These caches were placed by LGVHB – Last Green Valley Hiker Brothers, consisting of CacheDweeb & Kochmedic. We’ve been hiking the Airline Trail, Tri-State Marker, and Southern New England Trunkline Trail for many years and decided to bring our fellow geocachers to experience this wonderful area. Be mindful that many properties alongside of trail are privately owned, some posted some not, and care should be taken to not go far off the trail.
The Southern New England Trunkline Trail (SNETT) runs approximately 22 miles from the Franklin State Forest on the east, to the Douglas State Forest on the west. It passes through the towns of Douglas, Uxbridge, Millville, Blackstone, Bellingham, and Franklin, and is one of the longest trails in southern Massachusetts. Most of the six towns have clearly marked trail entrances, but a large portion of the trail is unimproved. The trail is currently utilized by bicyclists, cross-country skiers, equestrians, and hikers, but in places, it can be overgrown, wet, and rutted. Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are not allowed on the SNETT.
The SNETT connects many existing and proposed state and interstate trails. The SNETT comprises the eastern-most section of the larger Titanic Rail Trail, which will extend from Blackstone to Palmer in the Pioneer Valley. To the southwest, the SNETT in Douglas is the main connection to the inter-state Airline Trail, starting in Thompson, Connecticut. In the towns of Uxbridge, Millville, and Blackstone, the SNETT is concurrent with the Blackstone River Bikeway, which will connect to Worcester in the north and Rhode Island to the south. Within Douglas State Forest, the SNETT intersects the Mid-State Trail, one of the Commonwealth’s long-distance hiking trails.
Despite its name, the trail does not follow any part of the Southern New England Railway, a railroad intended to run from Palmer, Massachusetts to Providence, whose right-of-way was partially constructed but never completed. Rather, this railroad was built as the Norfolk County Railroad, east of the Blackstone station, and the Southbridge and Blackstone Railroad west of the station to the Connecticut state line. Later, the route became part of the New York and New England Railroad, which was absorbed by the New Haven Railroad.
Hunting
Be Safe, Be Seen! Park Visitors are encouraged to wear either a blaze orange hat or vest OR brightly-colored clothing to increase their visibility.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) allows hunting throughout the year at many DCR facilities outside of the greater Boston metropolitan area, with special restrictions for some locations.
In addition, hunting is subject to the rules and regulations of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), which is the primary agency that oversees the state hunting program.
While most hunting occurs between October 1 and February 28, the most intensive hunting activity occurs during deer season. In general, deer season is:
Archery: Mid- October - first Saturday after Thanksgiving
Shotgun: First Monday after Thanksgiving - third Saturday in December
Muzzle Loader: Third Monday in December - December 31
Please note the following general hunting rules:
- Hunting is not allowed on Sundays.
- No person may hunt, trap, or discharge a firearm within 500 feet of the border of a DCR-designated campsite or camping structure, including those along the Appalachian Trail.
- No person may hunt or shoot at any wildlife within 500 feet of any DCR-designated picnic area, camping area, residence, service building, parking lot, camping structure, or designated swimming area.
- No person may install a permanent tree stand on DCR property. A permanent tree stand is defined as a type of hunting platform or structure (emplaced for any period of time) fastened to a tree by nails, bolts, wire, or other fasteners that intrude through the bark into the wood of the tree, or fastened or erected in any manner and emplaced for a period exceeding 30 days.
- Hunting hours (generally) are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, with the following exceptions: waterfowl hunting are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, and coyotes and foxes can be hunted at night until midnight.
- Hunting waterfowl on the coast is permitted on DCR property in the “intertidal zone” (the lands between the high and low water marks.)
- Hunting is prohibited on DCR properties in the metropolitan Boston area or in the Arthur Warton Swann State Forest located in Monterey. Please see DCR website for a complete list of DCR properties where hunting is prohibited.
- A few state parks and forests have restrictions on what can be hunted at an individual park, as well as on where and when hunting is allowed. Please noted, for those state parks and forests that have hunting restrictions, contact the park staff directly for specific information concerning restrictions.