Carlisle, Massachusetts
The Greenough Land
Carlisle's largest pond, made before 1930 to bring in ducks, set in 242 acres of woods, fields and wetlands that reach the Concord River.
Written for ages 3–12.
Researched from this park's own sources. Nobody's walked it yet.
Read this bit out
Greenough Pond was made on purpose. Before 1930, a man called Henry Greenough built an earth dam across Page's Brook because he wanted ducks and other water birds to come here. The water backed up behind the dam and spread over about twenty-one acres. Today there are about thirty wood duck nesting boxes in the pond and the wetlands above it, put up so ducks have somewhere safe to lay their eggs. See how many boxes you can spot from the shore.
One of your three free places, or the Explorer Pass. What that costs
Before you go
- Time there
- Plan on about 2 hours at the park.
- Parking
- Free town conservation land. Two parking lots, both on Maple Street: the south lot just south of the Brook Street junction, the north lot just north of the East Street junction. There is a trail map on the kiosk in the north lot.
- Underfoot
- A loop of the property is a good hour, through forest, past water and out along the fields. Wooded uplands with rock outcrops, wooded wetlands, and Page's Brook running through. It joins the Great Meadows refuge next door, and a much longer walk can be made that way.
22 challenges written for this place
A game deals seven to fifteen of them, so no two visits are alike.
4 things to spot, 3 photographs to take and 3 things to work out.
Every game includes this one
Greenough Pond
Get to the pond and stand where you can see across it.
A few of the others
The Dam That Made It
Find the earth dam that holds the pond back.
Across The Water
One photo of everybody with the pond behind them.
Out In The Field
One photo of everybody at the edge of the open field.
Their Turn
Hand the phone to the youngest. They take one picture of whatever they want.
Twenty-One Acres, Two Feet Deep
This pond covers about twenty-one acres but is only about two feet deep on average. Work out what that means for the birds on it.
Why Somebody Wanted Ducks
A man built the dam before 1930 because he wanted waterfowl to stop here. Decide whether it worked.
The rest are a surprise — that's the whole point.
Also around Carlisle
Great Brook Farm State Park
Carlisle
A working dairy farm where a robot milks the cows, free weekend barn tours in season, an ice cream stand, and more than 20 miles of trails.
The Towle Land
Carlisle
A path over a little dam to an open field of rocky outcrops where bobolinks nest in late spring and summer, with Native stone piles in the woods.
Play this at The Greenough Land
Free. Works with no signal once you're there.