Hopkinton Meadows
Location
Map Legend
Directions
The main trail entrance is on the west end of Washington Lane just past its intersection of North Street. It starts along the left edge of a mowed lawn. There is no entrance sign but there are small tree tags. You can park on the street along Washington Lane.
There is also an entrance on North Street on the left almost immediately after your turn onto it from Wood Street, but parking may be more difficult there.
Overview
From Washington Lane, walk along the left edge of the mowed lawn, parallel to North Street, and then go into the woods where the trail is on a wide cart path. It is signed with small tree tags. If you keep going straight, the path would take you back out to the North Street entrance, but if you look carefully before that you will find a right turn that takes you deeper into the woods. From the North Street entrance, keep on the lookout for a left turn soon after you enter the woods.
The trail is wide and at times very close to the Mass. Pike. Be prepared: it can be very noisy from the traffic along this stretch. But if you can ignore that, the path comes to a pretty meadow where wildflowers are often in bloom. There is a fork where the path to the right takes you into the meadow and the one on the left goes around it. Watch the poison ivy if you venture into the meadow.
Both paths soon meet again after the meadow. The trail then skirts around a large vernal pool that is almost always wet, and then crosses a bridge. There may be parts of the path before and after that bridge that might get muddy. Eventually it becomes dry and quieter as the trail takes you further from the highway. There are a couple of loops at the end of the trail, one next to a stone wall that marks the property boundary, well-signed and easy to follow.
You must return the way you came. If you walk all the loops you will have walked 1.9 miles. The trail once continued around the perimeter of the development to end on the east end of Washington Lane, but it is too overgrown to be followed all the way around. Plans are to restore this.
Size: 32.5 acres
Longest Walk: 1.7 miles round trip
Acquired: 2001
Photo Gallery
History
The Trust holds a Conservation Restriction on this property owned by the Hopkinton Meadows Homeowner’s Association.
Activities
Biking, Hiking/Walking, Vernal Pool, Woods Trail