Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
Over 1,000 acres of woods, ponds and swamps where Lowell meets Dracut and Tyngsborough, with miles of trails to hike, bike or ski. Free parking.
Written for ages 4–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
Lowell is a city that was built to make cloth, with canals dug through it and big brick mills along the water. But the city doesn't stop at bricks. Out here, where Lowell runs into two other towns, Dracut and Tyngsborough, there are more than a thousand acres of trees, with ponds and swamps tucked in among them. It's all one place. You could start the day in the mill city and end it in the woods.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about 2 hours at the park.
- Parking
- Free parking at the gate on Trotting Park Road. Open sunrise to sunset. Dogs are allowed. Hunting is allowed in season, so wear orange in the fall.
- Underfoot
- About 25 miles of official trails through woods, ponds, swamps and wetlands. DCR says its own park map is inaccurate, so bring a map on your phone. The forest runs on into Dracut and Tyngsborough.
22 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
4 things to spot, 3 photographs to take and 3 things to work out.
Every game includes this one
Properly In The Woods
Walk in along a trail far enough that you cannot see the car, the gate, or any building. Stay on the trail.
A few of the others
Find The Water
There are ponds, swamps and wetlands in here. Find one of them.
Under The Trees
One photo of everybody looking straight up at the trees.
The Biggest Tree
Find the widest tree you can and photograph everybody trying to reach around it.
Their Turn
Hand the phone to the youngest. They take one picture of whatever they want.
Three Towns
This forest runs through three different towns. Work out how you would know if you crossed a line.
A Thousand Acres
Over a thousand acres in here. Work out how many football fields that might be.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Lowell
Lowell Heritage State Park
Lowell
Two miles of Merrimack riverfront with a paved bike path, a boat ramp and picnic area, plus exhibits on the canals and mills that built Lowell.
Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell
Nearly six miles of canals, locks and gatehouses through a mill city, and a working 1920s weave room at the Boott Cotton Mills. No entrance fee.
Play this at Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.