Walden Pond Trail Guide: Following in Thoreau’s footprints
Walden Pond State Reservation is located in Concord, Massachusetts, about 20 miles from Boston. The site preserves where famed author Henry David Thoreau wrote his best-known book, Walden. Today, visitors can explore the area and get somewhat of a sense of what it was like to live there when Thoreau did.
I said somewhat of a sense above because if you are seeking the “tonic of wildness,” as he wrote about in Walden, you are in for a surprise. We arrived around 2:30 on a mid-week day in the dog days of summer. The parking lot was large and essentially full. There were a ton of people here. I was surprised but not too surprised by how busy it was. I mean, we were very near Boston.
- Trail Name: Walden Pond Loop
- Trailhead Location: Walden Pond State Reservation
- Distance: 1.9 Miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Elevation Gain: ~75 Feet
- Type: Loop
- Features: Lake, Fall Foliage
- Dogs: No
After paying a steep entrance fee for out-of-state plates, we headed to the visitor center. We watched the park movie and checked out a few historical displays there. We then decided to hike the pond trail.
Hiking around Walden Pond
The 1.9-mile loop trail hugs the shore of Walden Pond. Along the way, you follow in the footprints of Thoreau, who lived next to the pond for two years, two months, and two days from 1845 to 1847. Having read Walden years ago, I was excited to hike through where Thoreau journaled his thoughts on nature and society.
It was a beautiful day for a walk around the pond. Bright blue skies dotted with big white puffy clouds made it feel a little warm, but a breeze kept it from seeming too hot.
“I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship and three for society” – Walden, Visitors.
Replica of Thoreau’s Walden Lake Cabin
We started the hike by the replica cabin, which was built to look exactly like it was when he lived here and as it’s described in Walden. “I have thus a tight shingled and plastered house, ten feet wide by fifteen feet long, and eight-feet posts, with a garret [attic] anda closet, a large window on each side, two trap-doors, one door at the end, and a brick fireplace opposite.”
After crossing the road, we reached the loop and the main beach area. The park wants visitors to hike the trail only counterclockwise, so we headed to the right.
Fire-side
We soon came to the area Thoreau called his “fire-side.” That’s because it was the warmest part of the pond during the winter due to its continued exposure to the sun. He spent much time here enjoying the sun’s warmth on cool winter days.
“…the sun reflected from the pitch-pine woods and the stone shore, made the fire-side of the pond; it is so much pleasanter and wholesome to be warmed by the sun while you can be, than by an artificial fire.” – Walden
Thoreau’s Cove
Next, we came to Thoreau’s Cove, where he spent much of his time satisfying his scientific curiosities. He was the first to survey the depth of Walden Pond, which he estimated 102 feet. At the time, many locals in Concord simply thought the lake was bottomless. Years later, it became known that Walden Pond was the deepest natural lake in Massachusetts.
Thoreau’s Original Cabin Site
After the cove, we came to granite pillars that marked the footprint of Thoreau’s original cabin. It was pretty cool seeing where the replica would have perfectly fit. I could not help imagining him scribbling the day’s journal on his little green desk.
The trail continued to loop around the pond, and there were tons of songbirds along the way. It was very green while we were there, but I can imagine when the leaves change color in the fall, it is spectacular. The crowds thinned dramatically once we got to the backside of the loop. It appeared many people visiting were simply swimming at the main beach area. We spent a little over an hour hiking the trail.
If you are in the area, this is an excellent historical hike to check off your list. Also, make time for Minute Man National Historical Park, which is a few miles away.
