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A secluded, lesser-known gem near the heart of Belmont for dog walkers, runners, hikers, and mountain bikers.


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Map Key

2.6

Miles

4.2

KM

Loop

295' 90 m

High

163' 50 m

Low

256' 78 m

Up

260' 79 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

21%

Max Grade (12°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors

Overview

Beaver Brook offers a number of unmarked trails to explore for all different users. This loop hike starts out with a short and aerobic climb up and over Mackerel Hill, the only significant elevation at Beaver Brook, before looping parallel to the property boundary across town lines from Waltham to Belmont to Lexington and back to Waltham.

Trails at Beaver Brook can be traveled in either direction, so this recommended loop can be done in reverse or adapted to accommodate time constraints or groups of varying abilities.

Need to Know

Open dawn to dusk. Free parking available at North and South parking areas. Open to mountain bikes.

Description

From the parking off Trapelo Road at Elsie Turner Field, head east up Mackerel Hill toward MetFern Cemetery. Continue onto the Bypass raised boardwalk heading north across the Western Greenway. The greenway is a great option to access this reservation by bike or on foot to avoid having to drive.

After passing the greenway, the Ridge Trail will bend to the left (west) and rejoin the Western Greenway. Head northwest on the greenway for half a mile before heading right (northeast) for a short unmarked loop. Return on the Western Greenway, heading south on another Secondary Trail, passing the Dog Ranch parking area. Continue south through a clearing before making the final switchback ascent to the water tower on Mackerel Hill before looping back down to the Elsie Turner trailhead.

Flora & Fauna

Beware of poison ivy. A number of vernal ponds provide homes for wildlife and mosquitoes. Foxes, turkey, painted turtles, owls, jack-in-the-pulpit, pink lady slippers, and fiddleheads to forage.

Contacts

Shared By:

Zander Göpfert

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 2 votes

#3179

Overall
  4.5 from 2 votes
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in Massachusetts

#3,179

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Photos

The vines on the tall trees make this area look very rainforest like.
Oct 30, 2019 near Belmont, MA
Beaver Brook trail.
Oct 30, 2019 near Belmont, MA

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Check-Ins

Sep 28, 2024
Tavo Loaiza
Feb 18, 2024
Megan Quay
went off trail a lot. not sure if i even did it all.
Sep 29, 2021
Shea Mizuno
Muddy. Hard to navigate. Trails mostly unmarked and several intersecting. Pretty ponds to stop and look at along the way. 3.1mi — 1h 25m
Dec 13, 2020
Tomo Tarui
2.7mi — 0h 56m
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