Don’t leave the little ones at home the next time you want to explore nature! Massachusetts is filled with short and easy hikes that are perfect for kids. You’ll be exploring waterfalls, nature preserves, beaches, and woods filled with plants and animals. Take a look at some of the best hikes in Massachusetts that are one-mile (and under!) and are completely kid-friendly.
- Pine Hills, Plymouth
Flickr/MOTT The Pine Hills in Plymouth are full of short and sweet scenic hikes that are perfect for kids or casual hikers. The trails are well-marked and relatively flat, with many loop paths that are under a mile. Go in spring or summer to enjoy the bright green foliage at its best, and in fall the entire area is cast in shades of red, yellow, and bronze. Pine Hills, Plymouth, MA 02360, USA
- Chapel Brook Falls Trail, Ashfield (0.5 miles)
Tripadvisor/campingkitteh Half a mile of hiking and a waterfall? Yes please. Chapel Brook Falls Trail is a beautifully-maintained path that leads straight to the lovely Chapel Brook cascade. The trail starts at a parking lot and offers plenty of spots to stretch out with a picnic blanket and some snacks. If your kids are older, consider continuing the hike all the way to the peak of Pony Mountain. Chapel Brook, Massachusetts, USA
- Fort Hill Trail, Eastham (1 mile)
AllTrails/Steph Connel Looking for a sea breeze? You’ll find it on this kid-friendly beach trail in Eastham. The Fort Hill Trail offers beautiful wildflowers and flat terrain that’s great for little legs. It’s also a good place for bird-spotting and picnicking. Slap on the sunscreen and enjoy a peaceful walk by the ocean at this Cape Cod National Seashore spot. Fort Hill Road, Fort Hill Rd, Easthampton, MA 01027, USA
- Ashland State Park, Ashland (0.25 miles)
AllTrails/Phillip User Many of the best hikes in Massachusetts take you to the water. This micro-hike is all paved and will lead you straight to the Ashland Reservoir. Just park in the lot of Ashland State Park and follow the quarter-mile path down to the water. Perfect for when you want the family to get some exercise but don’t want to embark on an afternoon expedition into the wild. State Park Road, State Park Rd, Ashland, MA 01721, USA
- Bash Bish Falls, Mount Washington (1 mile)
Glenn Oldrich/AllTrails That’s right – you can reach the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts with under a mile of walking. Bash Bish Falls is definitely a hike that will give you serious bang for your buck, but you should keep an extra eye on kids around the waterfall pool. Swimming isn’t allowed for safety reasons and the rocks can get slippery. Still, it’s an incredible destination for a family outing and you’ll go home with some great memories. Bash Bish Falls, Mt Washington, MA 01258, USA
- Fern Trail, Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton (0.3 miles)
Tripadvisor/NPT1975 This easy hike will take you along the Mill River and through a charming floodplain forest in the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. You can gaze out across the marsh and even check out an observatory tower. Kids will love spotting migrating warblers and scampering around the old orchard. Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 127 Combs Rd, Easthampton, MA 01027, USA
- Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Newbury (1 mile)
Flickr/Kristin Shoemaker Take this boardwalk path through the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for an easy and fun “hike” that’s actually more of a stroll. You’ll feel the salty air on your skin, hear the call of gulls and even wind up at the beach. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Refuge Rd, Newbury, MA 01951, USA
- Bradley Palmer State Park Trail, Topsfield (1 mile)
AllTrails/Karen Graves The Bradley Palmer State Park Trail is about two miles round trip, but you can easily split that in half for a shorter hike. It features gorgeous wildflowers in the sprig, not to mention frogs and the odd bunny. Kids will love exploring the woods near the path. Bradley Palmer State Park Road, Bradley Palmer State Park Rd, Topsfield, MA, USA
- Wendell State Forest Friendly Trail, Wendell (0.5 miles)
Mass.gov Take the aptly named Friendly Trail from the Wendell State Forest park headquarters to Ruggles Pond for a short hike that offers a lot of beauty. The path will take you straight to the water, where you’ll find a picnic area and a waterfront view that features beaver lodges. There’s even a baseball diamond on the park grounds, if you want to bring a bat and some balls for a game of catch in the woods. Wendell State Forest, Wendell, MA 01380, USA
What’s your favorite kid-friendly hike? Are there any underrated trails you think kids will love? Let us know your picks in the comments section. For more short and sweet trails from the best hikes in Massachusetts, check out some more of our faves here.
Flickr/MOTT
The Pine Hills in Plymouth are full of short and sweet scenic hikes that are perfect for kids or casual hikers. The trails are well-marked and relatively flat, with many loop paths that are under a mile. Go in spring or summer to enjoy the bright green foliage at its best, and in fall the entire area is cast in shades of red, yellow, and bronze.
Pine Hills, Plymouth, MA 02360, USA
Tripadvisor/campingkitteh
Half a mile of hiking and a waterfall? Yes please. Chapel Brook Falls Trail is a beautifully-maintained path that leads straight to the lovely Chapel Brook cascade. The trail starts at a parking lot and offers plenty of spots to stretch out with a picnic blanket and some snacks. If your kids are older, consider continuing the hike all the way to the peak of Pony Mountain.
Chapel Brook, Massachusetts, USA
AllTrails/Steph Connel
Looking for a sea breeze? You’ll find it on this kid-friendly beach trail in Eastham. The Fort Hill Trail offers beautiful wildflowers and flat terrain that’s great for little legs. It’s also a good place for bird-spotting and picnicking. Slap on the sunscreen and enjoy a peaceful walk by the ocean at this Cape Cod National Seashore spot.
Fort Hill Road, Fort Hill Rd, Easthampton, MA 01027, USA
AllTrails/Phillip User
Many of the best hikes in Massachusetts take you to the water. This micro-hike is all paved and will lead you straight to the Ashland Reservoir. Just park in the lot of Ashland State Park and follow the quarter-mile path down to the water. Perfect for when you want the family to get some exercise but don’t want to embark on an afternoon expedition into the wild.
State Park Road, State Park Rd, Ashland, MA 01721, USA
Glenn Oldrich/AllTrails
That’s right – you can reach the tallest waterfall in Massachusetts with under a mile of walking. Bash Bish Falls is definitely a hike that will give you serious bang for your buck, but you should keep an extra eye on kids around the waterfall pool. Swimming isn’t allowed for safety reasons and the rocks can get slippery. Still, it’s an incredible destination for a family outing and you’ll go home with some great memories.
Bash Bish Falls, Mt Washington, MA 01258, USA
Tripadvisor/NPT1975
This easy hike will take you along the Mill River and through a charming floodplain forest in the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. You can gaze out across the marsh and even check out an observatory tower. Kids will love spotting migrating warblers and scampering around the old orchard.
Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 127 Combs Rd, Easthampton, MA 01027, USA
Flickr/Kristin Shoemaker
Take this boardwalk path through the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for an easy and fun “hike” that’s actually more of a stroll. You’ll feel the salty air on your skin, hear the call of gulls and even wind up at the beach.
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Refuge Rd, Newbury, MA 01951, USA
AllTrails/Karen Graves
The Bradley Palmer State Park Trail is about two miles round trip, but you can easily split that in half for a shorter hike. It features gorgeous wildflowers in the sprig, not to mention frogs and the odd bunny. Kids will love exploring the woods near the path.
Bradley Palmer State Park Road, Bradley Palmer State Park Rd, Topsfield, MA, USA
Mass.gov
Take the aptly named Friendly Trail from the Wendell State Forest park headquarters to Ruggles Pond for a short hike that offers a lot of beauty. The path will take you straight to the water, where you’ll find a picnic area and a waterfront view that features beaver lodges. There’s even a baseball diamond on the park grounds, if you want to bring a bat and some balls for a game of catch in the woods.
Wendell State Forest, Wendell, MA 01380, USA
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Hiking Trails Near Me In Massachusetts April 13, 2022 Raymond Goldfield What are the best fall hikes in Massachusetts? Hiking during the fall is a completely new experience. Trails that you explored during the spring or summer are cast in a kaleidoscope of colors only a few months later. Many of the best hikes in Massachusetts are worth doing twice. These ten short and sweet fall hikes in Massachusetts are perfect for looking at the fall foliage, and many are kid-friendly and accessible to first-time hikers. Which hikes in Massachusetts are best in the Winter? Hiking in the winter might be a more advanced type of hiking, between the cold and the slippery terrain, but it can be uniquely peaceful. Especially after a fresh snowfall, these nine trails are among the best hikes in Massachusetts for those who want to behold a frozen paradise. What are the most easily accessible hikes in Massachusetts? Some of the best hikes in Massachusetts are at the center of some of its biggest attractions. To find the most accessible hikes, it can help to look at the final destination rather than the beginning. These fourteen hikes with a great finish see a lot of traffic, so many of them give hikers the chance to walk on boardwalks or paved paths rather than uneven terrain.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Hiking Trails Near Me In Massachusetts
April 13, 2022
Raymond Goldfield
What are the best fall hikes in Massachusetts? Hiking during the fall is a completely new experience. Trails that you explored during the spring or summer are cast in a kaleidoscope of colors only a few months later. Many of the best hikes in Massachusetts are worth doing twice. These ten short and sweet fall hikes in Massachusetts are perfect for looking at the fall foliage, and many are kid-friendly and accessible to first-time hikers. Which hikes in Massachusetts are best in the Winter? Hiking in the winter might be a more advanced type of hiking, between the cold and the slippery terrain, but it can be uniquely peaceful. Especially after a fresh snowfall, these nine trails are among the best hikes in Massachusetts for those who want to behold a frozen paradise. What are the most easily accessible hikes in Massachusetts? Some of the best hikes in Massachusetts are at the center of some of its biggest attractions. To find the most accessible hikes, it can help to look at the final destination rather than the beginning. These fourteen hikes with a great finish see a lot of traffic, so many of them give hikers the chance to walk on boardwalks or paved paths rather than uneven terrain.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Hiking during the fall is a completely new experience. Trails that you explored during the spring or summer are cast in a kaleidoscope of colors only a few months later. Many of the best hikes in Massachusetts are worth doing twice. These ten short and sweet fall hikes in Massachusetts are perfect for looking at the fall foliage, and many are kid-friendly and accessible to first-time hikers.
Which hikes in Massachusetts are best in the Winter?
Hiking in the winter might be a more advanced type of hiking, between the cold and the slippery terrain, but it can be uniquely peaceful. Especially after a fresh snowfall, these nine trails are among the best hikes in Massachusetts for those who want to behold a frozen paradise.
What are the most easily accessible hikes in Massachusetts?
Some of the best hikes in Massachusetts are at the center of some of its biggest attractions. To find the most accessible hikes, it can help to look at the final destination rather than the beginning. These fourteen hikes with a great finish see a lot of traffic, so many of them give hikers the chance to walk on boardwalks or paved paths rather than uneven terrain.
