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Fall trails
Fall hikes with your dog on Cape Ann: the best weeks and trails
Fall is the season Cape Ann was made for: cool air, dry granite, empty trails and, from October 1, the beaches again. It also brings hunters into the woods, adult ticks onto the trail edges and a sunset that arrives before you have finished the loop. Here are the weeks, the trails and the habits.
The weeks
Late September to early November, with the color and the crowds peaking in mid October
The season opens when the humidity breaks, usually in the last week of September, and closes when the clocks go back in early November and a 4:30 PM sunset ends the after-work hike. The first three weeks of October are the best of the year: the deer flies and mosquitoes are finished, the woods at Ravenswood and Dogtown Common are dry underfoot, and the color on Cape Ann tends to peak mid month, later than inland because the ocean holds the warmth.
October 1 changes the calendar as well. Gloucester's public beaches reopen to dogs, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and Rockport's beaches are open to dogs after September 15, at the time of writing. That makes fall the one season a Cape Ann dog can do a woods loop in the morning and a low-tide run in the afternoon, which is why October is the recall month.
- Color peaks around mid October on Cape Ann, a little later than inland
- October 1: Gloucester beaches reopen to dogs; Rockport's after September 15
The trails
Ravenswood for the first hike, Dogtown Common for the long one, Halibut Point on a leash
Ravenswood Park is a Trustees of Reservations property in West Gloucester where dogs are welcome at the time of writing; the Trustees ask you to pick up after your dog and keep it leashed in the parking area, and their dog-walker guidelines cover the rest. It has a proper lot, marked trails and a mix of pine, hemlock and hardwood that gives good color without a long drive: the right first fall hike for a dog new to trails.
Dogtown Common is the big one: about 3,600 acres of woods and boulders in the middle of Cape Ann, dog friendly, free and open year round at the time of writing, with the city's parks page carrying the practical notes. Its junctions are lightly marked and a fall afternoon is short, so carry a map, start early and turn back at the halfway point of the light. Halibut Point State Park in Rockport is the leashed alternative, with its quarry rim and a view of the whole bay.
- Ravenswood: Trustees land, dogs welcome, leash in the lot, pick up
- Dogtown Common: 3,600 acres, lightly marked junctions, turn back with the light
Hunting and ticks
Fall is hunting season and adult tick season; orange, a leash and a check after every walk
Hunting seasons in Massachusetts run through the fall, and some of the land a dog walks on Cape Ann is open to it. We do not list the dates or the parcels, because MassWildlife sets both and they change; its site is where to check which seasons are open and where hunting is allowed. The habits are the same everywhere: blaze orange on you and the dog from October, a leash where hunting is permitted, marked paths, and midday walks. Massachusetts does not permit hunting on Sundays at the time of writing.
The second fall hazard is smaller. The CDC's guidance is that adult blacklegged ticks are active in October and November and on any winter day above freezing, and they climb higher on the vegetation than the summer nymphs, onto the chest and neck of a taller dog. The habitat is the trail edge, the leaf litter and the stone walls, which is most of Ravenswood and Dogtown Common. Check the dog at the car and again at home.
- Check MassWildlife for the seasons and the lands where hunting is allowed
- Adult ticks peak in October and November; check the dog after every trail walk
What it asks of your dog
A recall that beats a deer, feet that can take granite, and a dog that walks in the dark
Fall woods are full of deer scent, and the loose dog that was reliable all summer takes off on the first trail in October. That recall is built, not assumed: our how-to on long-line recall is the method, and until it holds, the leash stays on. Feet matter too: a dog that spends the week on turf and carpet comes home sore after two hours of granite, so build up over short walks in late September.
The dark comes early. By November a weekday walk ends by headlamp, so a lighted collar, a reflective leash and a route you know are the kit. Coyotes and porcupines move as the light goes, and MassWildlife's advice to leash at dawn and dusk applies on every Cape Ann trail; the seals, plovers and porcupines page covers both. Finish the loop before sunset.
- 01
Check MassWildlife for hunting seasons and the Trustees or city page for the trail's rules
- 02
Leash at trailheads, in the Ravenswood lot and on any land where hunting is allowed
- 03
Turn back when half the daylight is gone, not half the trail
How Dogtown fits
Weekdays on the turf, the Academy for the recall, and a bath after the leaf litter
A dog that hikes on the weekend still needs the weekdays, and by November it needs them in daylight. A daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave gives a fall dog its running on the turf yard and indoor play floors in a matched group of 7 to 10; a full day is $42, a half day $33, and the full-day 10-pack at $380 covers a season of Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The recall that keeps a dog with you on Dogtown Common is the skill fall rewards most, and a Dogtown Academy day at $89 includes a training session with our trainer; the Adventure Academy program is built for exactly this. After a leaf-litter loop, a bath in our grooming studio is $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds and rises by size, no evaluation needed, and our groomers look over the coat for ticks while the hair is wet.
At Dogtown
The weekday run and the weekend recall
Daycare on the turf when the light is short, an Academy day for the recall, and a bath after the leaf litter.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
When is the best time for fall hikes with a dog on Cape Ann?
Is it safe to hike with my dog during hunting season?
Do I still need to check for ticks in October and November?
Which Cape Ann trail is best for a dog new to hiking?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- The Trustees: Ravenswood Park
- The Trustees: guidelines for dog walkers
- MassWildlife (Division of Fisheries and Wildlife)
- CDC: ticks
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Make October the recall month.
Book the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. Weekdays on the turf, an Academy day for the recall, and the weekends are yours for the trails.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
