A Winter Walk

Local travel - Ward Hill Reservation

For those who enjoy a brisk winter walk or hike, Ward Reservation in Andover offers a varied set of terrain options right nearby. Since the weather is fairly agreeable and the ground is devoid of snow, the three hills of the Trustees of Reservations property provide trails for walkers, mountain bikers and dog owners. Ward Reservation sits right off of Route 125 near the Andover/North Andover line. This 704 acre protected land sits curiously with a residential neighborhood on one side, some industrial parks on another, and wetlands everywhere else. The property is free to the public to enjoy. Comprised of Boston Hill, Shrub and Holt Hills, the woodland hikes, paved paths, old carriage trails and boardwalks immerse visitors in nature and tranquility, well removed from the suburban chatter that surrounds.

Not to be missed are the Solstice Stones atop Holt Hill. Marked with compass points and equinox indicators for the seasons, the stones lend a primitive air to the landscape. As the highest point in Essex County, the hill once provided a vantage point from which locals purportedly watched Charlestown burn during the Revolutionary War. The view of Boston from the hill is spectacular and unobscured. This property was the gift of Mabel Ward in 1940 in memory of her husband, Charles. The Holt name came from the mid-seventeenth century settlement established there by Nicholas Holt.

Boston Hill may be familiar to some as the namesake of a former ski area in North Andover. From 1950 to the early 1990s Boston Hill provided a small winter and summer ski recreation area serving the Merrimack Valley. Summer skiing was achieved with grass mats laid on the incline, and lubricants used to help skiers race down the hill. The Route 114 lower side of the hill has been turned into housing, but the rest of the area is part of the Reservation and North Andover conservation land. Take the Elephant Rock trail to Elephant Rock and catch yet more stunning views. Look toward the water tower and notice the vestiges of one of the ski lifts.

This reservation has one of the best signed trail systems weve encountered. While carrying a trail map is strongly recommended, each trail head and intersection has detailed information on location, distance and name. Interpretive signs provide information on the ecology of the property, including explanations of controlled burned areas and vegetation management practices. Another key feature of the Reservation is the Pine Hole Bog. Vegetation has built up over centuries, and its unique structure makes it a quaking bog. Defined by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute as wetlands that have grown across the surface of a shallow pond, the vegetation creates floating mats that make the bog look like it is quaking. A boardwalk and information panels guide visitors past cranberry, cat tails, alders and pepperbush among other species, both native and invasive.

Bundle up and give the Ward Reservation a try! http://www.thetrustees.org

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A Winter Walk