Georgetown-Rowley State Forest

Spanning 1,041 acres across Essex County in northeastern Massachusetts, Georgetown-Rowley State Forest offers a quiet escape into the coastal lowland woods that once defined this corner of New England. Straddling the border between Georgetown and Rowley, the forest sits just minutes from the salt marshes of the Parker River estuary, giving it a distinctive character — the air carries a faint brine even deep among the pines and hardwoods.

The trail network here favors exploration over exertion. Old logging roads and footpaths wind through mixed oak-pine forest, past glacial erratics and seasonal wetlands that attract migratory birds in spring and fall. Mountain biking and horseback riding are popular on the wider fire roads, while hikers will find enough solitude on the narrower paths to forget how close they are to the Route 95 corridor. In winter, the flat-to-rolling terrain makes for excellent cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when conditions cooperate.

Hunting is permitted in season, so plan accordingly if visiting during fall — wearing blaze orange is wise from October through December. The forest has no developed campground or visitor facilities, so come prepared with water and supplies.

The best time to visit is mid-October, when the hardwood canopy lights up in reds and golds, or late May, when the understory greens up and warblers move through the treetops. Georgetown-Rowley won’t make anyone’s bucket list, but that’s precisely why the people who know it keep coming back.

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