all around the world. This means you can also explore Boston itself, one of the greenest cities in the world. Traveling in the opposite direction, the state forest is less than an hour from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a scenic city on the New England coast.