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.

Land Protection History

The Day Woods Parcel was gifted in 1973 by Ted and Mimi Day who lived on Lawrence Street and were interested in helping conserve the Gulf Brook watershed.

Trail Description

This is one of the prettiest sections of the Jeff Smith Trail, which winds through the Day Woods property through a mixed forest of hemlock, white pine, oaks and birches along Gulf Brook. From the parking area the trail passes alongside a beaver pond to the site of the old Henry William Shattuck mill at the north end of the pond. At .2 miles the trail enters the Bemis Road Conservation Land. See the

Bemis Road Conservation Land map and description for more information.

Trail Mileage

From the parking area to the end of the Day Woods parcel is .2 miles.

Directions

From Pepperell Town Hall, follow Park St. north about 1 mile. Bear left onto Oak Hill St and follow for 1.3 miles. Turn right onto Lawrence St. and continue another 1.3 miles. Look for the wooden sign for Day Woods Nashoba Conservation Trust on the right. Park off the road near the sign. The GPS coordinates for the parking area are: Latitude 42.69637; Latitude -71.63613