Ora Cheney Conservation Area
Location
Map Legend
Directions
The Ora Cheney Conservation Area is in the Bear Hill district of town, just north of the School Street and Winter Street intersection. About 200 feet north of the intersection, you will see a grassy parking area for two cars on the left, where there is a large trailhead sign.
Overview
The Dave Goldman Trail is an easy 0.3-mile out-and-back trail. This parcel has a small meadow and ponds in the front and mixed dry open forest in the rear, providing a pleasant easy walk any time of year. In the meadow adjacent to the parking area you may notice a tall garden phlox poking up out of the ferns, undoubtedly a remnant of a former garden. Notice the very large “weeping” spruce tree behind the meadow. Feel free to walk over to the ponds to the right to hear and see bullfrogs and perhaps other wildlife, but watch the poison ivy.
To follow the trail, go through the meadow and follow signs up a small hill. From there the trail is quite level and easy to follow. The trail ends at the second bench, so return the way you came in.
Not far from the start of the trail, just before it heads up the hill, bushwhack to the right about 80 feet and see if you can find an old pet cemetery with three small headstones.
In other areas off the trail, you may find artifacts of a bygone era, when each New England farm had its own “landfill”. If you find any exposed broken glass, metal objects, or other debris, you can do a good service by picking it up. If you see a large object you cannot remove, let HALT know and we’ll get rid of it.
Size: 8.4 acres
Longest Walk: 0.6 miles round trip
Acquired: 2018
Photo Gallery
History
The Dave Goldman Trail was dedicated in 2019. It is named for HALT’s founder, who started the Trust in 1995 at his kitchen table with four other people. Dave’s was the driving force that built the Trust into what it is today, spending most of his free time as the president of the Trust for 24 years working on land preservation in Hopkinton.
The original farm consisted of 126 acres founded by Ora Cheney’s grandfather, Henry O. Cheney. The Cheneys had one of the largest private collections of native American stone arrow heads and ornaments. The collection is displayed at the Hopkinton Historical Society.
The trail and benches were built in 2019 by an Eagle Scout.
Activities
Biking, Easy Walking
