The Great Outdoors in Concord, MA
Explore the great outdoors in Concord
Spend a day exploring Concord’s great outdoors. There are endless possibilities to breathe the fresh air from hiking trails, walking through forests, and swimming and fishing in ponds. Walden Pond is Concord’s most famous lake, filled with a unique social history, as it was home to the author Henry David Thoreau.
Visitors can even find a replica of the author’s home and cabin on the pond. If you’re interested in learning more about Concord’s nature and history, we offer round interpretive programs and guided walks. Explore Concord’s magical and historical environment today!
Dining Delights After an Outdoor Hike
After you’ve built up an appetite hiking, head over to nearby West Concord for a bite to eat. Some of your options include West Village Tavern, Saltbox Kitchen, or Woods Hill Table. Afterwards, grab a dessert at Nashoba Brook Bakery, Concord Teacakes or an ice cream from Reasons to be Cheerful or Bedford Farm Ice Cream.
Next, head over to the South Bridge Boathouse (open seasonally) for a little kayaking or canoeing on the Sudbury River. Open since the 1940s, this kayak and canoe rental offers relaxing paddling on calm waters.
Step Into The Nature Trails of Concord
Concord is home to numerous trails. Discover some of our key hiking trails and why they make the area so special.
The Annursnac Trail has 118 acres of terrain, including walking paths about a half-hour to 50 minutes long. When you reach the top of the Annursnac hill, you can enjoy views of Concord about 361 feet up. Throughout these trails you’ll discover buildings from World War II, radio tower remains, and a Tennessee Gas Pipeline. If you’re hoping for more of a nature walk, you’ll also find brooks, hilly woodlands, and swampy lowlands.
At the Emerson-Thoreau Amble Trail, you’ll explore the stomping grounds of famous authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. There’s a nice path outdoors to stroll through where you’ll find Emerson’s home and Thoreau’s cabin, located right on Walden Pond. There’s also the Heywood Meadow, Mill Brook, the “Ice House” (where companies supplied block ice before refrigerators were popular), and connections to other trails in the area.
For the history expert, check out the Powder Mill Woods. Here you’ll walk through trails that share great insights into Concord’s manufacturing history. Learn about Nathan Pratt, who, in 1935, converted a sawmill into a gunpowder manufacturing factory. The trail is about 35 minutes long and visitors will spot powder mill ruins, old mill rails, and traces of roads that connected buildings together.
A Walk Through 1775
Finally, if you’re in for a really long walk, consider the Battle Road trail, a five mile trail connecting historic sites from Meriam’s Corner in Concord to the eastern boundary of the park in Lexington. Much of the trail follows the original remnants of the Battle Road: Where thousands of Colonial Militia and British Regulars fought a bloody engagement on April 19, 1775. In some areas the trail leaves the historic road to follow the route of the Minute Men traversing farming fields, wetlands, and forests.
