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Middlesex
Fells Reservation
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Malden, Medford, Stoneham,
Melrose, Winchester.
(617) 727-5380
Open year-round, dawn to dusk. The Middlesex Fells
Reservation's 2,575 acres offer a welcome retreat for city dwellers and a
suitable terrain for hikers, horseback riders, rock climbers, cross-country
skiers and picnickers as well as natural and cultural history buffs. "Fells" is the Saxon word for rocky, hilly tracts of land - an
apt name for this scenic area which is rich in local history. This picturesque
area was once favored for timber, granite quarrying, ice industry, and
water power for the many mills including one that manufactured some of the
first vulcanized rubber products.
The Botume House at 4 Woodland Road is the Middlesex Fells Headquarters and
will soon house the Middlesex Fells Visitor Center.
Special features for visitors include the Sheepfold picnic area, Bellevue
Pond, Virginia Wood, and Spot Pond. The Sheepfold is 10 acres of open
field, ideal for picnics, frisbee playing and
informal games. Bellevue Pond is a seasonal pond surrounded by trails and
wide fire roads, some leading up to Wrights Tower which looks out over the
Boston Basin. Virginia Wood, the site of a vanished mill village called "Haywardville" is now a dense hemlock
enclave.
Spot Pond
Spot Pond is a picturesque body of water, centrally located in the
Middlesex Fells, just east of Routes 28 and 93. With a surface area of 340
acres, and a capacity of 1.8 billion gallons of water, it serves as a
backup reservoir to the Quabbin, located in central Massachusetts.
The area was first explored by Governor Winthrop and his men in the winter
of 1632:
...they came to a very great pond,
having in the midst an island of about one acre and very thick with trees
of pine and beech and the pond had divers small rocks standing up here and
there in it, which therefore called Spot Pond." (quote
from Gov. Winthrop's private papers)
Spot Pond Boating offers sailing, kayak, canoe and rowboat rental from Memorial Day through
Labor Day. Sailing lessons are provided throughout the season as well.
Things to know before
you go
Parking is available at:
- Sheepfold parking area, Rte.28 (open 9:00 a.m. to
dusk)
- Flynn Rink, the Botume
House and Virginia Wood on Woodland
Road
- Greenwood Park, the Stone
Zoo and one "pull-off" on Pond Street
- Straw Point Parking Area
on corner of South Street
and Rte.28
- Bellevue Pond, Long Pond
and other"pull-offs" along South Border Road
- Jerry Jingle Park on Lynn Fells Parkway (please
use caution crossing to reservation)
- Crystal Springs Parking
Area on Lynn Fells Parkway
- Additional "pull-off" on Fellsway East
Trail maps for the Middlesex Fells Reservation can be purchased at the
following locations:
- Botume House
- Appalachian Mountain Club, 5 Joy St., Boston
- Book Ends, 559 Main St., Winchester
- Book Oasis, 297 Main St., Stoneham
- Book Rack, 13 Medford St., Arlington
- Globe Corner Bookstore, Harvard Sq., Cambridge
- Porter Square Books, Porter Sq., Cambridge
- REI, 279 Salem St., Rte 128, exit 40, Reading
- Or call the Friends of Middlesex Fells Reservation at 781 662 2340
Special Programs
The Friends of the Middlesex Fells walks and hikes focus on the natural and
cultural history of the Middlesex Fells Reservation are free and offered to
the public year round by the DCR and Friends of the Middlesex Fells. The
Friends of the Fells also sponsors a Speaker Series and a volunteer trail
restoration and maintenance program FoF. Mountain
Biking rides and trail maintenance are sponsored by the New England
Mountain Biking Association NEMBA.
Mountain Biking at the Middlesex Fells
Mountain biking in the Middlesex Fells allows the off-road cyclist the
use of all Fire Roads. In addition to fire roads, there is a designated
loop trail, which offers riders an easy to follow path around the Western
Fells. This trail is marked by "Mountain Bike Loop" signs and
green blazes on trees. This loop trail is about 85% on fire roads and 15%
on a single-track trail. All other single track trails are off-limits to
bikers. Trail restrictions are based on the sensitivity of soil, slopes,
wildlife habitat, and public safely concerns. Please stay off trails marked
with "No Bicycle" signs.
Directions to the Middlesex Fells Reservation:
 
MBTA:
To the West Side of the Middlesex Fells: Orange Line to Wellington Station, MBTA bus #100 to Roosevelt Circle Rotary. Walk south to the rotary and turn right on South Border Rd. - Bellevue Pond entrance to the Reservation is .2 mile up South Border Rd. on the right.
To the East Side of the Middlesex Fells: Orange Line to Oak Grove Station, exit on the Washington St. side and head north on Washington Street (away from Boston). Washington Street bears left at intersection with Pleasant St. Go one more block up Washington Street and turn left on Goodyear Ave. Goodyear Ave. ends at the Gate 58 entrance to the Reservation at the east end of the blue blazed Cross Fells Trail.
By Car:
From North
To the West Side of the Middlesex Fells: Interstate 93 South to exit 35. At stop sign, go left under highway. At next stop sign go right. At first set of lights turn right onto Route 28. Turn right into Sheepfold entrance.
OR
Interstate 93 South to exit 33 (Route 28). Take first right onto South Border Rd. Bellevue Pond entrance is on the right.
OR
To the East Side of the Middlesex Fells: Interstate 93 South to exit 35. At stop sign, go left under highway. At next stop sign go right. Go straight through first set of lights. The Botume House Visitor Center is ½ mile past the Stone Zoo on the right.
From South
To the West Side of the Middlesex Fells: Interstate 93 North to exit 33 (Route 28). Sheepfold entrance is 2 miles up on the left… Or, take exit 33, proceed halfway around rotary and take South Border Rd. Bellevue Pond entrance is on the right.
OR
To the East Side of the Middlesex Fells: Interstate 93 North to exit 33 (Route 28). Follow Rte. 28 for .4 miles and turn right on Elm Street. Go3/4 of the way around the rotary and head North on Woodland Road for 1 mile. Botume House Visitor Center is on the left.
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