Borderland State Park is one of those places in your own backyard you don’t even know it exists until you stumble upon it by accident. This is what happened to me with this unique area of publicly owned land in eastern Massachusetts near the towns of Sharon and Easton.

If you have a few hours to spare on a weekend afternoon and enjoy visiting and walking around a mix of habitats that support a wide variety of wildlife then don’t wait as long as I did before you pay Borderland a visit. You’ll be surprised and delighted at what you’ll discover in this hidden gem close to Boston and the Cape.

The unique geological formation of the area which borders rising hills to the north and flatter land to the south means the park includes woodlands, fields, and ponds teeming with wildlife, and plenty of nature trails through wildflower areas.

Though today managed by the Massachusetts Parks and Services Borderland was created in the early 1900s by artist and suffragist Blanche Ames and her botanist husband Oakes. The park encompasses an area of just under 1,800 acres and also includes the family three-storey mansion built in 1910 which is open for scheduled tours.

The park is open daily year round from 8:00am to sunset.

Your first stop should be at the Lawrence Newcomb Visitors Center where you can pick up a trail map and get oriented on what to see during your stay. At weekends and on summer months you can walk around exhibits in the main room and learn about the history of the area and the Ames family.

Borderland State Park has over 20 miles of hiking trails, including a section of the Bay Circuit Trail. There are no less than six ponds to explore. Most visitors start with the easy three mile pond loop trail which is made up of old farm roads and paths through hay fields. The other park trails range from moderate to difficult hiking. The distances and difficulty are labeled on the trail map.

Mansion Tours are offered on the third Sunday of the month between April and November, from 1pm to 3pm, at a cost of $3. Here’s a list of activities from the parks site you can enjoy while visiting:

Hiking – pick up a trail map at the Visitors Center or on line to plan your visit.

Family Biking – families enjoy biking on the three mile pond loop.

Mountain Biking – most trails are available for mountain bike use. Restrictions are on the pond edge, swamp and quiet woods trails.

Picnicking- Picnic tables are provided near the Visitors Center. Groups of twenty people or more must obtain a permit from the park supervisor. Alcoholic drinks are not permitted.

Birding – Borderland has many different landscapes, therefore a variety of birds live and migrate through the park. Spring and fall migrating waterfowl frequent Lower and Upper Leach Ponds.

Photo Opportunities – The gardens, mansion, water areas and rural landscape are exciting areas to photograph year-round.

Fishing – Fishing is allowed at Borderland. Massachusetts fishing regulations must be applied. The ponds are accessible only by foot. Bass, perch, pickerel and sunfish are frequently caught. Borderland’s ponds are not stocked.

For more information about the park and for directions visit the web site at: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/borderland/index.htm

And if you’re looking for additional suggestions for trips in the area check out my special Massachusetts destination page by clicking here.

Check back soon for more ideas and events to see in New England, or why not just subscribe to my RSS feed to get automatic notification of news, events and out of the ordinary destinations from the region.

Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director
New England Vacations Guide

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2. Boston Harbor Islands – A Park within a Park
3. Mount Tom State Reservation – Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts
4. Canobie Lake Park – The 100-Year-Old Theme Park
5. Fall Foliage in Acadia National Park