Bay Circuit Trail

Phone:
(978) 475-4910

Address:
17 Moreland Ave, Andover, MA 01810-5007

The Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway or Bay Circuit is a Massachusetts recreational trail and greenway connecting the outlying suburbs of Boston from Plum Island in Newburyport to Kingston Bay in Duxbury, a distance of 200 miles .Landmarks include Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the Charles River, Massachusetts Audubon's Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Minute Man National Historical Park, Lowell National Historic Park, the Merrimack River, and Plum Island. The Bay Circuit Trail connects to other long distance recreation trails, such as the Warner Trail. The Minuteman Bikeway will provide a connection to downtown Boston when the Somerville Community Path is completed. The East Coast Greenway will also connect downtown if it is completed as envisioned. The Bay Circuit is open to hiking, trail running and picnicking, and in the winter, snowshoeing. Certain parts of the trail are suitable for bicycling, horseback riding and cross country skiing. Swimming, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, and car top boating are also permitted in some properties the trail passes through. The Bay Circuit Trail is overseen by the Bay Circuit Alliance, a coalition of state, town, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and individuals. The Bay Circuit Alliance is led by the Appalachian Mountain Club which is working to implement the vision of the Bay Circuit by closing the final gaps of the trail, recruiting and organizing volunteers, improving the trail experience through improved maintenance and signage, securing permanent protection for the trail corridor and the greenway, and encouraging the public to get out and explore the trail’s 230+ miles.
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Attraction Location

Bay Circuit Trail Videos

Bay Circuit Trail : Andover MA Mary French Reservation.

Mary N. French (1933- 2001) was part of a visionary cohort of women who shaped open space outlooks in the Commonwealth.

Upon the introduction of wetlands preservation regulations, a gradual search for effective ways to balance development pressure with preservation mandates and the individual towns were the focus as both incubators for coherent open space preservation and points of conflict as gatekeepers for property speculation introductions.

These people had a profound role in the quality of life citizens of the Commonwealth enjoy today. They helped to make the America I'm proud to be a part of.

Bay Circuit Trail : Andover MA Skug River Reservation Part 1.

This initial clip shows the trailhead along Jenkins Road with an encounter with a house sized boulder soon following..

The first two clips are in the Harold Parker forest as a preliminary to the Bay Circuit Trail passage through the stunning Skug.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA: Harold R. Rafton A.V.I.S. Reservation Part 1.

The largest of the AVIS reservations. Maple, birch, oak, hickory and sassafras trees can be found in these serene woods. Tall white pines grow along the ridges and hilltops and the ski loop trail passes through lovely hemlock groves. The forest floor is carpeted with ferns, partridgeberry and teaberry. Deer, beaver, fox and numerous bird species have been observed here.

History:
Rafton is the largest of the AVIS reservations. In 1968, this property was named for Harold R. Rafton, Andover's sturdiest conservationist. Mr. Rafton's ability to persuade landowners to sell or bequeath land to AVIS for conservation and public use is legendary. Rafton Reservation was once farmland and woodlot. Many of the old stone walls remain, evidence of this area's agricultural past. An annual winter breakfast followed by skiing or hiking through the reservation has become a modern AMC and AVIS tradition.

Bay Circuit Trail : Andover MA Skug River Reservation Part 2.

This segment visits the Jenkins Soapstone Quarry ruins before concluding at the border of the A.V.I.S. Skug River Reservation.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA St. Francis Trail

The Andover Village Improvement Society created the Saint Francis Trail along the Merrimack River.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Phillips Part 3.

This completes the excursion through the Phillips Academy campus with a brisk traverse of the campus itself and a crossing of Route 28.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Spalding Reservation.

This segment covers the last portion of the trail in Andover and ends at a pumping station and popular kayak put in spot on the Tewksbury border.

Hiking The Ward Reservation in Andover, Massachusetts

A Hike up Holt Hill to the Solstice Stones. Sanborn Trail & Bay Circuit Trail.

Bay Circuit Trail: Andover MA Deer Jump Reservation Part 1.

The first of a series for the venerable Deer Jump Reservation along the Merrimack River in Andover.

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Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Ward Reservation Part 7.

This concludes the exploration of the Bay Circuit Trail's route through the Ward Reservation.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Purdon Part 2.

This section marks the way to the Shawsheen River where the western part of the trail begins.

Trail Andover, MA.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Phillips Part 2.

This covers the section leading to the edge of the campus athletic fields.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Harold Parker Part 4.

This completes the Andover portion of the forest with a crossing of the Skug River and a run of beaver ponds before crossing Jenkins Road.

Bay Circuit Trail Ipswich MA Willowdale State Forest Part 11.

This clip arrives at Route 1 where a western section of the forest awaits exploration.

Boston Hill Full- March

Late winter ride at Boston Hill in Andover Ma.

Bay Circuit Trail Andover MA Harold Parker Part 3.

The trail comes to an old yard midden before meeting beaver activity at the headwaters of Skug River.

Bay Circuit Trail Easton MA: Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area Part 1.

The Hockomock is one of the few potential wilderness areas in eastern Massachusetts with an array of legends.

The Bay Circuit Trail rides a power line access road along its northern edge.

Massachusetts Walking Tour

This is a group of troubadours who call themselves Massachusetts Walking Tour, they walk/hike trails in Massachusetts (Bay Circuit Trail for instance) carrying their instruments and playing for people along the way; impromptu and pre-scheduled times locations. They do this gratis, both to call attention to our state’s scenic trails, parks, forests and other open spaces and of course, for the music. Their repertoire includes a variety of music - Folk, C&W, Blue Grass, Blues - they play covers and originals. I recorded this phone vid in Ashland Sunday June 22, 2015.