Cape Ann Trail Stewards upcoming events

CATS "Short Hike"- Powder House Hill (Thursday, April 16, 2026)

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Join us for a "Short Hike" at Powder House Hill in Manchester!

Powder House Hill is a 54-acre reservation in the heart of Manchester, owned by the Town of Manchester and Manchester-Essex Conservation Trust, with a network of woodland trails and a small historic powder house that was built to store gun powder in anticipation of the War of 1812.

We will enter at the trailhead at the end of Elm St, and the hike will follow a 2-mile route on moderate terrain that includes some relatively steep hills, with the highest point featuring views of Manchester Harbor. The duration of the hike will be approximately 90 minutes.

See the route HERE on a GaiaGPS map, and click HERE to view the the Manchester Trail Map of Powder House Hill.

View of Manchester Harbor from the top of Powder House Hill

Meeting spot:

We will meet in front of Riverside Cycle at 23 Elm St., which is steps away from the trailhead at the end of Elm St. Parking is available at the nearby town lot at 10 Central St. (3-minute walk to the trailhead), and along the road on Central St. and parts of Elm St. See Google Map HERE for the parking and meeting location.

Please plan to arrive at least 5-10 minutes early for check-in and to allow time to find parking and walk to the trailhead. The hike will depart promptly at 10:00am.

Sunday Morning Hike- Dogtown: Complete Loop (Sunday, April 26, 2026)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Join us for a 4-mile hike along the main trails of the historic "Commons Settlement," popularly known as Dogtown.

We will start the hike on Dogtown Road, then turn left up the Adams Pines Trail for a quick look at Goose Cove Reservoir, then head back along the Commons Road to Wharf Road, which will bring us down to Dogtown Square. Along the way we will see boulders marking the cellar holes of 18th century houses.(and if conditions permit, we will take a short detour off Commons Road to see cellar hole "S", tucked deep in the woods).

From Dogtown Square, we will head over to the Babson Boulder Trail and follow it down to Babson Reservoir, stopping to see a dozen or more of Roger Babson's famous boulders carved with inspirational sayings. From there it will be a short hike up the fire road back to Dogtown Road and our cars. See the route HERE in a GaiaGPS Map.

This is relatively easy hike, with mostly gentle grades, but plenty of rocks and roots underfoot. With stops, be prepared for the hike to take just over 2 hours.

Meeting spot: We will meet at the main entrance to Dogtown off Cherry St., just a short distance north of the intersection with Reynard Street, on the right. See map of parking location here There is a small parking lot a quarter mile up Dogtown Rd. on the right. If filled, park on the right side of the road beyond the lot.

Please note that dogs are not permitted on the Sunday Morning Hikes. If you are interested in getting notified of Dog-Friendly hikes with the Cape Ann Sunday Hikes group, you can join their Google group list from The Cape Ann Sunday Hikes home page.

Dogtown 5 Mile Trail Race (Sunday, June 07, 2026)

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

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

Runners and walkers are welcome!

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 encouraged to participate!

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.