Leominster State Forest
From hiking and mountain biking to rock climbing and fishing, Leominster State Forest has a little bit of everything. Part of the 95-mile Midstate Trail goes through this forest. And Crow Hill Pond is a popular swimming hole for the locals. In the winter, cross country skiing and snow shoeing are popular in this area.
There are different ways to access the hiking trails in Leominster State Forest. We parked off route 31 heading north beyond the road for the beach at lower Crow’s Hill Pond. The picnic areas and a swimming hole can also be reached from this parking lot but it would be a hike.
We have done two different hikes here. One hike was a 1.5 miles out and back hike and the other was a 2 mile loop. A lot of the hiking path is along the pond so there are plenty of spots to stop and fish or throw/skip rocks. Our kids love to climb so it was fun for them to find spots along the path with large boulders. A large wheeled stroller would work along the trail but not an umbrella stroller. We used a hiking backpack for this hike.
There are more hikes across the street. Crow Hill Ledge is a popular rock climbing spot which makes it a fun spot to stop with kids. The girls enjoyed watching the rock climbers scale the ledges.
What brings us back to this spot is the dense forest coupled with the ponds in the backyard of an urban area. It’s amazing to think we are five minutes from downtown Leominster among the trees and away from any city noises.
Leominster, MA
For more kid-friendly hikes, see our WCKC Hikes Page.
