Area Guide – Listing by Category Horseback-riding

Visitors can walk logging roads to view forest regeneration following a harvest of mature pine in 2003.

Miles of trails through fields and forest and along river and swamp, with glimpses of both glacial and human history.

A diverse land, now conserved for timber and wildlife habitat, its old road a link in a winter snowmobile trail.

Six miles of blazed trail - North Pond Ridge, Bullard Farm, and Chestnut Hill. Map kiosk at Fittz Memorial Forest.

Beautiful town conservation land with interconnecting trails along a pond.

The 3,000-acre Harvard Forest, mostly in Petersham, offers a wealth of recreational and educational possibilities, and is a designated Wildlife Viewing Area. Among the miles of trails are ¼-mile and 1½-mile interpretive loop trails (the latter with a side loop through a black gum swamp) and a hike up an old road to a fire tower on Prospect Hill with a magnificent view over the countryside. Established in 1907, Harvard Forest is primarily a world-renowned research center, conducting long-term ecological research and studies of all aspects of the forest—biology, soils, economics, history, and more—as well as collaborating with scientists from numerous other institutions and with educators throughout New England. It is also the home of the Fisher Museum and its dioramas exploring forest history.

A 10-minute walk leads to a scenic overlook of the surrounding valley.