Tag Archives: UPton State Forest

The other Upton State Forest, Pleasant Street

Signs of beaver alongside the West River in the Upton State Forest, Pleasant Street

We have state forests throughout Massachusetts, and are lucky enough to have several near where I live. Upon has at least two separate parcels of open space, the better known area where the CCC headquarters building stands off Westborough Road, and the parcel of forest behind Nipmuc High School on Pleasant Street in Upton. We visited this second portion of state forest on a recent weekend, and found almost no one on the nearly 2 mile loop trail that takes travelers alongside the West River as it flows on its way to the Blackstone River.

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Make Your Own Storybook Hike GO! program, Upton State Forest

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Heading out on the trail

The concept of a Make Your Own Storybook hike is simple–take a walk together, explore along the way, and come back to write or draw about what we experienced. After a summer hiatus, the Make Your Own Storybook hikes have started back up. This past weekend we visited the Upton State Forest, and were joined by several families with young children, some literate, some not, but by the end, it appeared that everyone had a grand time in the outdoors. We were blessed with terrific volunteers, enthusiastic families, inquisitive children, and cool, overcast skies.  Continue reading

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Fun in the Snow–Upton State Forest Make Your Own Storybook hike

Group picture

Happy smiles after a walk in the snow at Upton State Forest

I got some questions about whether we would cancel the Make Your Own storybook Hike scheduled for Upton State Forest. There had been (yet another!) nor’easter that had dumped up to 20 inches of snow in some areas, including Upton. But the snow was fluffy, and Division of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) staff members, Jody Madden and Kathryn Parent, were partnering with us for this event and did an amazing job plowing and shoveling so we could access parking and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) building, where we managed sign-ins and made our own books after our walk. Continue reading

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