JC Phillips Nature Preserve

Such a great little loop of about 1.5−1.75 miles. Not really spectacular, but a fine place for a quick hike, trail run, or walk with the dog.

I have heard about these trails for a while from neighbors and finally decided to check it out with my lab. We love it! Beautiful trails that are cleared out very well. Beautiful views of the lake. Definitely a place worth checking out if your dog likes to go for easy hikes!

It is easy to miss — there is no sign. Just a gravel parking area on your right just after the left turn toward the airport.
JC Phillips is a great place for a walk/​run in the woods — especially if you get off the main path and take the Esker trail. There is a previoiusly paved wide driveway hill right as you walk in that is great for hill sprints, and incidently, is the only part of the park where mountain biking is allowed. It leads up to the former site of a building at the top of the hill.. .and then have fun coasting back down. Not really worth bringing the wheels here.
JC Phillips abuts the Project Adventure lands — so the woods go on for quite a way beyond the park boundary. Also bounded by Wenham lake (NO SWIMMING, NO CANOING, NO FISHING. Whatever. It all gets pumped out to the water treatment plant anyway.. .)
One drawback is that is shares a driveway with a private residence — so you usually have to park in the gravel crescent right off 97 and walk the ¼ mile to the entrance. There is a place to squeeze one or two cars up by the trail entrance though — it’s worth a try.
Used by lots of dog walkers with very friendly, wet, overexcited mutts, and the trails are not particularly groomed and are often muddy/​icy from Nov-​May.
Critters seen here: Deer, coyotes, snakes, lizards, squirrels, salamanders, big buggies, lots of different kinds of really big spiders, birds, birds, birds.. of all kinds; I don’t know anything about birds. tweet tweet.
Nice local park. Used for Cross Country track events during the school year sometimes.