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Sherborn's Public Walking Trails
Sherborn is fortunate to have many acres of publicly accessible land and miles of well-developed trail systems. The Sherborn Town Forest runs from the northern part of town to the southeast, culminating in the magnificent Rocky Narrows Reservation. The Sherborn Conservation Commission oversees numerous parcels, from large to small. The Trustees of Reservations owns an extensive section of Rocky Narrows Reservation and the Grandfather's Field. The Massachusetts Audubon Society owns Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, which includes most of the land around Little Farm Pond and Duck Pond. The Sherborn Rural Land Foundation owns the Pleasant Street Trail lands.
Sherborn is part of the Bay Circuit Trail, a route that circles Boston between Route 128 and Route 495. The trail starts in Ipswich and ends in Duxbury, and covers at least 160 miles in a serpentine fashion. The idea of the trail is not new; it was originally proposed in 1929 as an outer "Emerald Necklace" of parks, open spaces and waterways. It is a dream that is continuing to evolve, with Sherborn's portion covering about 11 miles. The trail enters Sherborn at Ashland and proceeds to Medfield, with almost all of the walk on public lands. An annual Bay Circuit Trek usually takes place in June, during which the entire trail is covered over a two week period, with Sherborn's portion taking a half day.
Sherborn Walks describes twenty-two walks; estimates the approximate time it takes to walk each one; rates each for its degree of difficulty; discusses each walk briefly and points out its salient features. Sprinkled throughout these descriptions are Spotlights which highlight local plant or animal life. Often, the subject of Spotlights is seldom seen or appreciated, like many of the trails that are described in Sherborn Walks.
Because people often are not acquainted with the extent and diversity of Sherborn's publicly accessible lands, they ask where they can walk to see water views, summit views, large trees, boulders or meadows. Or, they wonder where young children can enjoy a walk. The next several paragraphs summarize the answers to their questions.
All trail systems have woodlands, and most have wetlands on the site. Areas having expansive water views are the Bailey Trail, Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Farm Pond, Leland Reservation, Little Farm Pond, and Rocky Narrows Reservation.
To appreciate the summits of Sherborn, it helps to visualize our town from a bird's eye perspective. Sherborn is part of a rugged upland watershed area that straddles the Sudbury River and Charles River drainage systems. The southeastern part of town is dominated by the flat wetland areas along the Charles River and its tributaries. The northwestern part of town is more hilly and has fewer wetlands. A "spinal column" is formed by a string of hills that runs from the northwest to the southeast.
Summit views can be found at Peters Hill, King Philips Overlook at Rocky Narrows Reservation, and at Rocky Narrows Overlook itself. Summits without views are Brush Hill in the Sherborn Town Forest (Eliot Street to Hunting Lane) and Pine Hill, also in the Sherborn Town Forest. Brush Hill once had a viewing tower located on its summit, but now trees have retaken the lands and obscured the view.
It is difficult to find mature or old-growth forests in Sherborn, since virtually the entire town was clear cut for pasture in the nineteenth century. If you walk in or near some of the "impassable" wetland areas, you can find an occasional giant, but most of the large trees you see are of twentieth century vintage. These forests may be termed "mature" by foresters, but by biological standards, they are not.
Nonetheless, large trees are present on the Bogastow Trail, Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Farm Pond, Hildreth/Schoolhouse Trail, Laurel Farm, Leland Reservation, Little Farm Pond, Peters Hill, Pine Hill Cemetery, Sewall Brook Trail, and last, but not least, Rocky Narrows Reservation. Rocky Narrows has a splendid and extensive hemlock grove on the bank of the Charles River. Some of our largest, oldest trees stand next to the roads, originally left standing to shade the roads for horses and people.
Where is ledge in Sherborn? The quick answer is "everywhere"! Large outcrops are on the Bailey Trail, Barber Reservation, Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Hildreth / Schoolhouse Trail, Peters Hill, Pine Hill Cemetery, and Rocky Narrows Reservation.
Meadows are found on the Barber Reservation, Hildreth / Schoolhouse Trail, Leland Reservation, Pleasant Street Trail, Peters Hill and Rocky Narrows Reservation.
Smaller-scale trails suitable for young children are at Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Farm Pond, Little Farm Pond, and Ward Parks Pond. The Barber Reservation and Leland Reservation are good meadow spots, with short walks to the fields from the parking areas. The Bailey Trail is an interesting wooded walk for children older than four or so.
There are also a number of smaller public lands and inaccessible wetlands, which, because they lack trails, are not covered in this guide. Wetlands are often passable only in January and early February when water is frozen, and in the dry part of summer or early fall. If you don't mind crouching down, you can experience a magical world under the 12-foot-tall highbush blueberries, where rabbits live in a sphagnum moss-carpeted world. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers owns some of the wetlands, which it purchased for the Natural Valley Flood Storage Project to prevent floods on the Charles River.
While you are enjoying Sherborn's public walking trails, you can help make them better. Everyone gains when litter is picked up or minor trail maintenance is done. If you notice a need for major trail maintenance work, such as tree blow-downs or erosion, please alert the Sherborn Forest & Trail Association.
And remember, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the trails. You will find official regulations on the back of the large Public Lands map, which is available at Town Hall for a small fee. The regulations are also printed here on page 48. Hunting, carrying firearms, and target shooting are not permitted on public lands. If you notice violations, please contact the Sherborn Police.