Douglas State Forest is a Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 state forest

State forest

A state forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign state.The precise application of the term varies by jurisdiction...

 located in Douglas

Douglas, Massachusetts

Douglas is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,471 as of the 2010 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation .- History :...

. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation

Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...

 (DCR).

Description

Douglas State Forest is a 5730 acres (23.2 km²) park offering numerous recreational activities. The park is located on the border of both Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 and Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 and frequently sees visitors from those states as well as Massachusetts.

Features of the forest include Wallum Lake

Wallum Lake

Wallum Lake is a lake that lies in Burrillville, Providence County, Rhode Island and Douglas, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is adjacent to Douglas State Forest and Wallum Lake Park....

 and a rare Atlantic White Cedar swamp

Swamp

A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...

, 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of which are designated as a "Massachusetts Wildland". 7.8 miles (12.6 km) of the Midstate Trail

Massachusetts Midstate Trail

The Midstate Trail is a scenic footpath which runs through Worcester County, Massachusetts, from the Rhode Island border to the New Hampshire border, approximately west of Boston. The trail is considered highly accessible, scenic, and remarkably rural despite its proximity to urban Boston...

, a 92 miles (148.1 km)-long hiking trail running through central Massachusetts between the Rhode Island and New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 borders, runs through the forest. A portion of the 22 miles (35.4 km)-long Southern New England Trunkline Trail

Southern New England Trunkline Trail

The Southern New England Trunkline Trail is a rail trail in Massachusetts.It occupies an abandoned railroad corridor running for approximately with an eastern terminus at Union Street in downtown Franklin, Massachusetts and a western terminus at the Connecticut state line in the Douglas State...

 also runs through the park.

The park lies within the Northeastern coastal forests

Northeastern coastal forests

The Northeastern coastal forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the northeastern United States. The ecoregion covers an area of 34,630 sq miles encompassing the Piedmont and coastal plain of seven states, extending from northern Maryland and Delaware through southeast...

 ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

.

Recreational opportunities

• Bathhouse
• Beaches
• Boating (all types)
• Boat ramp
• Canoeing
• Educational/Interpretive programs
• Fishing
• Group day use
• Hiking
• Horseback riding trails
• Hunting (restricted)
• Mountain Biking
• Picnicking
• Restrooms
• Skiing (cross-country)
• Swimming
• Walking trails

External links

• Douglas State Forest Official site
• Trail map at official site