With Spring creeping into New England, it's time to plan for treks into the parks and conservation areas with our canine companions. This year you can be guided by a newly published book, Best Hikes With Dogs Boston & Beyond
Jenna's Portuguese Water Dog, Tasman (shown on the book cover & named after the Tasman Sea in Australia) is our Sunday dog this week. He served as the canine researcher for the book, sniffing out the best spots and adding his four paws worth of evaluation for each trail.
Tasman and Jenna spent more than a year exploring parks, reservations, woodlands, and conservation areas to select the 50 trails for the book.
In our interview, Jenna said that many people think you have to travel far from Boston to hike. However, she continued, "The reality is that there are these hidden pockets of magic within very close proximity to the city. Massachusetts has a great history of land conservation and because of that there are these gems that you can go frolic on with your dog."
The book opens with a great summary table that you can scan to choose trails that match your dog's ability and stamina as well as your own. Jenna said, "It was really important to me to have a diversity of levels that I could provide because there all types of dogs and all types of people out there."
Part One of this book (perfectly sized to fit in a backpack) is an expert's guide to hiking with dogs. It will serve as an orientation for beginners and a set of useful reminders for experienced hikers.
Part two divides the trails into six geographic regions – from North of Boston to Cape Cod and the Islands.
Each destination is detailed with trail length, elevation, estimated hiking time, and pet policy. Wisely, Jenna also included contact information for each site since she understands that policies and rules change and she wanted her readers to be able to confirm dog friendliness before they traveled to a destination.
For some trails she has also added a special note about when it is best to enjoy a place in the off season, when hunting is allowed, when you cross into private land and alerts for when you are in bear territory.
A day spent in the outdoors, with a lunch packed from home, and a water bottle refilled from your tap or filtered jug can be a wonderful way to enjoy some low cost, high quality time with your dog, family, and friends.
Invest in this book and enjoy the weekends ahead by letting Jenna and Tasman guide you to some "hidden pockets of magic" in Boston and beyond.
And there are companion books for hiking with your dog in other areas of the country. Click here to see if there is one for your next outdoor destination with your furry friend.
Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
(Photo courtesy of Mountaineers Books, all rights reserved)
