Trail Guide - Mary Shepherd Open Space
Map |
JPG format (701KB) |
Location |
Off Snow Terrace. |
Parking |
Access is at the intersection of Snow Terrace and Woodridge Road, where white trail markers are located on trees. Directional signs are posted at sharp turns. Park on the edge of the road at Snow Terrace. |
Acreage |
20.3 |
Description |
Mary Shepherd Open Space features a one-mile trail through woodlands and a meadow within 20.3 acres of town-owned land. Follow the white markers between the houses at Snow Terrace. The area may look like a yard, but it is town property. The trail follows a forested ridge (called a glacial esker) easterly toward the Westford town line. The trail proceeds northerly down the side of the ridge to an old farm road, which leads to the open field. The trail makes a circular route (follow the worn area in the grasses) around the rear of the new homes to a wet part of the field and into woodlands to a brook. A footbridge crosses the brook. The trail then proceeds up hill to the top of the hill where a parking area is to be constructed in the near future off Powers Road. |
Trails |
1.0 mile |
Features |
Look for the following features of interest:
|
History |
The name Mary Shepherd was associated with the name of the farm that existed on the site prior to the housing development. Mary Shepherd was a girl who lived near this location in the mid-1600s with her family. During the King Phillip War, the Indians killed her family and she was taken captive. She was later rescued. In August 2001, Great Road Development LLC deeded the land to the Town as an Open Space Parcel as part of the development of Mary Shepherd Estates, a subdivision of new homes. |
Cautions |
Wet areas (hiking boots recommended). |
Managed by |
Littleton Conservation Commission |