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"Thank you for a fabulous tour! You did it all just right and the entire family loved this vacation. The kids still talk about jumping off the bridge at high tide and riding down the river and we still talk about sitting in our Adirondack chairs, watching the sun go down over the harbor and the stars come out. We loved being active by day and utterly relaxed by night. Thanks for taking good care of us so we could relax in a way that we hadn't in a long time. Well done!"
Tom R.

Maritime New England: MA Bike Tours: Itinerary

Massachusetts
Boston’s North Shore Bike, Hike, and Kayak Adventure Trip
Itinerary

Day 1 Meet in Ipswich at the Ipswich Inn for a welcome reception and bike fitting. Bike past tranquil farms with a stop at the seventeenth-century manor house at Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm and on to Newburyport to explore this seaport’s wealth of history and charm. Walk the waterfront boardwalk and visit the unique shops and galleries. Tonight we set sail by catamaran with on board bar to watch the sunset. Enjoy dinner together at one of Newburyport’s fine restaurants.

Day 2 Bike to Joppa Flats looking out for herons, egrets and possibly, a bald eagle. Continue to Plum Island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge of over 4,600 acres of pristine and diverse coastal habitat. The 3,000 plus acres of salt marsh is one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet. View the sanctuary from atop a fire tower and follow the boardwalk through marshland listening for songbirds and watching for shorebirds. You are sure to feel the cares of the world wash away in this tranquil place. Spend time this afternoon relaxing on the gorgeous beach or exploring more of the myriad sights and shops in Newburyport. Dinner is on your own where you can choose from the many wonderful options.

Day 3 This morning we bike through colonial towns and farms en route to Salem, a uniquely historical city as both a center of witch hysteria in 1692 and a major China trade seaport a century later. There you are free to explore this exciting town as you choose. No matter what your interests are, whether it’s witch trials, colonial architecture, historic sights, museums, maritime history, art, antiques, shopping, or lazing on the beach, you can do it here. This afternoon we cycle to lovely Ipswich, one of the oldest towns in America and our home for the next two nights. Dinner is at one of Ipswich’s excellent restaurants.

MA Bike hike kayak adventure Trip Map
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Dates and Prices:
For details, dates and prices on this tour, please visit the MA bicycling trip details page.

Day 4 Prepare yourself for a day of sensory feasts. We cycle out to the gorgeous views on Little Neck and Plum Island Sound followed by a ride past orchards, charming farm stands, through salt marsh, out to Castle Neck. There you will be surrounded by some of the most dramatic vistas on the eastern seaboard. We’ll explore the dazzling mansion, beautiful grounds, and Italianate gardens of the Crane Estate, a saltwater farm turned country estate and a National Historic Landmark. Next we’ll continue to spectacular Crane Beach where we’ll hike the trails and boardwalks to explore this magnificent landscape of sand dunes and salt marsh. You may want to spend some time just lounging on the white-sand beach, listening to the surf and watching for piping plovers. If we can tear ourselves away, our kayak adventure awaits and we’ll explore waterside now. The estuaries of the Essex River Basin are rich in both beauty and wildlife as you will see. Back in Ipswich, you can take a walking tour to visit some of the architectural gems including numerous first period homes, or visit the shops, galleries and antique stores. Whatever you choose, we hope you’ve built up an appetite because our host has prepared a lobster feast for us with lobsters pulled fresh from his own traps. Bon Appetite!

Day 5 Our bike route today takes us first to Manchester-by-the-Sea, a quintessential New England coastal town, where we visit beautiful Singing Beach, then along the coast to Magnolia and across the drawbridge to Gloucester and the famous fisherman’s memorial. We’ll spend a little time in this hardworking seaport and you can visit the seafood display auction where the fresh catch is brokered and sold and experience both the past and the present of Gloucester’s maritime heritage. Numerous shops and delicious restaurants and cafés await to refuel us on our journey. We’ll pedal out to quaint Rocky Neck to see America’s oldest art colony and along dramatic rocky coastline perfumed by salt spray and roses. We spin past beaches wide and small with views of lighthouses and sand dollars waiting to be found. At day’s end, we’ll be rewarded by the sight of truly enchanting Rockport, whose luminous light and boat filled harbor attracts artists and photographers from afar. You can explore this magical town and then relax in the oceanview pool or on the wide veranda of our luxurious waterfront inn. We’ll have dinner tonight in Rockport.
Day 6 We continue our loop of Cape Ann stopping to hike at Halibut Point, a rocky headland with panoramic views. We’ll cycle through a quaint hamlet where life follows the tides as it has for centuries. A visit to the North Shore would not be complete without sampling the succulent fried clams for which this region is famous. We’ll stop in Essex at Woodman’s clam shack, “an American cult classic,” where you can sample the clams and much more. If you like, you can visit the intriguing Essex Shipbuilding Museum or check out some of the shops in this antiquing mecca. Our journey is complete when we bicycle back to Ipswich. We’ve experienced much of the cultural and natural diversity of this remarkable region but we suspect you’ll want to return for more. Most people do.

For another bike, hike, and kayak adventure trip, see our Block Island, RI tour and attractions.

For a similar adventure trip which combines natural beauty, cultural interest and adventure, see our adventure travel in New York’s Hudson Valley.

For another trip in Massachusetts, please take a look at the Islands and Seacoast Cycle Tour on the southern MA coast, Martha's Vineyard and Rhode Island too.