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Urban Adventures: New England's Cities

Kayaking, biking, sculling, hiking, sailing in the city?

by Stephen Jermanok

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Photograph of Rockport, MA
Submitted by Peter Kingman

As an outdoors writer living in Boston, I lay claim to a region that within close proximity rewards me with an array of adventures. If I wake up early, by 9 a.m. I could be hiking a 5,000-foot peak in New Hampshire, sea kayaking along Maine's granite-lined shores or Cape Cod's dunes, mountain biking in Vermont, or sailing the former America's Cup cruising grounds of Newport. Yet friends and family will tell you that I spend just as much time playing outside in my urban backyard.

Those early settlers got it right when they founded cities at the edge of the ocean and on our big lakes and mighty rivers. There are sections in all our cities where beauty rises from the shadows like an early-morning fog, and the scenery is best appreciated in slow motion.

Portland, ME: Kayaking

While lobstermen ply the ocean waters for their catch, Portlanders play in the waves with their shiny new kayaks. Follow their lead into the open water to paddle around a handful of the 220-plus Casco Bay islands (only a quarter of them are inhabited). Casco Bay Lines (207-774-7871; cascobaylines.com) leaves every hour or two year-round for a 20-minute cruise to Peaks Island ($3.25-$6.25 round trip). Once there, you can hook up with Maine Island Kayak Company (207-766-2373; maineislandkayak.com) for a full-day ($105) or half-day ($65) paddle.

On the half-day trip, you'll slide into your kayak and paddle over to Fort Gorges, built just before the Civil War, in 1858. From atop its thick stone walls, you can see the Portland waterfront in all its rugged grandeur. Huge cranes tower over the larger boats of the cruise fleet, while silver oil-storage tanks mushroom along the wharves. As you paddle your way around the northern tip of Great Diamond Island, be on the lookout for ospreys nesting in the tall pines that line the granite shores. Farther inland, new houses are going up to accommodate the year-round commuters who yearn to have the sea as their welcome mat. After this little jaunt, you might make that same move.

Providence, RI: Biking

All it takes is a mere six miles on a paved path to leave industrialized Providence and reach the coastline of Narragansett Bay. No wonder residents would rather bike to the beach than deal with car traffic. The 14.5-mile-long East Bay Bike Path (riparks.com/eastbay.htm, rigreenways.org), originally part of the Providence/Worcester rail line, heads southeast from the city along the bay's scenic shores to the town of Bristol. Less than two miles into the ride, fishing trawlers and sailboats appear on the right and small inlets and wetlands can be seen on the left. In warmer months, you're likely to see folks clamming for littlenecks in the shallow waters along the route. That's quite a contrast to the view of the Providence skyline that stands behind you.

South of the Riverside area, the trail becomes more secluded as you head through forest and over two wooden bridges toward Warren, a good place to stock up on food and drink. Continue pedaling south, hugging Narragansett's waters once again as the bay widens. Soon you'll arrive at Colt State Park (401-253-7482; riparks.com) and neighboring Bristol Town Beach, the finest spot for sunbathing in East Bay. The trail ends in Bristol at Independence Park, near a handful of seafood restaurants that sell those fresh littlenecks.

Boston, MA: Kayaking

Far too often, writers compare the pastoral landscape of New England to a Currier and Ives print. Stand on the edge of the Charles River on either the Boston or the Cambridge side, however, and you can't help thinking of Thomas Eakins's paintings of rowers in the 1870s. The Charles is still a quintessential 19th-century scene: Crew teams from Harvard and Boston University paddle by, joined by all those individual scullers who yearn for yesteryear, when they, too, were in some collegiate rowing club. The best vantage point is from the Cambridge side, on the bend of the river between the Western Avenue and Eliot bridges.

By all means, head down to the docks and join in the fun. Rent a kayak from Charles River Canoe & Kayak (617-965-5110; paddleboston.com; from $14 per hour) and paddle alongside the crew teams. If you want to give the one-person shell a go and you have some experience sculling, contact the company's Newton branch (781-891-6575). If you're brand-new to the sport, call Cygnet Rowing (617-876-8653; paddleboston.com/rowing); this private club offers "learn to row" weekend packages for the general public ($300 for nine hours of instruction).

Be forewarned: Learning to scull isn't easy. Both oars have to be together at all times or the boat quickly tips to the left or right. You must push off with your legs and scoot back as you propel the oars forward. Once you get into a rhythm, though, your cares will be forgotten as you quickly skim across the Charles. Folks who use the rowing machine at the local gym know what a great workout sculling is for the whole body. It's far superior when you're cruising along a river in the heart of Boston.

Hartford, CT: Walking

Why eat indoors at one of Hartford's shopping malls when you can dine alfresco atop a ridge? The slight uphill climb to Farmington Mountain, just outside the city limits, is part of Connecticut's extensive network of blue-blazed hiking trails, weaving through forests of maple, oak, and birch across relatively flat terrain, making for perfect noontime walks.

Pack a sandwich and park your car on the south side of Route 6, 0.9 miles east of Route 10. Then head across the road and start walking the Metacomet Trail. Towering hemlocks stand tall at the trail's edge as you make your way up a 250-foot-high ridge of Farmington Mountain. Within 20 to 30 minutes, you'll be looking down at the reservoir and quarry below. You have the best view money can't buy.

Manchester, NH: Bike Trail

You can thank a small group of locals in southwestern Wisconsin for creating an outdoor trend that has become a focal point of urban renewal across America. In the early 1960s, these out-of-the-box thinkers decided to do something creative with their stretch of abandoned railroad by reinventing it as a recreational path for bikers and walkers. Folks in New Hampshire have followed suit by taking a section of the Boston & Maine network and creating the state's longest rail trail, the 25-mile Rockingham Recreational Trail, which runs east of Manchester to the town of Newfields, about 12 miles from the coast. ATVs and other motorized vehicles are allowed, so the best time to avoid the hum is on a weekday.

To reach the trail's western start in Manchester, take Exit 1 off Route 101 East; then head south on Route 28, proceed around a rotary, and turn left into a parking lot at Lake Massabesic.

Starting here, the gravel trail follows the shoreline of the lake. At the five-mile mark, you'll venture through the first of three short tunnels, the path becoming more secluded as you make your way toward Onway Lake. Pass through a narrow granite corridor and then another tunnel before arriving at the town of Raymond, the halfway point. This is a good place to have a snack before continuing onward or turning back.

On the second half of the trail, you'll cross a long, old railroad bridge and soon be traveling along the Lamprey River. The last two miles to Newfields is a peaceful jaunt through meadows and woods before the path ends at an abandoned rail depot.

Burlington, VT: Sailing

Good winds, sheltered bays, hundreds of islands, and scenic anchorages combine to make 120-mile-long Lake Champlain one of the top cruising grounds in the East. Find a boat, with or without a captain, on the docks of Burlington. Winds of Ireland (800-458-9301, 802-863-5090; windsofireland.net) charters 30- to 40-foot Hunters by the day or week. Rates start at $300 per half day, with an extra $25 per hour for a captain.

Once you set sail, head south along the Vermont shore. Cormorants fly overhead as you cruise past the luxurious houses of South Cove, Shelburne Point, and Shelburne Bay. At the Lake Champlain Yacht Club, hundreds of sailboats are docked, tall masts gently bobbing and swaying from side to side. Past the fertile fields of Shelburne Farms, head west across the heart of the lake, where it's hard not to become mesmerized by the backbone of the Adirondack Mountains, beckoning from the New York side of Champlain. The lake is so vast that even on a busy weekend day, the waters never feel crowded.