Horse Meadows Knoll

Horse Meadows Knoll by Louis Calisi
Horse Meadows Knoll Pond. Image by Louis Calisi 
Horse Meadows Knoll Woods by Louis Calisi
Horse Meadows Knoll Woods. Image by Louis Calisi
Great Blue Heron Chicks by Raj Das
Great Blue Heron chicks. Image by Raj Das
Winter Scene at Horse Meadows Knoll
Winter Scene at Horse Meadows Knoll. Photo by SVT.
Town
Harvard
Acreage
48

A short loop is highlighted by beautiful views along a lily pad covered reservoir full of bird life where a visitor can look for sunning turtles and signs of beavers. A short climb brings you to the top and over a knoll. Wild columbine grows on rocky ledges and songs of scarlet tanagers and wood pewees highlight a summer walk. 

Connections allow further exploration to adjacent Harvard Conservation Trust (HCT) and Boxborough Conservation Trust lands. As of Fall 2024, a new trail cuts across HCT's adjacent Eastern Greenway-North property (where SVT holds a conservation restriction) and connects to HCT's Muller Land.

Full Description

Horse Meadows Knoll sits adjacent to the Horse Meadows Reservoir, which is now a beautiful naturalized pond. The property is forested with a mixture of hardwood species, white pine, and hemlock, and it provides habitat for multiple endangered species.

Features of Note:

  • This drumlin-shaped knoll rises about 140 feet above the parking area.
  • Old cart paths and the driveway to a house that once sat on the knoll contribute to the trail system.
  • The rich soils on the lower slope near Sherry Road host some unusual plants for our area, including American basswood. Wild columbine grows on some of the rock ledges.
  • The headwaters of Elizabeth Brook, a main tributary of the Assabet River, are partially located on the property
  • Beaver are active at the pond and along the stream that meanders through the property.
  • Look for their lodge in the center of the pond as you walk along the trail.
  • Scarlet tanagers, eastern wood-pewees, and other birds of the deep forest find essential habitat here. Great blue herons nest in the treetops above the pond.

Directions

With mapping software, search for this address: 45 Sherry Road, Harvard, MA

From Route I-495, take Exit 75. Follow Route 111 north toward Harvard for about 0.6 mile. Turn right onto Littleton County Road and then immediately right onto Sherry Road and follow for approximately 0.4 mile to a small parking area on your left.

Click here to visit Google Maps for specific directions from your home.

Nearby Nature Sightings

An eastern phoebe at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard, photographed by Jon Turner.

Eastern Phoebe at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard

Jon Turner photographed this eastern phoebe at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard.

Wildlife at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard

Jon Turner used his automatically triggered wildlife camera to record these clips of wildlife at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard throughout May 2024.
A pink lady's slipper at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard, photographed by Jon Turner.

Pink Lady's Slippers at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard

Jon Turner photographed these pink lady's slippers at Horse Meadows Knoll in Harvard.
All Nature Sightings