Scenic Strolls
Families who walk together grow closer with each step and each breath of fresh air. They are discovering nature’s astonishing variety together: the sounds and movement of wildlife, the mysteries of the plant world, the beauty of sweeping landscape views. And when the terrain is gentle, and the pace is one that all ages can handle, you notice smaller things you might miss on a more vigorous hike. In New England, many of the most popular scenic strolls are walks with a history; they are paths that have been trod by generations. And who knows? Maybe the littlest members of your travel group will return to one of these walks with their own children, years from now.
MAINE
This may be the most-loved seaside walk in all of New England: Ogunquit’s Marginal Way, which stretches from the center of town to picturesque Perkins Cove, is a former cow path acquired by the town in 1923. Now paved and about five feet (1.5m) wide and one mile (1.6km) long, the Marginal Way is stroller-friendly and wheelchair-accessible, and there are memorial benches positioned all along the path for anyone who’d like to rest and reflect. As you share this easy stroll with loved ones, you’ll spy coastal mansions, smell the perfume of beach roses and saltwater, and hear the roar of waves crashing against Maine’s iconic granite shoreline.
Farther up the Maine coast, just five miles (8km) from the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park gives you the opportunity to stroll through the woods to the sea. The park’s half-mile (0.8km) Casco Bay Trail has a few stone steps and some tree roots to navigate, but it is a relatively easy walk that leads to views of nearby island. For a longer hike, continue on the half-mile (0.8km) White Pines Trail, from which you can see osprey nesting on Googins Island, and snowy egrets feeding in shallow tidal waters.
RHODE ISLAND
Nicknamed “The Ocean State,” Rhode Island has its own worthy contender for New England’s best seaside stroll. The Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile (5.6km) coastal pathway, traverses the backyards of Newport’s famed Gilded Age mansions. The first two miles (3.2km) of the Cliff Walk, which begins near First Beach, are easy for walkers of all abilities, but the southern stretch is more of a scramble over sometimes-slippery rocks. Explore even a short segment, and you’ll marvel at the same splendid ocean views that were enjoyed by some of America’s wealthiest families at the turn of the 20th century.
Not far from the Cliff Walk but less well known, the 1.5-mile (2.4km) Ocean View Loop Trail at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown is a smooth, paved nature trail with phenomenal sunset views. As you look back toward Newport, challenge your children to listen and watch for deer, rabbits, butterflies, and birds. Bundle up for a visit between November and March, and you’ll be able to observe the Atlantic coast’s second-largest population of wintering harlequin ducks.
A more urban excursion awaits in Providence, where downtown’s 2.4-mile (3.9km) RiverWalk runs alongside the Woonasquatucket and Providence rivers. A stroll is never more enchanting than on WaterFire evenings, when this art installation that combines music and more than 80 bonfires wows all ages. A tradition for more than 25 years, WaterFire is held on more than a dozen nights, starting at sunset, from spring through fall.
CONNECTICUT
The Connecticut shore faces Long Island Sound, where the water—a mix of salt and fresh—is warmer and more tranquil than the open Atlantic. Some of the state’s best scenic strolls are along the Sound, where you’ll encounter classic boardwalks that will remind you of beach vacations in your youth… if you were young in the 1950s, ’60s, or even ’70s. Connecticut’s longest continuous boardwalk stretches three-quarters of a mile (1.2km) and links Milford’s Silver Sands State Park and Walnut Beach. This is a prime bird-watching walk, as tidal marshland provides shelter for migrating species in the spring and fall. In the summer, Charles Island, located just offshore and rumored to be the spot where the infamous Captain Kidd hid his pirate’s treasure, is now a protected breeding ground for herons and egrets. There are also long, level boardwalks to stroll at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and in the village of Niantic, where the 1.1-mile (1.8km) Niantic Bay Boardwalk is lined with commemorative benches and educational signs.
In eastern Connecticut, a nostalgic walk beckons, particularly as the leaves turn bright colors in the fall. Stretching from Thompson to East Hampton, the Air Line State Park Trail follows the route traveled from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries by the “Ghost Train.” Painted white and trimmed in gold, this luxury rail service whisked passengers between New York City and Boston. Choose a stretch of this 50-mile trail for a memorable walk with your group. In Colchester, for example, you can stroll atop the Lyman Viaduct, the elaborate trestle that once carried trains over Dickinson Creek.
VERMONT
At the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, a massive wooden sculpture called “Passage,” by local artist Herb Ferris, marks the transition from ground level to life in the treetops represented by the new VINS Forest Canopy Walk. This $1.7 million ADA-accessible walkway is held aloft by more than 100 utility poles as the land slopes away underneath, offering people of all ages and levels of ability an easy way to gain elevation and get a new perspective on the landscape. At the boardwalk’s highest points, you’ll be more than 50 feet (15.2m) above the forest floor, getting eye-to-eye with birds and other tree dwellers. Along the way you’ll encounter works of art by local artists, educational displays, and a giant rope “spiderweb” perfect for kids to frolic in—and for a truly unforgettable view, climb the 100-foot-tall (30.5m) Tree House for a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding Vermont countryside.
If you’ll be spending time in Stowe, a four-season destination for outdoor fun, be sure to stretch your legs on a segment of the 5.3-mile (8.5km) Stowe Recreation Path. Classic Vermont scenes of woods and farmland unfold along this multi-use trail that walkers share with runners and cyclists (and cross-country skiers and snowshoers in the winter).
MASSACHUSETTS
In Massachusetts, you can follow in the footsteps of Transcendentalist writer and early environmentalist Henry David Thoreau on two very different but equally lovely walks. At Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord, look for the replica of Thoreau’s cabin, where he wrote his famous essay collection Walden, before you set out on the 1.9-mile (3km) loop trail that follows the pond’s shore. Bring swimsuits in the summer: Everyone in your family will enjoy a cool dip in “Earth’s eye,” as Thoreau described lakes like this.
Thoreau also wrote extensively about his impressions of outer Cape Cod, which he visited several times in the mid-1800s. “A man may stand there and put all America behind him,” he once observed. Start off from the Cape Cod National Seashore’s Province Lands Visitor Center, open seasonally in Provincetown at the Cape’s remote, northernmost tip, and walk a stretch of the paved Province Lands Bike Trail to experience the same sense of solitude that Thoreau described. The otherworldly landscape of wind-sculpted sand dunes and deep-blue ocean along this 5.5-mile (8.9km) loop will mesmerize you. The observation decks at the visitor center also provide a 360-degree view of this striking scene.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The plaintive cries of common loons may sound sorrowful, but they’re actually just the birds’ way of calling out to one another, “Where are you?” Once you’ve heard these high-pitched tones penetrating the approaching night on a freshwater New England lake, they’ll echo through your memory forever. Want to learn more about these beautiful speckled water birds? Visit the Loon Center in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, and walk the easy, 1.7-mile (2.7km) Loon Nest Trail through the adjacent Markus Wildlife Sanctuary. This protected area on Lake Winnipesaukee is breeding ground for a pair of loons, and in June and July, you may get the chance to observe them tending their nest.
Farther north, at Echo Lake State Park in the White Mountains region, combine a day at one of New England’s best freshwater beaches with a scenic stroll. The one-mile (1.6km) trail around the water’s edge is an easy family outing with dramatic views of Cathedral Ledge. Be sure to drive to the top of this 700-foot (213m) granite wall for magnificent vistas of not only the lake but also the surrounding peaks and valley. And while you’re in the White Mountains, don’t miss the Flume Gorge in Lincoln. This natural wonder has been explored by generations of families since 1808, when the chasm was discovered by 93-year-old angler “Aunt” Jess Guernsey. Now a paid attraction, the 2-mile (3.2km) Flume Trail loop requires climbing many steps, but there are sturdy railings to hold. And you’ll pause often to snap photos of covered bridges, waterfalls, and the sheer granite walls that enclose this narrow gorge.
