Editors’ Choice
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield
The sanctuary’s 12 miles of nature trails wind through woodlands, wetlands, and meadows, offering visitors a chance to experience the diversity of the region’s natural world. Bird-lovers will enjoy sighting herons, hawks, and hummingbirds, and kids love venturing over the boardwalks that cross swampy areas and clambering through the narrow passages and caves of the rockery. The property’s nature center and a free-form play area for kids make the sanctuary a complete outdoor experience for the whole family. 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield, 978-887-9264, massaudubon.org
Readers’ Choice
Maudslay State Park, Newburyport
Tucked between route 95 and the Merrimack River, Maudslay makes it easy to escape into the natural beauty of its 16-mile trail network that winds through woodlands, over ponds, under towering pines, and past masses of azaleas and rhododendrons, particularly stunning in spring and early summer. 74 Curzon Mill Rd., Newburyport, 978-465-7223, mass.gov/locations/maudslay-state-park