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Manchester woods

The Monoliths (Agassiz Rock) with your dog

The name changed; the boulders did not. This is a woodland property built around very large rocks, and it draws the kind of walker who wants an hour, not an afternoon. Here is what we can say honestly, what a walk among boulders asks of a dog, and where the Manchester-by-the-Sea specifics fit.

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Chasing the good view together

Last reviewed September 26, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

The place

The Monoliths, formerly Agassiz Rock: a Trustees property in Manchester-by-the-Sea

You will find this place under two names. Older maps, directions and trail apps still call it Agassiz Rock; The Trustees of Reservations, who own it, now call it The Monoliths, and their page under that name is the current one. Search both when you plan, and trust the Trustees page for the hours, the parking and the trail map, because those details change.

The dog policy is the Trustees' too, and it varies property by property: Ravenswood welcomes dogs on its trails, Coolidge allows them only on a short leg from the trailhead, and The Monoliths has its own line on its own page. Read that line before you load the dog. Wherever dogs are admitted on Trustees land, the dog-walker guidelines apply: pick up after your dog, leash it in the parking area, and keep it under control on the trail.

  • Two names, one property: Agassiz Rock on the old maps, The Monoliths on the Trustees page
  • Dog policy, hours and parking: the Trustees page for The Monoliths, checked the day you go
  • Trustees guidelines wherever dogs are admitted: pick up, leash in the lot, control
  • Manchester license April 1 to March 31, $20 or $25 for a dog that is not neutered

What it asks

Boulders, roots and a dog that stays close

A boulder walk asks for a dog that stays near you, not one that scrambles. Big rock means drop-offs on the far side that a dog cannot see from the near side, wet faces that a paw slides on, and gaps that trap a small dog's leg. A leash, or a recall good enough to stop a squirrel chase at the edge of a rock, is the first requirement. Calm passing on a narrow woodland path is the second, since you will meet everyone else on a small property.

Then the ordinary Cape Ann cautions. Granite and root underfoot wear pads and split nails on a dog that lives on carpet, so start short. Ticks are active from April to November in the leaf litter and the scrub, and the CDC's pages show where to look on a dog. Porcupines and coyotes use these woods like every other patch on the North Shore, and dusk is their time, so be back at the car with light to spare.

  • A leash or a recall that stops a chase at the edge of a boulder
  • No climbing on the rock: wet faces, hidden drop-offs and leg-trapping gaps
  • The tick check at the car, April to November
  • Back at the lot with daylight left, before the porcupines and coyotes move

One hour, done right

A first visit to The Monoliths, step by step

This is an hour's outing, not an expedition, and the plan is short to match. The one non-negotiable step is the first one, because the dog policy is the Trustees' and it is not ours to assume. Everything after it is the same routine we would give you for any Cape Ann woods walk, scaled down to sixty minutes.

If the Trustees page says no dogs on the day you check, the plan still works: drop the dog at 210 Eastern Ave for a daycare day, walk The Monoliths on your own, and collect a tired dog on the way home. Manchester is a Pup Van town, so we can even do the collecting. The boulders are worth seeing either way.

  1. 01

    Open the Trustees page for The Monoliths and read the dog line, the hours and the parking notes

  2. 02

    Put the Manchester license and the rabies tag on the collar

  3. 03

    Leash on in the parking area, as the Trustees guidelines ask on every property

  4. 04

    Walk the trail at the dog's pace and keep it off the rock faces

  5. 05

    Turn back with daylight in hand, and check the dog for ticks at the car

  6. 06

    Book the bath or the nail clipping on the drive to Eastern Ave if the woods were wet

How Dogtown fits

From Manchester to Eastern Ave: the bath, the nails and the Pup Van

Granite and mud both end at our tub. A bath only is $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, $65 for 26 to 50, $75 for 51 to 90, $85 over 90 and $95 for an extra-large long coat, with the blow-dry and brush-out included. Nail clipping is $16, and dematting is $15 per 20 minutes for the burrs a long coat collects in the scrub. Grooming needs no evaluation; book online or in the app for the same day.

Manchester-by-the-Sea is a Pup Van town, so a $42 daycare day or a Dogtown Academy day at 210 Eastern Ave costs $10 each way for the ride, and the dog gets a full day with seven to ten matched playmates. On the days you cannot get out at all, our team walks dogs from home for $25, $35 or $55 by length; ask whether we cover your address. The free evaluation, weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, comes before daycare and walks, and the Manchester license is part of the paperwork.

Nearby

Coolidge, Singing Beach and the fall hikes page

Coolidge Reservation is the other Trustees property in Manchester, with a dog rule that stops at a short leg from the trailhead; our Coolidge page explains it. Singing Beach takes licensed, vaccinated dogs from October 15 to April 14 with a walk-on fee while staff are on duty, and it is the beach that goes with a Manchester woods walk in the off-season.

For a bigger walk, Ravenswood in West Gloucester and Dogtown Common are the two Cape Ann standbys, and the fall hikes page ranks the best weeks for each, while the winter walks page covers where the footing holds when the woods ice over. The Manchester service-area page has the Pup Van, the license and everything else we do for dogs on that side of Route 128.

At Dogtown

After the boulders

A bath and a nail trim after granite and mud, the Pup Van from Manchester, and solo walks from home on the days the woods are out.

Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign Dog GroomingFrom $55 · Explore Dogtown walker and dog on a coastal trail at sunrise in Gloucester Dog WalkingNewFrom $25 · Explore

Every price on one page

Pick-up & drop-off

The Pup Van comes to you.

Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.

  • Rockport
  • Gloucester
  • Essex
  • Manchester-by-the-Sea
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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Are dogs allowed at The Monoliths?
The Trustees page for The Monoliths states the current dog policy, and it is the only source we rely on, because Trustees dog rules differ by property and can change. Read it the day you go. Where dogs are admitted, the Trustees dog-walker guidelines apply: pick up, leash in the parking area, control on the trail.
Is Agassiz Rock the same place as The Monoliths?
Yes. Agassiz Rock is the former name, and The Trustees now call the property The Monoliths. Older maps, signs and directions may still use the old name, so use the Trustees page under the new name for the hours, the map and the dog policy.
How long is the walk at The Monoliths?
The Trustees page has the trail map and the distances, and we leave the figures to them. In practice it is a short woodland visit rather than a long hike, which is why we pair it on this page with Singing Beach in the off-season or Ravenswood for the dog that needs more than an hour.
Should my dog climb the boulders?
We would rather it did not. The far side of a big rock is a drop the dog cannot see, wet granite is slick, and the gaps between boulders can trap a leg. Keep the dog on the trail, on a leash or under a recall you trust, and let the rocks be the view rather than the playground.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

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

Coolidge Reservation with your dogFall hikes with your dog on Cape AnnDogtown for Manchester-by-the-Sea dog ownersDog grooming at Dogtown Cape Ann dogs All guides

Next step

Boulders by day, bath by afternoon.

Grooming needs no evaluation: book a bath by size online or in the Dogtown app. Daycare and walks for Manchester dogs start with the free weekday-morning evaluation, with the Pup Van at $10 each way.

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