Nashoba
Conservation
Trust
Nashoba
Conservation
Trust
Conservation land is open to the public for walking, biking, horseback riding and other passive recreational activities. Importantly, these protected open spaces also provide vital habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, including several listed as rare and endangered species.
When on all conservation land, please leave the land as you found it. For the safety and enjoyment of all who use these trails, please control dogs out with you.
This is one of the few areas in Pepperell with pitch pine trees and unique sandy soils. Wander through the gravel pit and see the return of native plants, shrubs and trees along the edges. An early successional forest of young aspen and birch along with sweet fern, bracken and Pennsylvania sedge are returning to the area. This is a prime spot to find pine, prairie and chestnut-sided warblers. It is a great place to look for tracks of Eastern cottontail rabbits, deer, turtle and coyotes. The Bemis property abuts Day Woods. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The Day Woods property is located where Stewart Brook merges with Gulf Brook and flows into a beaver pond and extensive shrub swamp. The brook continues through an old sawmill dam and across the Town of Pepperell’s Water Division lands. The riparian and forest habitats of the property are great places to view wildlife such as gray fox, white-tailed deer, beaver, mink, marsh and songbirds. This area of wetlands and pine forest is a great area to see wood warblers such as palm, pine, and chestnut-sided warblers. Great blue herons hunt for fish around the freshwater marshes. A bench on the trail overlooks the beaver pond. Day Woods abuts the Bemis Road property. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The 208-acre Gulf Brook Conservation Area provides important habitat for Saw Whet Owls, Wood Thrushes, otters, mink, and beavers. Hemlocks covered with lichens, mossy rocks and boulders, gigantic cinnamon ferns, and tall white pines are some of the natural wonders in these forests. Songbirds, herons, amphibians and turtles can be found in the beaver pond. Gulf Brook abuts the Stewart Brook property. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Walk along the grassy lanes through the orchard and listen to the song of Baltimore Orioles, Blue-winged Warblers, and Bluebirds. Many grassland birds can be found in the fields around the orchard. Search the frog pond for turtles and follow the path down the hill and through a hemlock forest to a sandy shoreline area of Heald Pond. Here there are great views of the rocky cliff on the western edge of the pond. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Looking for a place to kayak, fish, swim or enjoy the beauty and tranquility of a woodland pond? Heald Pond is surrounded by acres of forest and fields and is the headwaters for Gulf Brook which flows through the pond into a rocky ravine. A rocky ledge along the western edge of the pond offers fantastic views of the pond. The pond glows with white lilies during the early summer and beavers maintain a large lodge on one of the pond’s small islands. Heald Pond abuts Heald Orchard to the east, and connects to Pepperell Springs to the north. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Keyes Farm offers a diversity of forest, field and wetland habitats and a great network of trails to enjoy. Woodlands, riparian areas, and fields create rich habitat for a variety of wildlife. The farmland provides a spectacular scenic approach to the town center from the south and important agricultural land for the community. It abuts the 90-acre Town Forest and another 40 acres of town conservation land on Elm Street making it ideal for longer hikes. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
This 70-acre property includes woodlands and open fields, a pond, and frontage on Sucker Brook. There are two great hills for sledding in the winter. A walking trail leads around the perimeter of the property leading you through diverse forest and wetland habitats. Fox, weasels, kestrels, herons, bluebirds, and many songbirds can be seen in the wetland areas and fields. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The Linkel Property is a beautiful woodland of maples, oaks, shagbark hickories, and white pines. A stream runs along the edge of the property and small wetlands full of cinnamon and sensitive ferns are scattered through the forest. A stone bridge crosses the stream and is a perfect spot to enjoy the brook and quiet woods. Linkel Woods connects to the Town Forest trail. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The Mt. Lebanon Woods offers many places to observe wetland birds, painted turtles and small animals. A trail loops around 54 acres of woodlands and wetlands. Enjoy the tranquility of the small farm pond or explore a large maple swamp adjacent to the trail. Green Herons, painted turtles, minks, and other wildlife can be seen in the swamp. The rich soils on the property support large sugar maples and shagbark hickories. This is a place to slow down and fully enjoy the natural world. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
If you are looking for a place to enjoy the scenic beauty and wildlife of the Nashua River, then visit NCT’s Nashua River Trail property. Flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows and hawks soar over the adjacent fields and riverfront. Common Mergansers seek out the flat quiet water to hunt for fish and Wood Ducks are scattered throughout the oxbow areas foraging for aquatic insects. There are two benches on the trail; one looks over the wetland and the other over the river. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Walking through Nissitissit Meadows during late spring, you hear male Bobolinks sing their bubbling and chaotic mating songs as they fly around the fields. Marsh marigold and blue flag iris grow along the edges of an intermittent stream and bluebirds swoop into nest boxes to feed their young. This special place transports you back to a time when life was less hectic and a summer day could be spent picnicking and enjoying nature beside the pond. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Hiking through Gulf Brook Ravine is like hiking through a remote, rocky section of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The ravine is a fault line known as the Wekepeke Fault that runs from Worcester MA to NH. Steep, rocky ledges rise up on either side of Gulf Brook which flows through the moist, rocky ravine. The Jeff Smith Trail follows the edge of the ravine offering fantastic views of the brook and gorge. Pepperell Springs abuts Heald Pond to the south and connects to Gulf Brook to the north. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
Stewart Brook flows through a large esker creating scenic views of the brook and surrounding hemlock forest. The brook heads northeast where it merges with Gulf Brook and continues on to a large beaver pond and shrub wetland. The dense and moist hemlock forest is great habitat for porcupines, fisher, and pileated woodpeckers. There are several vernal pools where spotted salamanders and wood frogs breed. The glacial history of the property is apparent from scattered large boulders and the 50-foot esker running parallel to the brook. Stewart Brook abuts the Gulf Brook Conservation Area. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The Town Forest comprises 90 acres of white pine forest with extensive wetlands throughout. It’s home to deer, a nesting pair of red-tailed hawks and dozens of other bird species during summer breeding season. Importantly, the Town Forest connects to three other conservation areas: the West-side Trail, Linkel Woods and Keyes Farm. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
The Westside Trail is one of the hidden gems in the Pepperell Pond area of the Nashua River. Walk along the Westside Trail, which runs through the property, in early spring to see Common and Hooded Mergansers, and Red-winged Blackbirds. This area of the river is a migratory stopover for waterfowl heading north in spring and, in recent years, a Bald eagle has been nesting in the area. Please click here for a map, trail description/mileage and directions to this property.
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