Easy 2.5 mile hike north of Boston - Ward Reservation

It was clouded over but the temperature was good (mid-60s) with no rain. It was my first time visiting the Ward Reservation and I will say it's good hiking spot if you're looking for something light. There are various environments (fields, woods, marshy areas, a couple hills with views of Boston). 

There was a snafu with the directions, but five of us got together and had a great time. We socialized for an hour or so afterwards at a nearby Caffe Nero.

For anyone else who's thinking of planning a hike here I will offer two tips:

1) If you do it through Meetup (which I used for Chiltern), check that it gives directions to the proper entrance. (Meetup sent people to a little used entrance, not the main one. Luckily I'd listed the right one in the body text so everyone made it.)

2) The main entrance has parking for perhaps 20-25 cars max. There were only 2-3 spaces left. There's no street parking - signs ask you to "please visit another day" if the parking lot is full.

Last minute update: The weather looks great for Saturday - 63 and partly cloudy with little chance of rain. There are two of us from here plus three from Chiltern. So feel free to join us!

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I've never been here and thought I'd check it out. This'll be a co-event with Chiltern Mountain Club.

The Charles Ward Reservation is a Trustees of Reservations property about 27 miles north of Boston. We'll do a 2.5 mile loop through woods and marshland. Towards the end we'll climb up Holt Hill, which features a view of Boston out over the Merrimack Valley (and is the highest point in Essex County). If the first route is muddy there's an alternate loop through the woods that climbs up over an additional hill first. (If it helps, GAIA says the ascents and descents are 338; 287 and 470; 444 respectively.)

If there's more then a drizzle/light rain I'll postpone. The rain date is a week later (Nov 2).

Property info: https://thetrustees.org/place/charles-w-ward-reservation/ Parking is $6.00 per vehicle (free for Trustees members). Dogs on leashes are allowed.