The Quabbin Visitor Center
The Quabbin Visitor Center is located on the first floor of the DCR Quabbin Administration Building in Belchertown and is currently open four days a week on a year-round basis except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and the weekend between Christmas and New Years. Regular Visitor Center hours of operation are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Thursday thru Tuesday; the Visitor Center is closed on Wednesday.
The Center features:
- Exhibits
- Brochures
- Books
- Videos about Quabbin management and history
Maps, books, trail guides and related materials are available for purchase through Visitor Center staff. Vital Records for the disincorporated towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott are available on microfiche for genealogical research; please call ahead to schedule an appointment.
Click here to read the Downstream Newsletter: The Quabbin Visitor Center.
Quabbin Visitor Center
485 Ware Road (Route 9)
Belchertown, MA 01007
(413) 323-7221
QuabbinVisitor.Center@mass.gov
Additional Resources
Quabbin Visitor Center Email List
The DCR Quabbin Visitor Center offers occasional programs, hikes and presentations exploring the history, natural history, and management of the watershed land.
If you are interested in being added to an email list sharing information about upcoming programs, please email your contact information to QuabbinVisitor.Center@mass.gov.
Quabbin School Programs
Education programs are offered for school groups at the Quabbin Visitor Center on a variety of topics from Quabbin history to the bald eagle restoration program. Programs are offered on a first come-first serve basis. Prior arrangements are required for group programs. These arrangements can be made by calling the Visitor Center - (413) 323-7221 or by email at QuabbinVisitor.Center@mass.gov.
Groups interested in just visiting the Visitor Center without a pre-arranged education program are encouraged to notify the Center prior to their visit. Please use the Group Access to Quabbin Park Request Form. You will not be charged for the permit, but the application should be submitted two weeks before the visit date.
Classroom programs and field trips are also offered to schools and groups in the watershed area and to communities which receive water from Quabbin. Topics range from water quality, water awareness, watersheds, natural history and Quabbin area history.
Additional Resources
Teacher Workshops
The Quabbin Interpretive staff offers teacher workshops on:
- Water Quality Testing
- Watersheds
- Project WET
- Project WILD
- Project Learning Tree
- Quabbin History
- Other topics
Videos - Virtual Field Trips and Other Quabbin Events
Self-guided Tours, Interactive Trail Map, and Other Activities To Do On Your Own
Self-guided Trail Guides
Suggested Hikes for Quabbin Reservoir
Be a History Detective at Quabbin Reservoir! This is a DCR Tip-Trip Itinerary. Discover three unique areas in the Quabbin Reservation that spotlight what life was like before four towns were removed to build the reservoir.
Quabbin Spring Ramble. This is a DCR Tip-Trip Itinerary. While it says "Spring", these three trips are excellent adventures any time of the year!
Quabbin Park Visitor Center Loop Trail Brochure
Quabbin Park Middle Gate to Observation Tower Trail Brochure
A variety of non-staffed educational opportunities exist for groups visiting Quabbin including the Forest Stewardship Trail, eagle watching at Enfield Lookout, and 22 miles of walking routes with a descriptive guide (available for purchase at the Visitor Center).
Interactive Trail Map
The Division of Water Supply Protection has developed an interactive map with detailed information about public access roads and trails around the Quabbin Reservoir. There are two ways to access this map: one is an online program that is accessible from your desktop computer or mobile device’s web browser; the other is through an App you can download directly to your mobile device and use in the field. The mobile device App is recommended for use in the field.
Please see the Instructions for Using the Quabbin Reservoir Public Access Road and Trail Interactive Map for information about the mobile app.
Other Activities
DCR staff is also available to consult with teachers planning Quabbin or water related programs in their school, or for those interested in a group visit to Quabbin. If you are interested, you can contact the Interpretive Services at (413) 323-7221.
Additional Resources
Kiosk Posters
Posters with information about various sites, facilities, and history are posted on kiosks around the Quabbin Reservoir watershed and in the Quabbin Visitors Center.
- Drinking Water System History
- Watershed Protection
- Reservoir Elevation
- Drought
- The Lost Valley
- Rabbit Run Railroad
- Women of the Valley
- Quabbin Park Cemetery
- Bald Eagles
- Three Views of Enfield
- Prescribed Burns
Why Dogs Aren't Allowed at Quabbin Reservoir
Dogs are not allowed on any DCR Division of Water Supply Protection lands in the Quabbin Reservoir watershed. Dog waste is full of harmful bacteria, excess nutrients, and sometimes parasites and viruses. Parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium can last for long periods of time in dog waste. When dog waste is left on the ground, heavy rain and snowmelt wash the waste into streams and tributaries, compromising water quality.
While all the open space around the Quabbin Reservoir seems like a good place to walk a dog, it is not allowed by DCR's Watershed Protection regulations. People are encouraged to take their pets to visit other DCR property that allow dogs and reminded to always pick up their waste. DCR has produced a brochure and videos to further explain the impact dogs have on drinking water supplies.
Additional Resources
Quabbin Reservoir Historic Photograph Collection Digital Access Project
DCR's Archive program has made thousands of historic photos available that document the construction of the DCR/MWRA water supply system. The following is a presentation on Quabbin Reservoir Historic Photograph Collection Digital Access Project.
Contact
Phone
Address
Belchertown , MA 01007