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• CATS "Short Hike"- Norton Woods

  • When
    Wednesday, May 06, 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Location
    Revere St., Gloucester MA
  • Spaces left
    0

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  Join us for a 2-mile "Short Hike" hike along trails through New England Forestry Foundation's Norton Memorial Forest!  

  The Norton Memorial Forest was given to New England Forestry Foundation in 1975 by Professor and Mrs. Frederick H. Norton. This actively managed land, consisting mostly of plantings of pine, received an award from the American Forest Institute as the Outstanding Tree Farm of Massachusetts. Professor Norton did most of the planting and road-building on the forest, which is now managed by NEFF.

  Most of our hike will be on New England Forestry Foundation property, with a section of our route on adjacent Gloucester land within Dogtown, including a trail with a boardwalk built by CATS a number of years ago.
  

  The terrain is moderate, with some gentle rolling hills and uneven footing with roots and rocks.  

  Click HERE to view a map of the route in GaiaGPS.  Click HERE to view a map of this property from  New England Forestry Foundation.

  
  

  
  

  View of the trail through Norton Forest

  
  

  Meeting spot:

  We will meet at the trailhead entrance at the end of Revere St. in Gloucester.  See Google Map location HERE.  This is next to  the property at 90 Revere St.  You can also see the parking location in the New England Forestry Foundation Map.  In addition to the parking area before the trailhead, there is room for additional cars to park along the side of Revere St. adjacent to the trailhead.

  Please plan to arrive at least 5-10 minutes early for check-in.  The hike will depart promptly at 10:00 am.

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• Cape Ann Trail Stewards Annual Meeting and "Dogtown in the 20th and 21st Centuries" Talk

  • When
    Wednesday, May 20, 2026
  •  
    6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Lanesville Community Center, 8 Vulcan St. Gloucester, MA

  Register

  Cape Ann Trail Stewards invites you to join us for our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 20 from 6-8:00pm, at the Lanesville Community Center in Gloucester.

  We will present a brief overview and photo slideshow of our work over the past year including an annual financial report, and vote in our slate of officers for the year.  Complimentary pizza and drinks will be provided!

  
  

  Our guest speaker, Les Bartlett, will give a talk called Dogtown in the 20th and 21st Centuries:  Human Plans, Nature's Course, where he will describe several efforts undertaken by humans over the decades to manage Dogtown and the Cape Ann "island's" interior, and the course that nature has taken in those decades.

  Les Bartlett is an artist and a a historian of Dogtown and Cape Ann's island interior. He has catalogued the Sandy Bay Historical Society's holdings of artifacts from the colonial Commons Settlement, which became Dogtown, and his artwork captures the beauty of landscapes shaped by both nature and humankind.

  
  

  Please register online if you plan to attend  the Annual Meeting, as space is limited!

  
  

  Location:  The meeting will be held at the Lanesville Community Center at 8 Vulcan St. in Gloucester.  See Google map location HERE.

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• Ravenswood Wildflower Walk

  • When
    Saturday, May 23, 2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Gloucester, MA
  • Spaces left
    15

  Join us for a walk along the Magnolia Swamp trail in Ravenswood to seek out and observe the delicate woodland wildflowers in bloom!

  REGISTRATION WILL OPEN ON SATURDAY, MAY 9

  (2 weeks prior to the event).

  This hike will be led by CATS trail steward and wildflower enthusiast Holly Tanguay.  We will look for and learn about species such as wood anemone, cucumber root, starflower, low and high bush blueberry, clintonia, and pink lady's slippers.

  
  

  
  

  Photo of Pink Lady's Slipper at Ravenswood (taken at CATS 2025 Wildflower Hike)

  
  

  The hiking route will be about 2.25 mi in length (with stops for observing the flowers along the way), primarily along Ravenswood's Magnolia Swamp Trail.  The terrain will be a combination of groomed carriage roads, and single-track trail that will include a long boardwalk, abundant rocks and roots, and some short but steep ups and downs.  Allow  2 hours for the hike, factoring in time for stops.

  Click HERE to view the Trustees of Reservations Ravenswood Trail Map.

  (Rain Date will be Sunday, May 24th).

  
  

  Meeting spot: 

  We will meet at the Ravenswood Park main entrance at 481 Western Avenue (Route 127) in Gloucester.  See the Google map location HERE.

  
  

  Please arrive early (we recommend planning to arrive between 1:50 and 1:55 pm in order to be ready for the group's 2 pm departure).  The hike will depart promptly at 2 pm.

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• Dogtown 5 Mile Trail Race

  • When
    Sunday, June 07, 2026
  •  
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Rockport and Gloucester, MA (parking by Evans Field, 3 Station Square, Rockport)

  Register

  Join Cape Ann Trail Stewards for our 9th Annual Dogtown Trail Race!

  
  

  

  This annual race covers a beautiful and challenging 5.4 mile course starting and finishing near the water tower at the top of Summit Ave. in Rockport.   The terrain ranges from carriage roads with minor rocks/ roots, to more extreme technical sections with extensive large rocks (requiring a degree of "boulder-hopping"), and everything in-between! 

  The course travels through many historic and popular sections of Dogtown, including the Squam Path, New England Forestry Foundation's Norton Memorial Forest, Whale's Jaw, the Luce Trail, Briar Swamp, and the Rockport Town Forest.

  
  

  Online Registration is $25.00 for CATS Members, and $35.00 for Non-members.

  Race Day Registration is $30.00 for CATS Members, and $40.00 for Non-members.

  
  

  BECOME A MEMBER
  

  
  

  Both runners and walkers are welcome to register!  

  Walkers will start behind the runners, at the same time as the runners (all walkers will start promptly at 9am when the race starts).  The marked course will remain open with support (safety monitors, water stop, etc.) from 9am to 12pm. 
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Cape Ann Trail Stewards Dogtown Trail Race T-shirts guaranteed for the first 100 registrants.  Prizes for first overall in each gender, and for first in the age group categories of 39 and under, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69, and 70+

  
  

  
  

  This Race is part of the 2026 North Shore Trail Series.  Go the North Shore Trail Series page on the Trail Animals Running Club website for further information and to sign up for the series.

  
  

  
  

  Click on the images below to view and download a Course Map:

  
  

  Dogtown Race Course shown on Dogtown Common Trail Map*

  
  

      

  
  

  Dogtown Race Course Map shown on GaiaGPS  Trail Map

  
  

  

  
  

  • Click HERE to view the route online in a GaiaGPS map and to download a GPX or KML file of the route .
  • To view and download a full copy of the Dogtown Common Trail Map (without the race course overlaid), click HERE. 

  
  

  *Note that the Dogtown Common Trail Map was first published in 1987 and does not show all current existing trails.  Refer to the GaiaGPS map version of the race course for a more complete reference of surrounding trails.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Meeting Spot:  Race parking will be by Evans Field next to 3 Station Square in Rockport.   To get there, turn into the Whistlestop Mall entrance off of Railroad Ave.  (Evans Field is just past the Ace Hardware store-- both the field and the hardware store will be on the right).  See the Google map location HERE.

  Participants will walk through Evans Field to a trail that will take them to the race registration and check-in area, which is near the water tower at  the top of Summit Ave. (signs and volunteers will guide you on where to go).

  
  

  Registration and race check-in will be from 7:30am to 8:45am.  The race starts at 9:00am.

  For any additional questions about the race, registration, or CATS memberships, email us at contact@capeanntrailstewards.org.

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