MetroWest and Milford area hiking trails to view fall foliage

If you’re tired of hiking the same old trails or enjoying the view from your living room, you’re in luck. While you might not think it at first, the greater Metrowest and Milford area of ​​Massachusetts is full of cool walks, great views, and fun wildlife. Expand your horizons with one of these great hikes this weekend.

Look for wildlife at the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

280 rue Eliot, Natick. Visit www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/broadmoor

Mink, turtles, muskrats and many species of birds are some of the elements you can observe while hiking in this Audubon wildlife reserve. There are 9 miles of trails to venture on, crossing woods, marshes and waterfalls, but the most popular is a 2.9 mile loop.

Bay circuit trail:How 230 miles of hiking trails connect the Boston suburbs

The sanctuary is closed on Mondays and admission is $ 6 for adults and $ 4 for seniors and children. Bug repellant is recommended and worth getting a map for this one as some have found the trail system a bit confusing.

Enjoy the view from Mount Pisgah

23 Smith Road, Northborough. Visit www.svtweb.org/properties/page/mount-pisgah-conservation-area-berlin-and-northborough

If you are looking for a view, Mount Pisgah is the best bet locally. It’s a small hill and the best view isn’t from above, but from the north hikers can see Boston on a clear day.

It’s a 6 mile loop, but the elevation gain is only 872 feet, making it an easy to moderate hike.

Walk around the Walden pond

915 Walden Street, Concord. Visit www.mass.gov/locations/walden-pond-state-reservation

To get a feel for the “painted leaves” that Henry David Thoreau so often wrote about watching around Walden Pond in Concord, you must visit in the fall. “October is the sunset sky; November the later twilight,” he wrote in his essay “Shades of Autumn.”

It’s an easy 1.7 mile walking loop around the pond, which takes about an hour to do. Lovers of transcendentalism will be able to visit a replica of the House of Thoreau. Parking costs $ 8 for Massachusetts residents and $ 30 for out-of-state residents.

“I want to say a word for Nature”:Hikers connect with Walden Woods and Thoreau

Explore the geology of Purgatory Chasm

198 Purgatory Road, Sutton. Visit www.mass.gov/locations/purgatory-chasm-state-reservation

Known for its unusual rock formations, Purgatory Chasm is one of the area’s most interesting trails, featuring sporting features with names like Corn Crib, The Devil’s Coffin, The Pulpit, and His Majesty’s Cave.

There are 2 miles of trails to explore and proper footwear is recommended as the path can be slippery. Parking is $ 5 for Massachusetts residents and $ 20 for out-of-state license plates from May 15 through November.

Go on the Bay Circuit Trail

For maps and trailhead locations, visit https://www.baycircuit.org/maps-guides/

If you want a long trail, the 230-mile Bay Circuit Trail that surrounds Boston is for you. While some hikers hike the whole thing, it’s broken down into 14 sections for the much more common hiker.

The trail traverses the MetroWest region, providing many different access points. The hike through Sherborne is considered one of the most beautiful, with views that have been compared to hiking in New Hampshire and Maine.

What to do and where to go:Tips from a hiker who completed the Bay Circuit Trail

Walk along the Assabet River Rail Trail

Lincoln Street, Marlborough. For a map, visit https://www.arrtinc.org/map/

Completely paved, this 15 km trail along the river is very accessible and perfect for biking or walking. As the name suggests, the trail is a conversion of the Fitchburg Railroad and is expected to connect five mill towns when completed.

The walk offers a view of the river, but the majority of the path is in the woods. Parking is free.