April 10, 2016

Douglas State Forest (Douglas, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Visited: April 9, 2016

Cost:  Since I visited during the off season, it was free.  The web site states it costs $9 for MA vehicles and $11 for out of state vehicles.  Prices may vary if you bring your boat.

Location: 107 Wallum Lake Rd. Douglas, MA

Parking:  Parking is limited at the main entrance.  It probably fills up quickly during the summer weekends.  There is also additional parking for boaters farther down the road to the entrance.  There is also additional areas to park near the forest.

Douglas State Forest

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I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at Douglas State Forest.  It just happened to be in the area of another attraction I was visiting.  But, I’m a firm believer in spontaneity, no I really am, so I decided to give it a whirl.  I’m glad I did.

Douglas State Forest has a few different entrances besides the main entrance at Wallum Lake Drive.  I passed some of them on the way to the main entrance.  It may be a good option to try these entrances (off Webster and Wallis Streets respectively).  After viewing the map for Douglas State Forest, I have determined I only walked a fraction of the  5,525 acres of the park.

There are many hidden trails and long trails in the park. In fact,  the Midstate Trail, a 95 mile hiking trail that extends through central Massachusetts to Mt. Watatic in the north, runs through the forest.  I saw a group of walkers/hikers at one of the other entrances during my drive.  I suspect they may have been gearing up to hike a section of this trail.  There is also some rare Atlantic White Cedar swampland at Douglas State Forest.  Boards are laid down to allow walking over these areas.

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After arriving at Douglas State Forest, I walked the easy, half mile or so trail trail to Wallum Lake (the trail continues on much farther but I only walked to the boat launch and fishing area).  A sure sign that spring is begrudgingly, well, springing was abundant.  The trails are mainly like the one pictured below.  I would describe the trails I took as being easy to moderate but the trail may get harder the farther you walk.

There were several people fishing and an assortment of boats in the lake.  Boaters always seem to want to show off and speed around when they see someone with a camera!

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Douglas Forest is a year-round attraction.  Swimming, fishing and boating are allowed in the lake.  In the winter snow shoeing and snowmobiling are popular activities at the forest.  Horses and dogs are also allowed at the forest.

The views from the lake were beautiful.

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What started as a gloomy, chilly, overcast day, typical of a true New England spring day, turned into a sunny, warm day.  It was the perfect day to take your pooch out for a walk and they were in abundance at Douglas Forest.

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Lloyd is a 3 year old husky and lab mix.  He was adopted by his pet parent from a shelter and he loves to play in the water.

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Delilah is a 5 year old Staffy (Staffordshire Bull Terrier).  She was rescued one day before she was slated to be put down.  She is also from England and loves to play with sticks.  Welcome to America, Delilah!

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Dixie and Monty, Irish Spring Setters, posed perfectly for their dad.

Central Massachusetts (where Douglas is located) had always been a place to drive through to get to Western Massachusetts and its plethora of mountains, forests and waterfalls.  But, I have been spending a lot of time in Central Massachusetts. After my last few visits I have fallen in love with the area.  I will have many more posts coming from my travels in the Central Massachusetts area.  Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

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About New England Nomad

Hi I'm Wayne. Welcome to my blog. I am a true New Englander through and through. I love everything about New England. I especially love discovering new places in New England and sharing my experiences with everyone. I tend to focus on the more unique and lesser known places and things in New England on my blog. Oh yeah, and I love dogs. I always try to include at least one dog in each of my blog posts. I discovered my love of photography a couple of years ago. I know, I got a late start. Now, I photograph anything that seems out of the ordinary, interesting, beautiful and/or unique. And I have noticed how every person, place or thing I photograph has a story behind it or him or her. I don't just photograph things or people or animals. I try to get their background, history or as much information as possible to give the subject more context and meaning. It's interesting how one simple photograph can evoke so much. I am currently using a Nikon D3200 "beginner's camera." Even though there are better cameras on the market, and I will upgrade some time, I love how it functions (usually) and it has served me well. The great thing about my blog is you don't have to be from New England, or even like New England to like my blog (although I've never met anyone who doesn't). All you have to like is to see and read about new or interesting places and things. Hopefully, you'll join me on my many adventures in New England! View all posts by New England Nomad
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