Chosen by Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England as Editor's Pick 2000, Great Brook Farm State Park stands as a jewel in northern Massachusetts! Agriculture has been part of Great Brook's history for centuries. Holsteins have been kept here for over 60 years and current farmer Mark Duffy continues the tradition with his black & white ladies. Native Americans used sections of Great Brook Farm as sacred sites. Seventeenth century cellar holes comprise "the city" where early English settlers worked one of numerous mill sites on the 1,000 acre park. Public tours are available Saturdays, Sundays and Monday holidays from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Tours are available, by appointment, to school, preschool, camp, and other organized groups Monday-Wednesday May to October 7, 2009. There are over 20 miles of trails available for walkers, hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. During the winter months, cross-country skiing is available and one trail is lantern lit for a "mooon light" experience! The ice cream stand is open through the month of October.
Great park whether you're looking for a short walk or a good trail run - on a beautiful spring afternoon found it fairly busy close to the main dairy farm parking (lots of families and a fair number of dogs) but only light traffic further out on the trails. Maps and restrooms are available at the red building at the end of the dairy farm parking lot. Took a few wrong turns while exploring but since many of the trails intersect fairly often, they were generally just minor detours :)