Introducing Marc Hurwitz, a local food and travel writer who runs the popular @hiddenboston. His writing appears regularly on NECN and Boston Globe Magazine, he can be heard on WBZ’s New England Weekend and Connoisseur’s Corner, and he’s a DJ for MSR, an online radio station that’s an offshoot of the old WBCN. Marc is also a longtime hike leader for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Marc will be writing about food spots in and around Lexington as well as hikes you can take in (or very near) town.
For those who love the great outdoors, a number of communities west of Boston are perfect for walks and hikes, thanks in part to some very forward-thinking zoning. Take Concord, Lincoln, and Weston, for example; you can basically park at a trailhead in any of these towns and spend the entire day walking through all three communities thanks to the extensive network of trails, many of which cross borders without your even knowing it.
Lexington’s network of trails is set up a bit differently since the town is much more developed and is also mostly cut off from those other communities by Route 128, but the highway actually helps make Lexington’s trail network more community-oriented, allowing people to walk from one outdoor space to another, all within the town itself.
Two of the most scenic conservation areas straddle either side of Mass. Ave. in East Lexington. West Farm and Great Meadows have a remoteness to them that’s quite impressive considering that they are only 10 miles from downtown Boston. They are easy to explore together.
Because both spaces abut residential areas, there are a number of possible starting points for a hike, but for the sake of simplicity, the corner of Mass. Ave. and Fottler Ave. just east of Lexington Toyota works well because it is on a bus line and plenty of street parking is available.
Walking up Fottler Ave. and taking a left onto Brandon Street just after the Minuteman Bikeway will take you to a little trail that marks the start of a route going along the circumference of the vast marshlands of Great Meadows.
Taking a right, the path gives nice glimpses of the meadows before it enters the woods and ends at Fottler, where you take a left. A very short walk will bring you to another trail to the left, which continues through the woods then opens up to some stunning views of what seem to be endless meadows, looking more like a scene out of Nebraska than a 200-acre park in the Boston suburbs.
After soaking up the scenery of this eastern section of the conservation area, continue on the trail, keeping the meadows to the left as you go past a handful of intersections. After passing a trail that leads to the old nursing home by Emerson Gardens, you’ll start to go over boardwalks, including the peaceful Lily Pond Boardwalk, which is a good place to do some bird watching, and Finger Marsh Boardwalk, which has more jaw-dropping views of the meadows from the other side. Immediately after this boardwalk you’ll climb to a vista just before the bikeway, and while the view used to be much better before the trees grew in, it is still a nice spot—and will basically marks your last real glimpse of Great Meadows before you take a left onto the bikeway.
By the way, did you notice any “Arlington” signs while in Great Meadows? It may seem strange, but Great Meadows is actually owned by Arlington even though it is located within Lexington, and residents of both towns play active roles in maintaining its pristine beauty.
You won’t be on the busy Minuteman Bikeway for long, taking a right by the little pond and tennis courts behind the Waldorf School and heading to Mass. Ave, taking a left for a few hundred yards until you see an old-timey brake and alignment shop across the street. Cross Mass. Ave. and walk up Oak Street until you see a sign marking the entrance to West Farm.
While it doesn’t have the name recognition of Great Meadows, West Farm is blessed with its own unique scenery, and chances are you won’t see many people here. Though it is relatively small (less than 15 acres), proximity to Wilson Farm makes it feel much bigger, especially from the trail that runs along the entire eastern edge of the farm’s fields. This unnamed path may in fact be one of the most scenic trails in all of Lexington, and it is certainly a good spot for taking a break to enjoy the unimpeded views below.
Once you get to the end of this path, take a left up into a little wooded area and then either go left on a trail that runs parallel to the one you were just on (and which is higher up, giving more great views) or another trail further up the hill that goes behind the houses on Carville Ave., which has extensive views of the open fields of the conservation area.
Once you leave West Farm at one of the two exits along Oak Street, you can call it a day if you want, walking down to Mass. Ave. and taking a right to your starting point. However, if you have time, you have a couple of pleasant options nearby, including Liberty Heights, a linear park that includes a little-used trail through a wooded area, and further east, Sutherland Woods, a forested plot of land that straddles the Arlington line.
By the way, you may be wondering about the signs in all of these conservation lands that say “ACROSS Lexington.” This is a 40-mile network of trails that gets us back to the earlier point — you can basically walk from open space to open space through town, seeing all the beauty that the community has to offer. And yes, you can certainly expect to read about more spaces in Lexington that this trail network goes through, so stay tuned!
More information can be found via the following links:
https://www.lexingtonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/449/Arlingtons-Great-Meadow-PDF
https://www.lexingtonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/440/West-Farm-PDF
very readable and very walkable!