The Town of Pepperell owns a little less than one mile of the rail bed in this location, purchased in June 2002 for Conservation with State Self-Help funds from the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services.

Though only a mile, it is a wonderfully picturesque walk along the Nashua River, past ponds, and through lovely woods. You can access it from the dirt driveway on River Road, which leads directly to the Town Forest and Picnic Area, or from Rt. 119, across from the Wilkins farm stand.

Yale St. also bisects the trail, but this private road has no parking area. Because a paved rail trail on the east side of the river provides a long stretch of recreational space, the Conservation Commission does not intend to modify this trail significantly from its current state.

It will provide access to fishing, short hikes, and nature observation (water birds such as Great Blue Herons and ducks are commonly seen, and turtles bask on logs in the ponded areas).

Stewart Brook cuts through two ridges, creating scenic views of the 42-acre hemlock forest and Brook. Various wildlife can be found here, including beaver, porcupine, fisher, fox, deer, hawks, and amphibians. This land connects with the Gulf Brook Conservation Area, with the Jeff Smith Trail running through both.

Follow Park St. away from Main St (Rt. 113) about 1 mile. Bear left onto Oak Hill St and follow for 1.3 miles. Turn right onto Lawrence St. and follow for another 1.3 miles. Look for the wooden sign for Stewart Brook on the left. Park at the Nashoba Conservation Trust on the right just before you reach this parcel.

The Town of Pepperell now owns this lovely 265-acre property, which has a Conservation Restriction held by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. The land features habitats for rare and endangered species, tranquil woods, and beautiful walking and hiking trails, including a Jeff Smith Trail section that connects Heald Pond to the south with the Gulf Brook Conservation Area to the north.

The section running through the scenic Gulf Brook ravine offers some of the most beautiful hiking in Pepperell. The trail into the ravine starts directly across Heald St. from Heald Pond. Once the trail enters the ravine a few hundred feet from the road, it becomes steep and narrow in places but is worth the effort, presenting views reminiscent of hiking trails in northern New Hampshire and Vermont.

Pepperell Springs can be accessed from several points: at the end of Heald Pond on Heald St. and via walking trails off Maple, Oak Hill, and Chestnut Streets. All trail entrances are marked with Conservation Land signs.

To reach the central parking lot for Pepperell Springs, from Town Hall (at the corner of Main St. and Park St.), take Heald St. (off Park) for about a mile to Maple St., then turn right. After about a quarter mile, Maple St. forks, with Maple St. continuing to the right and Chestnut beginning to the left. Follow Chestnut for about half a mile to just past where the road turns to gravel. A gravel parking area is located across from the old Pepperell Springs bottling building. You can enter the property across the street from the parking area along a gated dirt road or any of the marked walking trails along Chestnut St.

Nissitissit Meadows is 63 acres of town-owned conservation land boasting rolling agricultural fields, ponds, forested wetlands, floodplains, and Nissitissit River frontage. It's a pleasant 0.75-mile walk around the hay field to the left of the swale, along the long wetlands that protect its southern and western edges, and back to the parking area. A wooded trail adds another 0.5 miles into the woods on the right of the pond. Nissitissit Meadows also abuts Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife land and connecting trails. Birdhouses in the swale in the center of the meadow and the wetlands around the exterior of the field make Nissitissit Meadows a wonderful spot for watching bluebirds and sparrows. There are also bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, and hawks.

From Town Hall, take Park St. to Prescott St., follow Prescott across Brookline St. (or follow Brookline St. away from Hollis St. for 1.2 miles and turn right onto Prescott St.), and go for 0.3 miles to the parking lot for Nissitissit Meadows on the left.

The Conservation Commission holds two parcels on the Nashua River suitable for launching small boats and canoes. The first is an 8000-square-foot parcel on Canal St., a short distance from Main St., that abuts the river and provides canoe access for the Nashua River in the Pepperell Pond area. A very gradual, albeit very narrow, slope allows for a trailer launch of a small boat. The second canoe launch is located off River Rd. Follow signs leading to the Marion Stoddart Conservation Area. This area is off the main road and may be more convenient for leaving a car; however, the slope to the river is steeper and is appropriate only for a hand launch of a small boat or canoe.

For the first parcel, follow Main St. to Canal St. The launch is about 0.1 miles on the left with a wooden sign. Park on the side of the road near the river.

For the second parcel, follow River Rd. south from the town-center rotary 1.6 miles to the common dirt driveway for the Marion Stoddart Conservation Area, just across the street and north of the Town Forest and Picnic area. As the driveway arcs around to the other side of the oval track, take the second left. That leads to the river. Park near the launch, but not blocking it for others.

This 70-acre area includes woodlands and open fields, including a great hill for sledding, frontage on Sucker Brook, and a vernal pool. A walking trail leads around the perimeter of the property, bringing you through all its various habitats. Wildlife abounds here, including deer, fox, brook trout, and many birds such as bobolinks, blue birds, herons, kestrels, and hawks.

Follow Park St. away from Main St (Rt. 113) about 1 mile. Bear left onto Oak Hill St and follow for about 0.5 miles. Turn right into the dirt driveway at the sign for Keyes Conservation Area and park in the parking lot on the right side of the drive after crossing Sucker Brook.

This beautiful pond is surrounded by 32 acres of protected woodlands and a field. A trail runs along the length of the west side of the pond, then wraps around the southern tip and connects either with Heald Street Orchard or continues along the Jeff Smith Trail through the Blood Brook Ravine to Jewett St. If you take the pond trail to the Orchard, you can complete a loop by walking through the Orchard to Heald St. and then heading left for about half a mile along the street. Turtles, frogs, herons, hawks, and beavers (be sure to look for the beaver lodge) can be found in and around the pond. The trail begins gently but becomes rugged as it narrows and follows a steep rocky outcropping.

Across the road from the Heald Pond trailhead, you can take the trail to the left of the stream along the Gulf Brook ravine into the Pepperell Springs Conservation Area. Canoe or kayak access to Heald Pond is available from Heald St. The islands within the pond contain poison sumac—beware.

Go about 2 miles on Heald St. away from Pepperell Town Hall (corner of Main St. and Park St.) or about 0.5 miles past the entrance to the Heald St. Orchard. Park on the side of the road.

This beautiful 50-acre wooded parcel is home to hemlocks, beeches, and white pines, as well as a beaver pond and several streams. It surrounds Gulf Brook and includes a portion of the Jeff Smith Trail (blue dots). Deer, beavers, coyotes, foxes, warblers, flycatchers, and more can be found here.

Follow Park St. away from Main St. (Rt. 113) for about 1 mile until you reach the fork where Oak Hill St. bears left. Continue for approximately 1.5 miles and look for the wooden conservation sign. You can park on the roadside or, preferably, across the road on or near dirt Chestnut St.

The west side of this 72-acre parcel is mostly wooded with hemlocks, pines,oaks, and hickories and follows Gulf Brook toward its convergence with the Nissitissit River. Deer, fox, coyote, beaver, mink, and many different birds can be found here. The main access to the land is the above-pictured and easy to hike path off Bemis Rd. However, one of the loveliest sections of the Jeff Smith Trail (blue dots) runs through this land on the other side of Gulf Brook with access from the Nashoba Conservation Trust's Day Land off Lawrence St.. That 0.6 mile section of trail starting from Lawrence St. eventually connects with the Beaver Brook Association land in Hollis, NH.

The area to the north of Bemis Rd is the site of a former sand pit. It contains a trail circling through a young stand of aspen, birch, and pitch pine and offers a variety of wildlife. The sandy trail makes for easy hiking and a great spot for mountain biking and horseback riding. The trail connects with the Beaver Brook Association trails in Hollis, NH, along an old railroad bed.

The Bemis area contains one of the loveliest sections of the Jeff Smith Trail (blue dots), which runs through this land on the other side of Gulf Brook from Bemis Road. Access to that trail is through the Nashoba Conservation Trust’s Day Land, off Lawrence St.

Follow Brookline St. northwest toward the NH border. Go 1.4 past the intersection with Park St. Turn left onto Boynton Rd. and take your immediate right onto Bemis Rd. Go 0.7 miles to the dirt road on the left just before the Water Department building. Park on either side of the road.