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.
Amazing Place...great hike. but bring mosquito spray.....alot of them. lol
I really love this park. There is a pond and lots of wildlife/farm animals. Ive seen snakes and horses and there are cows and goats at the farm. There is also an ice cream stand open seasonally which is great.
I loved this trail, it wasn’t too busy and dogs are allowed off leash.
Please note that this is open to cross country skiing ONLY. No hikers.
We loved this, start at the location they recommend. Interesting river with an old mill, beaver lodges within feet of a river, two really pretty lakes, heap an ice cream at the barn in summer. Lots of trails to explore. A real gem
Flat and easy. Also easy to accidentally follow the wrong trail. It’s pretty. Nothing amazing but nothing unpleasant.
Loved this place. Parked off North Road . Was limited for time but in 40 minutes was able to do about 2 miles . Did the loops that stayed near the pond . Very pretty. Trails well marked . Will be back !
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 :)
One of my favorite state parks!! Clean safe trails, lots of water areas for my dog to cool down in and very kind people. I also love how it is set up I can go out for a 10 min walk of a 3 hour hike!! And it's great for kids to!! Great park! Can't say enough good things about it!
I love this place I've been here many times, and I'm never disappointed.
I brought my dog out here at 8 am on Patrick's Day (April 18th). We saw only 4 people on the trails, so that was nice: a biker and three runners.
I wouldn't classify these trails as moderate--they're really pretty easy. Trails are wide and well maintained.
My only complaint is that without a map (no maps available on site) the trails aren't well marked. I was off trail more than once but luckily my sense of direction got me back to my car.
There's a beautiful dam and a decent number of ruins.
Gorgeous hike, great views. water for dogs. obsticles to tire your dog out and an icecream place where you park!!
Lovely, meandering trail through a variety of landscapes (with the pooch.) The only challenging part was trying to follow the trail shown here. We used the app to make sure we were taking the right path. Was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday late morning.
A great place for a quick day hike. A lot of flat trails with a mix of a few moderate paths such as the Stone Wall Path. I didnt hit up the ice cream shop but will do so on my next visit.The trails are a little confusing at first, but just make sure you have a map and a compass and you're golden.
There is ample parking for $2. Just pay at the main lot then head over to the smaller sized ones if you would like. A lot dogs which is a okay for me. It is always a great feeling hiking past a happy dog. Oh yeah! Watch out for horse droppings@ lol
A great hike angry highly recommend it.
This park has so many trails and they are well kept up. Also very dog friendly which was nice. The farm was a neat side trip
Brought my dog to Great Brook for the first time this morning. They do an excellent job keeping the paths clear. The main path is very spacious and good for kids, adults, dogs and horses alike. We did come across two people on horseback so if you bring a dog, be sure they have a good recall and don't chase the horses. There's also a cute dairy farm and ice cream stand where you can get farm tours.
Hike here almost daily. Great place for a quick nature walk.
Great trail. Followed the 4.9 mile loop trail. Goes through varying terrain; some elevation (nothing too tough), woods, fields, water. Really nice hike
This was a lovely hike. There were many choices of trail. It was our first time, so we will choose a trail farther away from civilization next time :) there was also a nearby farm that we would have checked out if we made it back in time. You have to pay 2 dollars for parking in the lot, and you have to be gone by dusk. There is a bathroom on the premises...always a plus for the ladies :) - Katie B
A great place for the family, and also a great set of running trails. Ran a 50K here in the fall of 2015, and the mixture of fields, woods, fire roads, single track was a great combination for the run.
Excellent hiking or walking trails. A working dairy farm is on park property and offers an ice cream stand for fresh homemade ice cream. Nice forested and marsh area trails offer great birding opportunities.
Wonderful trails!!
Great brook is great for trail running. We hit the trails every week here. You can be creative and mix them up - never get bored of the same loop.
A lot of fun for beginner mountain biking!
Took my 5 year old for his first time on trails with his bike. We had a blast. However, there were a lot of people out hiking and not paying attention. so it made it a little tough every so often when someone jumped in front of him.
Great Brook is one of my favorite places to hike. I have been coming here for more than 25 years. The loop trail indicated on the map gives a good overview of the park but there are also miles of side trails. The park has swamps so make sure to protect yourself against mosquitoes during warm seasons.
If you want to hangout and picnic there is an ice-cream stand (seasonal) and a picnic area close to central parking. The indicated loop is closed to hikers during cross country ski season. The trails are groomed for skiing and prices are affordable.
I snowshoe in another area of the park during the winter.
Nice easy wide trails for all ages. Clean and nicely managed. Great for families.Lots of space. This is a farm area that has a great ice cream stand, a farm tour during certain times of the year and wide easy trails for all ages. We saw young children in carriages, dogs, joggers, bikers, and a great area for picnics.
The trails are wide with a handfuls of small rocks and roots. There are areas for horses and canoeing as well. We walked the pine point loop which was very easy and filled with, yes, loads of pine trees. Check out the mass.gov link for more activity info, I just walked the trail.
It is adjacent to a pond named Meadow Pond that has several entry points along the loop. The trail is well marked and maps were available at the restroom area next to the parking lot.
We met a couple of the employees that work there taking care of the park and they were very helpful and friendly. The park is open year round as far as I can tell and they offer cross country skiing when possible. They offer rentals as well.
Nice afternoon, friendly people, had some good ice cream. Planning to go back in the future.
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/greatbrook.pdf
$2.00 to park
Great Brook is better for your long leisurely days, where you aren't looking to pound out anything fierce. The profile lists three miles but the actual availability of trails is something on the order of thirty odd.