2017 Travel Wishlist
For us, 2017 is going to be a year of staying local for all of our vacation and travel plans. We are already putting together a list of MUSTS for all our adventures this year. Hopefully we can make it a priority to get outside and explore these parks, trails, and outdoor locations. As we check them off our list we would love to have you follow our journey, read the recaps, and check out our photos.
Here is where we are hoping to see:
- Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is one of newest sites in the National Park Service. The land was donated and designated a NPS site in 2016 during the week the NPS celebrated their 100th anniversary. This park is near the top of our list as my father grew up in Millinocket, Maine, one of the gateway cities to this national monument. It will be nice to explore this area and be able to visit it within it's 1st year as a NPS site. Plus, just watch this video and try to resist wanting to go!
- We want to head back to Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area again this summer, but this time we want to explore it a little differently. After our first camping trip (where we borrowed all our gear) we have been starting to collect our own and want to make good use of it out on the islands. There are campgrounds on many of the islands but right now Bumpkin, Peddocks, and Lovells islands are on the short list for our overnight adventure.
- Another option for a camping excursion is to trek out to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts and set up camp at October Mountain State Forest. There is over 16,500 acres to explore as this is the largest state forest in MA. It is also part of the Appalachian Trail which we would be fun to walk a few miles along.
- With 76 state parks in Massachusetts, we decided we better get outside and start the large endeavor to visit them all. We are targeting the Northeast Region of the state this year which has 12 designated park. We visited 2 of them last year which leaves us with 10 to check off the list (and gather stamps at). Here are the parks we want to head to this year: Bradley Palmer, Cochituate, Great Brook Farm, Hopkinton, Harold Parker, Lawrence Heritage, Lowell Heritage, Maudslay, and Salisbury Beach. Over the years we have visited a few of them, but never as a family so that is our goal this time around.
