I visited this place yesterday, March 8, 2012, and I am definitely a fan. It was a great place to escape to from the city for a quiet walk in the woods. It took me less than an hour to get there from Boston in light traffic, and the parking fee is a mere $2. There is a Visitor Center at the Main Parking lot which is stocked with maps and has restrooms.
Borderland State Park boasts over 20 miles of hiking trails, including a section of the Bay Circuit Trail. There is a Heart Healthy Trail, which is a 1.5 mile section of the 3-mile long Pond Loop Trail. This Pond Loop Trail is flat and easy, comprised mainly of old unpaved farm roads. Off-shooting from this main trail is a larger network of trails, where I spent most of my 3 hours and 3 minutes in the woods. I completed 5.3 miles of trails, pausing to have a sandwich on a rock overlooking a pond about a mile in to my walk, although there was plenty of picnic area available at the main parking area. I also lingered quite a bit with my camera, and plan to return to the park at a later date after some green appears to get some better shots of the quarry and the Ridge Trail. I found all of the trails to be extremely well-maintained, and in places where they were not well-marked, they were well-loved enough that it wasn't a problem. There was an emergency exit to nearby homes off of the Quarry Loop Trail. The terrain was hilly and rocky but not difficult, and I felt as though I was constantly on the verge of discovering a vista which never actually presented itself.
It should be noted that this place is loved by mountain bikers, and at least one trail is a designated biking trail. There's also a lot of other attractions at this park, like an old mansion, disc golf, and fishing.
More Info:
Mass DCR: Borderland State Park
Friends of Borderland State Park
Yelp Review of Borderland State Park
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