Hiking in MetroWest Massachusetts in April

Hiking in MetroWest Massachusetts in April is when the woods start working again. The trails firm up, the peepers are loud, and the trees stay bare long enough that sun still reaches the ground. It is cool, often wet, and largely free of biting insects.

What April is like on the trails

Early April is still mud season in the low spots, and a late snowfall is not unusual. By the second half of the month most paths are firm, with standing water where streams cross. Waterproof boots remain the right call for the whole month.

Daylight runs from a little under thirteen hours at the start to about fourteen at the end, with sunset past 7:30 PM by the last week. Timeanddate's Boston page has exact times.

Two dates shape the month. The Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April, and roads around the start close that morning. Do not plan on Hopkinton State Park before mid-afternoon on race day. Our marathon weekend guide has the detail. That same week is the Massachusetts school vacation week, so family-friendly places are busier than the weather suggests.

Hiking in MetroWest Massachusetts in April: five good choices

The Sudbury Reservoir Trail, now with anglers

DCR opens the fishing season on the Sudbury Reservoir on the first Saturday of April, provided the ice is out, and it runs to November 30. It is shore fishing only. No boats, no wading, no swimming. So from April you share the Sudbury Reservoir Trail with people carrying rods, and the few shoulder parking spots fill earlier on Saturdays. Dogs and bikes remain prohibited on the watershed land.

Swans and other waterbirds begin nesting along the shore this month. Give any nest a wide berth.

Garden in the Woods reopens

Garden in the Woods in Framingham, 20 to 25 minutes from Southborough, is Native Plant Trust's 45-acre botanic garden, with more than 1,000 species of New England native plants. It is closed in winter and reopens in spring, usually around the middle of April. Confirm the date on its page. The main path is a mile-long gravel loop that takes an hour to an hour and a half, with a steep slope at the entrance. The early woodland wildflowers bloom before the trees leaf out, so the last ten days of April and the first weeks of May are the reason to come. The garden's online Native Plant Highlights board shows what is flowering that week.

Admission is charged, dogs are not permitted, and the unpaved lot holds 42 cars.

Chestnut Hill Farm

The two miles of easy trail at Chestnut Hill Farm cross open fields on a cart path, so they dry faster than woodland loops. The farm is free and open from sunrise to sunset. The Trustees set parts of the fields aside for bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks, which nest on the ground, so keep to the marked trails from now until midsummer. No dogs.

Hopkinton State Park before the crowds

Hopkinton State Park, about 10 minutes south, has more than 10 miles of trails over 1,500 acres. In April there is no parking fee and no queue. DCR's page links to MassWildlife's trout stocking reports, which explains the anglers along the shore. Dogs must be leashed everywhere in the park, and from May 1 they are barred from the beaches until mid-September.

A hill with a view

If your group wants a summit, Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Princeton is 45 to 50 minutes away and has 17 miles of trails to a 2,006-foot top. The summit road does not open to cars until Memorial Day weekend, so in April you walk up. Expect ice in shaded gullies early in the month when Southborough is bare.

Drive times are approximate, from Southborough town center, and vary with traffic, especially on Route 9 and the Mass Pike.

Turkey season and ticks

Spring turkey hunting begins in late April. In 2026 the MassWildlife season summary lists April 27 to May 23, and the dates move slightly each year. Hunting is allowed in most state forests, and by permit on the Sudbury watershed land. It is not allowed at Breakneck Hill, where the town's regulations prohibit it. There is no hunting anywhere in Massachusetts on Sundays. MassWildlife's advice for non-hunters is simple: wear something bright orange and make your presence known.

April is also when tick checks become routine. The state's tick guidance puts the highest risk from deer ticks across spring, summer and fall. Its practical advice: stay in the center of the trail, wear light-colored long trousers tucked into socks, use a repellent with DEET on skin or permethrin on clothing, and check everyone once a day.

Back at the house

April evenings are cold enough for a fire, and there is a fireplace in each of the living areas at Southborough Garden Retreat. The garden paths and the pond come back to life this month, and the reservoir trail is a short walk away, so the shoulder parking problem is someone else's. Keen gardeners should also read our garden lovers' weekend guide.

Neighbouring months: March and May. For the season as a whole, see the spring outdoors overview.

Useful links

• Town of Southborough: Sudbury Reservoir Trail
• DCR: Sudbury Reservoir
• Native Plant Trust: Garden in the Woods
• The Trustees: Chestnut Hill Farm
• DCR: Hopkinton State Park
• DCR: Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
• MassWildlife: 2026 hunting season summary
• MassWildlife: safety tips for non-hunters
• Mass. Department of Public Health: tick-borne disease prevention