Groton State Forest & Cabot Area

The area around Groton State Forest is recommended as an ‘off the beaten track’ spot for a foliage drive. There are some wonderful, quiet roads for running. The 26,000-acre forest, home to seven state parks within the towns of Danville, Groton, Marshfield, Orange, Peacham, Plainfield, and Topsham contains eight lakes and ponds. This area is especially beautiful in fall, bursting with color. There are trails inside the park but they’re a bit dispersed. Some good road running recommendations: (note: avoid Rt. 2)

• Rt. 232 (Forest Service Rd.) is a fairly quiet road (note: no shoulder). Off of it, run for up to 3 miles on the even quieter Boulder Beach Rd., which leads to Boulder Beach State Park. Off of Rt. 232 is Old Railroad Bed., a gravel road with nearly no vehicle traffic.
• In the Cabot area, there are quiet roads passing by fields, farms, and woods. One gem is Danville Hill Rd., 4 miles between Cabot and East Cabot — gorgeous views! There are quiet dirt roads between Cabot and South Cabot. Another option is  Rt. 215 from Marshfield to Cabot (3.9 miles).
• Rt. 5 (Macks Mountain Rd.) between East Cabot & Peacham. Quiet road, little traffic.