Walkup and Robinson Memorial Conservation Area

Enjoy a park-like experience with stone walls and staircases amidst woodlands and fields.  Be sure to check-out the old cattle underpass that is located under the former trolley line. Several trail loops provide a variety of terrain and features.

Full Description

This property was left to SVT in 1980 by Lawrence Walkup, a farmer and lifelong resident of Westborough. It is a memorial to his parents and to the four generations of his family who farmed the land. 

The property includes mixed hardwood and conifers and old pasture uplands, an open field with wet meadow, a wooded wetland with vernal pools, and a small pond.

  • Trails are color-coded and include a red loop, known as “The Jogging Trail,” that winds its way around the perimeter of the property.
  • Due to development in the surrounding industrial district, the conservation area is now an island of open space. The lack of connection to other conserved areas somewhat diminishes its value as wildlife habitat but increases its importance as a quiet oasis. 
  • The remains of the Boston-Worcester trolley line, which opened in 1903 and was abandoned in 1931, bisects the property. This trolley line featured electric cars that were better able to manage the steeper grades of Newton’s Hill than were steam railroads.
  • A gap was left in the embankment of the trolley line, presumably because farmer Walkup’s father wanted a cattle pass that would let his herd move safely under the right-of-way. The trolley was abandoned in 1931, but the straight central trail follows its old right-of-way, crossing the cattle pass on a new footbridge built by SVT.

Directions

With mapping software, search for this address: Walkup & Robinson Drive, Westborough, MA

From Route 9W take the exit for Computer Drive. Turn left at the light onto Computer Drive and follow the right lane as it crosses over Route 9. At the next light, go straight for 0.5 mile. Turn left on Friberg Parkway and go 0.25 mile to the Walkup driveway entrance on the right. After turning, bear left to the parking area.

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

Nearby Nature Sightings

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Wild columbine at SVT's Walkup & Robinson Memorial Conservation Area in Westborough, photographed by Dan Stimson.
Dan Stimson photographed this wild columbine at SVT's Walkup & Robinson Memorial Conservation Area in Westborough.
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Mushrooms at SVT's Walkup and Robinson Memorial Reservation in Westborough, photographed by William Watt.
William Watt photographed mushrooms along the trails at SVT's Walkup and Robinson Memorial Reservation in Westborough.