Bay Circuit Trail: Ipswich Branch Part 1. Appleton Farms and Grass Rides.

The Ipswich Branch of the Bay Circuit Trail currently begins at the main entrance of Appleton Farms in Ipswich. It aims to ultimately begin at Crane Beach and that segment is in various stages of completion.

It initially passes through the working farm element with crop fields giving way to pastures.

Bay Circuit Trail: Ipswich Inroads.

Cottages at Little Neck and Crane's Hill, Ipswich, MA; from a c. 1920 postcard.

Ipswich is home to a host of land conservation support efforts and has made substantial contributions to the Bay Circuit Trail within its boundaries with more work ongoing to meet the Atlantic at Crane Beach. 

Walking to Crane Beach, Ipswich MA from Sarah Coyne on Vimeo.

Ipswich might be expressed as having several facets. The dunes and drumlin of the Crane Estate complex front and protect an intricate estuary world edged a with salt marsh fringe. 

Beyond the shore lies a fabric of wetlands and uplands, farms and forests with a river at its core.

Among the organizations focused on this venerable place are the Ipswich River Watershed Association and the Essex County Trails Association. The town core has a history trail and an Essex County National Heritage Area center.


There is even a special Ipswich Bay Circuit Archive. The Essex County Greenbelt Association is located in nearby Essex and has a significant role in the ongoing acquisition and management of protected green spaces.

Willowdale is a superb place for basic bicycle touring as many of its trails are Bradley Palmer's old system of bridle paths. 

Note For the Urban Carless. Ipswich is very well served by what may be one of the most scenic commuter rail lines with loop potential between Ipswich and Hamilton/Wenham.