Nice and Easy Walk
2026-03-19 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-03-26 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-04-02 13:00 - 14:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance. Note: there is no walk on April

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-04-09 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance. Note: there is no walk on April 16.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-04-23 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-04-30 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-07 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-05-28 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-07-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-07-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-06 10:00 - 11:00 and 3 more dates | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

First Friday: Turners Falls Tenement Tour
2026-05-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Discover how tenements tested every aspect of the town, from sanitation to wages. On this May Day tour, learn about the storekeepers and laborers who made this planned industrial community. Meet DCR staff outside the Great Hall for a 1.5-mile guided walk through downtown Turners Falls. Ages 8 and up.

Battlefield History Walking Tour with David Brule
2026-05-09 10:00 - 11:00
May 19th marks the 350th anniversary of the massacre at Peskeompskut. Join David Brule, local historian and coordinator of the Battlefield Advisory Committee (a National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP)-funded study), to learn about this attack and its significance within the King Philip’s War. This program will take place along the bike path where new interpretive panels (going up this month) detail the findings of the Battle of Great Falls/Wissantinnewag-Peskeompskut study. David will provide further context and develop more on the stories highlighted in the panels.
We will meet outside the Great Falls Discovery Center at 10am to walk to the panels as a group. Registration is not required, but is encouraged for planning purposes.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-05-14 13:00 - 14:00

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-05-21 13:00 - 14:00

Montague Plains: Enjoy a moonlit bird walk with MassWildlife
2026-05-29 19:00 - 21:30 | Montague Plains, Montague, MA, United States
The walk is scheduled for 7:15 – 9:15 p.m. at the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area. The restored habitats of Montague Plains offer the perfect place to experience the iconic whip-poor-will call, along with American woodcock peents, firsthand. Birders of all experience levels are welcome. Participants should be prepared for a ~1.5 mile walk and dress for the weather and walking on uneven ground.
Limited spots available. Registration is required. Register using Mass Wildlife’s bird walk form: MassWildlife 2026 Spring Bird Walks | Mass.gov

First Friday: Turners Falls Brick-by-Brick Tour
2026-06-05 16:00 - 17:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Under every cornice is a building with a story. This First Friday, learn about the brickmakers, builders and businesses behind the designs of the village blocks. Meet DCR staff outside the Great Hall for a 1.2-mile guided walk through downtown Turners Falls. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Ages 8 and up. Meet at the main entrance.

Pride Hike
2026-06-14 10:00 - 12:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Connect with nature and community by hiking along the Canalside Rail Trail! Learn about birds, beavers and each other as we walk and talk beside a historic canal. This is a 2.6-mile hike on a flat, paved trail. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. For ages 10 and up. Meet outside the main entrance.
Celebrate Pride month by getting outdoors and on the trails on one of our Pride Hikes!
All DCR programs are welcoming and inclusive, these hikes are geared towards our
LGBTQIA+ communities, their families, and allies; providing an enjoyable and safe
opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. For ADA/reasonable accommodations: call (617) 645-0358, or email moneesha.dasgupta2@mass.gov.

Nice & Easy Walks
2026-06-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance. Note: we are transitioning to our summer schedule of hosting walks at 10 am. to avoid afternoon heat.

Nice & Easy Walk
2026-06-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Program Update: Nice and Easy Walk will be a Talk Indoors
2026-07-02 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Instead of a walk today our program offering at 10 a.m. will be a talk and demonstration about silk with information about the McLane Silk Mill that used to be in Turners Falls. Meet in the Great Hall!
Cancelled: Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

Dino Trail Week* – Dinosaur Footprints at Barton Cove: History and Geology Walk
2026-07-11 13:00 - 14:00 | Barton Cove Day Use Area, Barton Cove Road, Gill, MA, United States
Join Sarah Doyle and a guest geologist/paleontologist for a leisurely walk around Barton Cove in Gill, MA. Learn about the role of this site in the 19th-century discovery of fossilized dinosaur footprints when the property was owned by Roswell Field, a local farmer and businessman who was an early discoverer of the tracks. Dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes, and bring water. Consider enjoying a picnic before the walk. The trails are not difficult but are rough in spots and covered in tree roots. Meet at the picnic tables at the Barton Cove Campground Day Use area on Barton Cove Road in Gill, MA. The walk is less than 1 mile long. For adults and children over 12 years old. Sponsored by our Friends Group. Rain date: Saturday, July 18.
* Dino Trail Week
An asterix identifies Dino Trail Week programs, part of a celebratory week in July of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Look for events from our partners during Dino Trail Week: Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Visit the website dinotrail.org to learn more.

Dino Trail Week* – Nice & Easy Walk: Geologic Walking Tour of Turners Falls
2026-07-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail and downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. This week’s topic is the geology of downtown Turners Falls in celebration of Dino Trail Week! Meet at the main entrance.
* Dino Trail Week
An asterix identifies Dino Trail Week programs, part of a celebratory week in July of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Look for events from our partners during Dino Trail Week: Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Visit the website dinotrail.org to learn more.

First Friday: McLane Silk Mill Walk
2026-08-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join us on a walk to the site of the former McLane Silk Company, which was near today’s Swanson’s Fabrics. Hear the stories of two creative businesses and what they have in common. After WWI, the McLane mill purchased millions of yards of surplus “cartridge silk” to repurpose into “Armistice Cloth” suitable for garments. Today, Swanson’s Fabrics also repurposes fabric by offering for sale yardage and notions that have been stashed in attics and sewing rooms. Learn about silk production and take a look at silk fabric samples and cocoons. Meet at the main entrance.

River Baron Walk: Reshaping New England’s Longest River
2026-08-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Experience America’s longest log drive through the photos and stories of locals, laborers and the infamous River Baron, George Van Dyke. Join us for an easy 1.25-mile hike through downtown Turners Falls and along the Canalside Rail Trail. This walk is scheduled for rain or shine. For adults and children ages 9 and up. Meet at the main entrance.
