Map 24 - Horse Meadows Knoll
A very recent addition to the conservation land inventory in Harvard. A joint partnership between Sudbury Valley Trustees, who manages the property, and Harvard Conservation Trust, who owns the property. Parking lot and kiosk at the trail entrance.
Rating Comments: Parking lot and kiosk at the trail entrance. Scores highly for the wildlife, the variety of ecosystems, and the beautiful reservoir. Connection to the Muller Land offers possibility of longer hikes. Deerflies can be a problem in the hot summer months.
Trail begins at a chained gate at a former cart road. Very shortly up the trail, it splits to form a loop. For a counterclockwise loop, the trail leads steeply up a former driveway that leads to the summit of the knoll where until 2017 a house once stood. From this point, take care to follow the yellow plastic markers on trees. The trail then continues north past the former house site and wraps around the knoll to the west following an old cart path. The cart path ends at the bottom of the hill and becomes a foot path. [An unofficial connection to the Muller Land heads north and can be found over a trail that is visible by watching for fading red blazes on the white pines.] The main trail heads south around the west side of the knoll through a hardwood forest toward a vernal pool, then toward the beautiful Horse Meadows reservoir. Along the reservoir edge, there are rocky outcroppings from which to spy the varied bird species found in the area (watch for green heron). A new bypass then veers to the left (follow the yellow markers) since the original woods road enters some very wet stretches due to beaver activity. Evidence of recent past beaver activity can be seen along the eastern shore of the reservoir. The trail then descends back to the more obvious trail which then turns southeast, then east to rejoin the entrance spur. Moderate, steep in spots.
Trailhead Directions: Click here
Elevation gain: 130'
Parcel size: 50 acres
Sudbury Valley Trustees Land Use Rules: Click Here
Keywords: steep, pond, birds, geology, parking, peaceful, wildlife
Rating Comments: Parking lot and kiosk at the trail entrance. Scores highly for the wildlife, the variety of ecosystems, and the beautiful reservoir. Connection to the Muller Land offers possibility of longer hikes. Deerflies can be a problem in the hot summer months.
Trail begins at a chained gate at a former cart road. Very shortly up the trail, it splits to form a loop. For a counterclockwise loop, the trail leads steeply up a former driveway that leads to the summit of the knoll where until 2017 a house once stood. From this point, take care to follow the yellow plastic markers on trees. The trail then continues north past the former house site and wraps around the knoll to the west following an old cart path. The cart path ends at the bottom of the hill and becomes a foot path. [An unofficial connection to the Muller Land heads north and can be found over a trail that is visible by watching for fading red blazes on the white pines.] The main trail heads south around the west side of the knoll through a hardwood forest toward a vernal pool, then toward the beautiful Horse Meadows reservoir. Along the reservoir edge, there are rocky outcroppings from which to spy the varied bird species found in the area (watch for green heron). A new bypass then veers to the left (follow the yellow markers) since the original woods road enters some very wet stretches due to beaver activity. Evidence of recent past beaver activity can be seen along the eastern shore of the reservoir. The trail then descends back to the more obvious trail which then turns southeast, then east to rejoin the entrance spur. Moderate, steep in spots.
Trailhead Directions: Click here
Elevation gain: 130'
Parcel size: 50 acres
Sudbury Valley Trustees Land Use Rules: Click Here
Keywords: steep, pond, birds, geology, parking, peaceful, wildlife
Click here for a printable map.
Horse Meadows Knoll PDF (274K)
Click Here for a downloadable GPX file to upload into your mobile mapping app.
