Andover Challenge

Terry Date's article in the recent Andover Townsman is a great introduction for the self-guided Andover Challenge, a way to learn about local trails while getting your heart rate up.

I've walked, cross country skied and biked on trails around town, but other than Pomp's Pond I haven't explored Andover's other waterways. My goals for the 2016 Andover Challenge are to become a stronger open water swimmer and learn how to lift and transport a lightweight kayak.

Greetings From Andover Outside!

Few towns can match what Andover, Massachusetts offers for outdoor recreation.  One-third of Andover's land mass is open and accessible for all to enjoy. Groups like the and the Andover Village Improvement Society and the town Conservation Department have created a patchwork of wooded trails where we can enjoy the outdoors. In addition to these properties, the town has large portions of the Harold Parker State Forest and The Trustees of the Reservation’s (TTOR) Ward Reservation located within its 32 square miles.

Click here for Town of Andover's website

Over decades, the town and private conservation groups have worked hard at preserving large and small land parcels through generous donations and purchases. Many town residents remain unaware that these efforts have made it possible to have beautiful trails within walking distance of their front doors. I was in my house for 20 years before discovering that I could be on a minor trail in the Ward Reservation by simply cutting through my neighbor’s yard. Now I enjoy the local woods year round without having to get in my car.

Ward Reservation

Dedicated volunteers, some of the them second and third generation have donated their time digging, building, mapping and negotiating in order to ensure that these special places will be available for future Andoverites.

Welcome to Andover Outside and meet some of the people and places in our big, beautiful, shared backyard.

Harold R. Rafton, Andover's Sturdiest Conservationist

(From Juliet H. Mofford's AVIS- A History in Conservation)

Harold R. Rafton was a gifted inventor and successful businessman but he's best remembered in Andover as Mr. AVIS, as in Andover Village Improvement Society. Rafton put his tenacity and fearlessness to work for his beloved Andover and helped AVIS expand their holdings from XX to XX during his mid-century tenure as president.

Rafton would familiarize himself with the more obscure minutia of land ownership and court said landowners. He wasn't afraid to ask the ask and was known to secure donations on donor's deathbed.

If you have enjoyed walking through AVIS properties, you most likely have someone like Harold Rafton to thank.