dog friendly massachsuetts – The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma

I was planning on doing a daytrip today, but due to Wilma needing to rest her leg, I thought I would adventure to a somewhat local location. The Reservation you will read about I had been to once almost four years ago with Shadow and Wilma on a dark winter day. This was Gus’ first adventure to the Reservation. We are thankful that Wilma continues to improve and return to her happy self! We will continue to let her rest and look forward to her returning on our adventures.

Today Gus and I Adventured to the World’s End Reservation in Hingham, Massachusetts. World’s End is a 251 acre park and conservation area preserved by the Trustees of Reservations. It is a 3.8 mile loop (with additional side trails) containing tree-lined carriage paths, views of the Boston skyline, rocky shores, and marshlands. Currently admission is $10, or free if you are a member of the Trustees.

We had a lovely Adventure to World’s End Reservation. I was looking forward to re-visiting this Reservation and going on a long walk on this beautiful day. We arrived just as it opened, and had to stop at a booth to check-in on our way into the Reservation. This made Gus quite uneasy, but soon after this interaction was completed Gus was calm and ready to walk. He loved trotting along, and often would check back on me to make sure I was still there (haha). He enjoyed sniffing all of the new smells, walking through the tall grass, and chasing moths and grasshoppers, one of his favorite past times! He even was extra adventurous and entered in the water, at some points searching for goodies on the bottom. I was shocked at this activity and so happy to see him so comfortable with the water, a great way to cool down on a summer day. Of course, no waves at the “beaches” definitely helped.

We spent a little over three hours walking – there was lots of green color in all directions, fields, coastal views, wildflowers, mushrooms, little “beach” areas, and endless trails. There were even some distant skyline views of Boston. We spent a little over three hours exploring – it was great exercise, and perfect for the soul! It appeared all dogs were on leash, and overall, it was quiet, well until we ran into cross country practice, which put Gus into a brief panic, poor guy! Luckily this did not last long, and we were back on track. So glad we could adventure to World’s End Reservation. We look forward to returning in the future (Rating: 4).

Video of Gus searching the water with some nice surrounding scenery

Video heading down the hill with water views on each side

Video of trail with water views on each side

Video of trail headed down to one of the “beach” areas

Today Wilma and I Adventured to the Nashua River Rail Trail in Groton, Massachusetts. The Nashua River Rail Trail is an approximately eleven mile trail that runs from Nashua, New Hampshire to Ayer, Massachusetts. As expected it is built on a former railroad. The Nashua River Rail Trail is popular for biking, horseback riding, walking, fishing, skiing, and roller blading.

We had a snow-filled Adventure to the Nashua River Rail Trail. I was eager to explore this Trail as many years ago Shadow, Buster, and I regularly walked at the Nashua River Rail Trail in Pepperell. We briefly checked out the signs and headed down the Trail. The Trail was layered with deep, but light snow, groomed by fresh ski prints. We trudged through the snow getting a good work out with the depth of the snow. The path was quiet and peaceful, and we only passed several homes on our route. We walked under a bridge, pleasantly surprised to find one side covered with a lovely mural. A beautiful touch to a dull bridge. We enjoyed our walk, and even saw a hawk along the path. There were many cross country skiers and we passed one dog friend, who was also on leash. My favorite parts of the Rail Trail today was appreciating the change in seasons, watching Wilma enjoy the new environment, and the gorgeous sun streaming through the trees onto the snow. Wilma loved sniffing, exploring, and bounding through the snow. A simple Adventure but yet a perfect walk. So glad we could explore a portion of the Groton Rail Trail today (Rating 3.5).