Massachusetts Named One Of The Best States For Hiking
The autumn months can be one of the best times to be hiking. The weather is a bit cooler, and the changing foliage serves as a picturesque backdrop. Over the summer, Why This Place detailed the ten best states for hiking in the country, and Massachusetts ranked high on the list.
Why This Place explained how they determined which states earned the right to be named the best for hiking. An index score was created to give all 50 US states a score out of 100.
The areas examined covered a broad range of hiking conditions that are essential for a great hiking experience. This included the number of hiking trails in the state, the average rainfall, average temperature, waterfalls in the area, and the state and national park coverage.
The northeast faired very well in this data. Five of the top ten states were in this region. Connecticut claimed the top spot, scoring a 73.98 out of 100.
Massachusetts Ranked 2nd
A big contributing factor to Massachusetts scoring as such an excellent state for hiking was the number of trails. Specifically, there are “2,221 hiking trails per 1,000 square miles, which was the highest figure out of any state,” Why This Place states.
Additional interesting results include an average temperature of 48.75 degrees and 5.01% of the state being covered by state and national park coverage.
Furthermore, this report showed that most of New England has good hiking adventures. In addition to Connecticut and Massachusetts ranking as the best hiking states, a few others made the list as well. New Hampshire was 8th, Rhode Island ranked 10th, and Vermont finished 12th. Maine then just made the top twenty at number 18. So, all six of the New England states are in the top 20 for hiking, according to Why This Place’s report.
If this information has you itching to lace up your boots, All Trails has a list to help guide you. The Sky Line Trail at Great Blue Hill is the number one place to go. It is three miles in length and a moderate-level trail.
