Le Tour du Watershed!

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Starting Point: The start is at the Harold Parker SF headquarters. From Rt 95, take Rt 114 west 10 miles to Harold Parker Road on the left; take it to the end, and the park headquarters is on the left.

• Go right out of the parking area, and right again onto Harold Parker Road.
• At the end of Harold Parker Road, you’ll turn right along busy Rte 114 for a ½ mile.
• Take a left onto Sharpners Pond Road – caution crossing Rt 114. Sharpners Pond Rd looks engineered to handle a lot of traffic; but it ends in a mile and half.
• (Straight ahead is a parking area for Boxford State Forest trailheads. There are excellent off-road trails through this area, which go across to Middleton Road in Boxford. For those who want to combine on- and off-road biking, please refer to the Boxford State Forest map and see the off-road biking section. When through to Middleton Road, go left to the junction with Main Street; turn right and pick up the main tour route.)
• For those wishing to stay on the paved roads, bear left onto Forest Street, a narrow, winding road through a residential area.
• After one mile, turn right on Lacy Street. This lovely twisting road leads through forest and past several farms, across the Boxford town line, where it becomes Brookview Rd, and merges onto Lawrence Road.
• Take Lawrence Rd almost ½ mile to a stop sign, where you’ll merge right onto Main Street in Boxford. Enjoy this lovely rural byway – also one of the flattest roads you’ll be on today! You are in the Fish Brook watershed – this being one of the largest and most pristine of the Ipswich River tributaries. The brook parallels Main Street not far to the right.
• After a mile, you’ll reach the Middleton Rd. junction, (a 4-way stop sign – caution). There is good fishing from the Fish Brook bridges, which you’ll find a short distance right on both Middleton Rd and Mill St.
• Follow Main Street into the beautiful historic district, going around a big bend to the left and immediately bearing left at the roadway triangle (historic Holyoke French House on the corner). The Boxford Store is just up on the left.
• After a quarter mile or so, turn right onto Depot Road, and follow it just over a mile to a sharp right turn onto Bare Hill Road. (Lowe Pond is behind houses on left just before the turn.) You’ll ride up a few short hills, and soon cross over Rt 95.
• Another 2 miles along this road, you’ll reach the entrance to the old landfill, now being turned into a park by the Town of Topsfield. Once open, it will provide a nice “short cut” between Bare Hill Road and Rt 97. The area along Pye Brook is especially nice. Riding across the park, you’ll exit on Hovey Road, which leads to Rt 97, where you’ll turn left.
• Until the park is complete, take Bare Hill Road to the end and make a sharp left onto Rt 97. Ride up to Hood Pond on the right (a parking area for the Topsfield beach and town forest is on the right shortly before you reach the pond.)
• Continuing a short distance farther north on Rte 97, turn right onto Pond Street, then shortly merge right again onto Boxford (Linebrook) Road, which hugs the northern shoreline of Hood Pond, offering great views of the pond. There is a small boat landing on the right as you enter Willowdale State Forest. This is a lovely and ecologically important area, and is well worth the time to explore by foot or by woods road. There are many miles of trails amidst the forested landscape, which is prime habitat for many species.
• (For those combining on- and off-road travel, you can go straight on Linebrook Road, crossing Rte 1. Just past the junction with Old Right Road on the right are trails in Willowdale State Forest which lead across to Ipswich Road in Topsfield, where you can pick up the main route.)
• For the on-road crowd, take Linebrook Rd, passing through a residential area for the next 1½ mi. to Plains Road on the right. Take this road ½ mile to the stop sign and turn left onto Old Right Road; follow to the stop sign at Rt. 1.
• You’ll turn right and follow Rt 1 for only 500 feet, but of course take great care along this very busy road. Just before the crest of the next hill, you’ll see a small street on the left, labeling this road both West Street and East Street! There is a crosswalk just beyond. We suggest crossing at the crest of the hill, where you’ll be able to see cars from both directions, and even more important, they’ll be able to see you.
• Take West/East Street ¾ mile to the junction with Wildes Road, with Willowdale State Forest land to your left the whole way.
• Turn left at Wildes Road – even though this becomes a dirt road (and unplowed in winter), it is a great route and also allows you to avoid a dangerous intersection. Wildes Road becomes Gravelly Brook Road at the Ipswich town line, taking you through part of Willowdale State Forest, along a bend of Howlett Brook and then along the western side of the pristine Gravelly Brook. This small brook flows more swiftly than most of the streams in the region, and is trout spawning habitat. The dirt road is not too long, and is well worth the bumps.
• The end of Gravelly Brook Road is at the Ipswich/Topsfield town line, just opposite the Ipswich River. (We finally got you there!!) This is a beautiful spot to take a break. (There is a footbridge across the road, leading across the river into Bradley Palmer State Park, an outstanding recreational and ecological gem. If you’re up for another off-road venture, a trail near the end of the footbridge leads up to Moon Hill – a nice ascent to a lovely spot. The Hamilton trail network provides off-road links from here all the way across town.)
• From Gravelly Brook Road, the main bike tour turns left onto Topsfield Road in Ipswich, and takes you along the northern shoreline of the river for the next couple of miles. This road can be busy at times, but the views are excellent. You’ll pass the Willowdale Dam and Foote Brothers Canoe Livery within ½ mile on the right.
• Continue another 2 miles to Mill Street and take a right. (The Ipswich town center is about 1¼ miles straight ahead, for your reference.) MILL STREET IS NOW CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC. TO CONTINUE ON THIS TOUR, CONTINUE ON RT 1A THROUGH IPSWICH, TAKE A RIGHT ONTO SOUTH MAIN STREET. CONTINUE SOUTH ON 1A (COUNTY ROAD) AT THE JUNCTION WITH 133. WALDINGFIELD ROAD WILL BE 1 MILE PAST THE JUNCTION. JOIN UP THE RIDE BELOW.
• Take Mill St. about ¾ mile, crossing the Ipswich River (one of the few riffles, or swift water sections). Take your next left onto Waldingfield Road. The scenery along both roads is outstanding. Appleton Farm is on the right side of Waldingfield Road. Just before the RR bridge, to the right is the Julia Bird Reservation of Essex County Greenbelt Association, including frontage on the Ipswich River.
• At the end of Waldingfield Road, turn left onto County Road (Rte 1A).
• Take your next right onto Lakeman’s Lane, and follow it almost a mile to the end.
• Take a left onto Rt 133, then your first right on Heartbreak Road, and follow it ¾ mile to the end.
• Take a right onto Argilla Road, and ride about 1¾ miles to the end of the road: Crane Beach. (Russell Orchard is on the right shortly after the Northgate Rd junction, if you’re in the market for cider, donuts, fruit, veggies, pie, etc.)
• Crane Beach is one of the most wonderful properties in Massachusetts, with miles of oceanfront, hundreds of acres of barrier beach, a fantastic trail through the back dunes all the way to the mouth of the Essex River, and amenities like a kiosk, bathhouse, showers, etc. There are also boat tours to Hog Island and Long Island, two beautiful islands in the Essex River estuary. There is a small fee to enter even for bikers (well worth it). Be aware, of course, of the greenheads which plague the place from early July to mid-August. (Hey, it’s still paradise!) This is about 30 miles from your starting point.
• Ready to hop back on your bike? Pedal back down Argilla Road, turning left onto Northgate Road.
• Follow this to the end, and turn right onto Essex Rd. (Rte 133).
• Take Essex Rd. 1¼ miles and turn left onto Candlewood Road (the golf course is on the corner).
• Follow Candlewood Road almost 3 miles (noting the change of names to Sagamore Street (not Sagamore Road), when you cross into Hamilton).
• When you reach a stop sign, turn right on Bridge Street, and then after a couple of miles, turn left on Miles River Road. (The Miles River crossing is just ahead on Bridge Street; this is one of the main tributaries in the lower Ipswich Watershed.) Miles River Road is just east of the exclusive Myopia Hunt Club.
• Go about a mile to the end, and turn right onto Larch Row. You’ll reach a four-way intersection where you cautiously cross (straight), continuing on Larch Row another 1.6 miles to Main Street (Rte 1A) in Wenham, where you’ll take a left. This can be a busy road at times.
• Ride past the beautiful village church on the right, and after another .2 miles, take the second right turn onto Cherry Street, then your first left on Cedar Street. Cedar Street skirts the northern end of Wenham Lake, a water supply reservoir for Salem and Beverly. Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Cedar Pond Sanctuary is on the right, also accessible from Cherry Street. You’ll reach Route 97 after 1.2 miles.
• [The J.C. Phillips Nature Reserve is ½ mile to the left, and the beautiful Moraine Farm (now owned by Project Adventure), another ½ mile south on Rte 97, provides a pretty, short loop on a dirt road through the farm property, along the western side of Wenham Lake.]
• Heading north (right) on Route 97, you’ll pass Cherry Street .6 miles north of the Cedar Street junction, and soon crest a hill with a view to the extensive Wenham Swamp, a forested wetland in the valley below.
• After 1.1 miles, you’ll reach the tricky junction with Rte 35 on the left and Wenham Road across. Use great care crossing here, as the sight line for cars coming from the north on Rte 97 is obscured by a hill.
• Pedal steeply uphill on Wenham Road; it’s narrow and twisting but follows a nice ridge for about a mile. At the end, take a right on Salem Road and reach Route 1 in less than ¼ mile.
• Cross Rt 1 with extreme care (poor sight line, especially to the left), and head down the hill past the beautiful “Sliding (sledding) Hill,” which borders the Ipswich River on the north side.
• Take a right at the bottom of the hill, and cross the river (good fishing and canoe landing), taking the first left onto River Road. River Road is an idyllic lane along the former Coolidge Estate, one of the premier properties in the Ipswich River Watershed. Thanks to MIT’s generosity, a conservation restriction preserves 570 acres of this outstanding land, with extensive frontage on the Ipswich River.
• (About a mile or so up River Road, you’ll pass Prospect Street on your right, which leads up over a hill and steeply down to Topsfield’s village, with shops, ice cream, etc.)
• Continue on River Road, bearing right at the junction with Rowley Bridge Road.
• Go straight across Washington Street, and follow River Road, crossing Fish Brook and passing under Rte 95, until you reach Middleton Road in Boxford.
• Turning left, you will skirt the eastern side of the Boxford State Forest/ Bald Hill area. There are several trailheads to link you to the off-road tracks leading back to Sharpners Pond Road, if that is your inclination. The trail network on both sides of Middleton Road offers opportunities to get off your bike and walk a bit if you’d like. There is a good map at the trailhead just north of the River Road junction on Middleton Road.
• For on-road travel, continue south on Middleton Road to the junction with Endicott Street/ East Street Middleton. Turn right. You’ll soon reach Thunder Bridge crossing the Ipswich River. The Middleton town beach is on the left, a small sandy beach at a scour hole in the river. Nice spot to cool off on a hot day.
• Take the next right onto Peabody Street. You’ll soon reach the Ipswich River crossing – another wonderful spot for a break if you need one. There is another off-road access into Boxford State Forest via a public right-of-way just past the river on the right – though it looks like a private driveway, and the horse farm owners don’t encourage the public to use it. It’s a beautiful route, but rough in spots.
• The main tour route continues on Peabody Street to the end, and turns right onto Liberty Street. Take Liberty Street to School Street, and turn left.
• (As an alternative, you can follow Liberty Street to the end, passing pretty Pritchard Pond along the way. There is an unpaved section. Liberty ends at Sharpners Pond Road, where you can turn left and retrace the beginning of the trip back to your car.)
• Turning onto School Street, follow it to the end and turn left on Essex Street.
• Essex Street ends at Rt 114, a busy road. Cross with great care, turning right up the hill on Forest Street, which is just opposite. Forest Street leads to Marblehead Street in North Reading. You’ll see a sign leading to Harold Parker on the right – if you’ve had enough, turn right and this will lead over a rutted section of road back to the start.
• But if you’d enjoy a few more miles, there is a nice section yet to come. Marblehead Road leads past another section of the state forest, with a nice view of Bradford Pond downhill on the right. (A trail on the east side of the pond leads back to the headquarters.)
• At the junction with Haverhill Street, turn left.
• Turn right on North Street, and follow to the junction with Central Street.
• Turn right, passing Hillview Golf Course on the left. You’ll pedal through a nice residential area, entering Andover and will soon see Field Pond on the right.
• Just after passing the back of the State Police Barracks (brick building on left), turn right onto Harold Parker Road. This is a beautiful section of the state forest, passing between Field Pond and Collins Pond. A number of trails leave from this section of the road.
• You’ll go to a stop sign at the end of the road, then go straight across and past the gate, onto Berry Pond Road. This pond, on the right, has a small public swimming, picnic area and gazebo. Just after the beach, the road intersects Middleton Road; turn right, and you’ll soon reach the headquarters on your left.