Massachusetts - Central

Rutland State Park
Route 122A
Rutland, MA
Phone: 508-886-6333

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Rutland State Park is a 300-acre recreation area with developed facilities for fresh water swimming, picnicking, and boating. At Whitehall Pond, there is a swimming beach and adjacent picnic area. Uses includes paddling, fishing, hiking, hunting (with restrictions) mountain biking, cross country skiing, and walking.

Spencer State Forest
Howe Pond Road
Spencer, MA
Phone: 508-886-6333

Visitors to this state forest will enjoy fishing areas, canoeing, swimming, and cross-country skiing and hiking trails. Picnic areas are available.

Streeter Point Recreation Area
6 Streeter Point Avenue
Sturbridge, MA
Phone: 508-347-9316

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This accessible area has a 100-car parking area and offers fishing, swimming and picnicking on 400-acre East Brimfield Reservoir. Boating access is from ramps located on US Army Corps of Engineers-maintained ramps on Route 20.

Upton State Forest
Westboro Road
Upton, MA
Phone: 508-278-6486

Visitors to this state forest can find a fishing spot, eat in one of the designated picnic areas, or just take in the scenery.

Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
345 Mountain Road
Princeton, MA
Phone: 508-464-2987

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Rising above the forest to a height of 2006 feet, Mount Wachusett stands as a unique landmark within the central New England landscape. From the summit, a clear day reveals views of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, the Berkshires to the west, and the Boston skyline to the east. The 3,000-acre Wachusett Mountain State Reservation surrounds the summit and offers a wealth of natural and recreational resources. Recreational activities at the reservation including hiking, nature study, hawk watching, picnicking, skiing, and hunting. The reservation offers 17 miles of hiking and walking trails.
Wachusett Mountain is part of an extensive greenway area, including Leominster State Forest, Massachusetts Audubon's Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary and Minns Wildlife Sanctuary. It is also the location of the largest known area of Old Growth Forest east of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, with trees dating over 350 years old. Evidence of the glacial activity which shaped the mountain can be seen at Balance Rock. The mountain access road is open to personal vehicles from Memorial Day through the last Sunday in October. Operating hours for the roadway during this season are 9 a.m. till sunset daily.

Whitehall State Park
Route 135
Hopkinton, MA
Phone: 508-435-4303

Park has mountain biking, canoing/sailing, fishing, hiking on marked trails and motorboating. Scheduled programs are offered for visitors.

Douglas State Forest
107 Wallum Lake Road
Douglas, MA
Phone: 508-476-7872

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Bordering both Connecticut and Rhode Island, this popular 5,907-acre state forest offers a variety of recreational opportunities. Visitors can enjoy swimming, boating and fishing at Wallum Lake and hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling on miles of woodland trails. Facilities include two pavilions, boat ramp, swimming beach, picnic area and restrooms.
The Midstate Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that extends through central Massachusetts to Mount Watatic in the north, runs through the forest. Douglas State Forest also includes a rare example of Atlantic White Ceder swampland. A 5-acre portion of this swamp is designated as a Massachusetts Wildland. It is accessible to the public via a boardwalk trail.

Dunn Pond State Park
Route 101
Gardner, MA
Phone: 508-632-7897

Visitors to this small park will enjoy recreation around the pond: canoeing, fishing, swimming, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Programs are scheduled at the park throughout the year. Rest facilities are available.

Federated Women's Club State Forest
West Street
Petersham, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

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The forest’s 984 acres stretch to the south and west in the watershed of the Quabbin Reservoir. Please Note that NO pets are allowed on Watershed Property. Groves of pine and stands of maple, birch and hemlock invite the visitor along the wooded roads. The road along Fever Brook is outstanding for its scenery. A wildlife sanctuary compromising 140 acres has been set aside in the center of the forest, attracting migrating and native wild fowl. In the southwest section is the forest's chief geological feature, the Gorge. Limited-service campsites are available on a first come/first serve basis. Recreational uses include fishing, hiking, hunting, and cross-country skiing.

James W. Brooks Woodland Preserve
Petersham, MA
Phone: 508-840-4446

Trails criss-cross the landscape of this preserve, which is ideal for bird-watching. Areas for fishing and cross-country skiing also are available.

Lake Dennison Recreation Area (Beach and Campground)
219 Balwinville State Road (Route 202)
Winchendon, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

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More than 4,000 acres offer visitors swimming, canoeing, and fishing areas. Trails for hiking and cross-country skiing are available. There is a public campground with 150 campsites. There is a swimming beach on Lake Dennison. The campground office hours are 10 a.m.–10 p.m. The regular camping season is from late May to early September. Beach is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Leominster State Forest
90 Fitchburg Road / Route 31
Leominster, MA
Phone: 508-874-2303

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Leominster State Forest is a 4,300-acre parcel of forested off of Route 2 (exit 28), and convenient from Boston and Worcester. Parking is available along Route 31. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, parking fees are charged in the paved lots. The forest offers recreational opportunities year round, ranging from mountain biking and swimming in the summer to cross country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.
The trails at Leominster State Forest offer a wide variety of terrains. For hikers, The Midstate Trail, a 95-mile long-distance trail that runs from Rhode Island to the New Hampshire border, passes through the western edge of the park. A popular day hike along the Midstate Trail begins at Redemption Rock on Route 140 in Princeton and heads north over a scenic ridgeline which includes Crow Hill Ledges.
The terrain available to mountain bikers ranges from rolling unpaved fire roads to multi-use trails. Hiking trails are off limits to bikers. There is rock climbing at Crow Hill Ledges. Permits are required (no fee) and are available at the park headquarters between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The swimming beach at Crow Hill Pond is located next to two picnic areas with picnic tables, grills, and a modern bathhouse. Lifeguards are on duty from mid-June until Labor Day. All other ponds in the park are off limits to swimming. Kayakers, canoeists and fishing enthusiasts enjoy using Paradise Pond. Several put-ins are available. Crow Hill Pond (swimming beach side) is stocked with trout. Hunting is also allowed in the park. Winter recreation includes cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and snowmobiling. Snow mobiling is limited to the unpaved roads and the multi use trails. There is no camping at Leominster State Forest.

Moore State Park
Route 31
Paxton, MA
Phone: 508-792-3969

Enjoy canoeing, fishing, swimming, and hiking and cross-country ski trails. This was the site of grist and saw mills from 1747 through the early 20th century.

Otter River State Forest
86 Winchendon Road
Baldwinville, MA
Phone: 508-939-8962

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Otter River State Forest is a popular camping and day-use facility in north central Massachusetts. Its developed facilities are centered on Beaman Pond and include 85 campsites, a swimming beach, ball field and picnic areas. Yurt camping is also available. Camping season is mid-May through mid-October. Campground office hours at 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Swimming is permitted from 10am to 8pm at designated buoy areas only.

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
198 Purgatory Road
Sutton, MA
Phone: 508-234-3733

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A unique natural landmark, Purgatory Chasm runs for a quarter of a mile between granite walls rising as high as 70 feet. Popular with picnickers and rock-climbers alike, the Chasm is believed to have its origin in the sudden release of dammed-up glacial meltwater near the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 14,000 years ago. Trails lead to a wide variety of rock formations, with such romantic names as The Corn Crib, The Coffin, The Pulpit, Lovers' Leap and Fat Man's Misery. Recreational uses: walking, hiking, picnicking, hunting, accessible restrooms.

Quinsigamond State Park
North Lake Avenue
Worcester, MA
Phone: 508-755-6880

This small park features lake swimming and fishing. There are also picnic areas and rest facilities available.