Latest Stories, Events, Activities, Camps & Recipes

Join the Trustees for an evening journey up Holt Hill under the light of the full moon. Together, we will trek up the trail as night falls, and gather at the top beneath the moon & stars. Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and unique tastes of evening in the magic of Ward Reservation. We will share stories and tales about the moon and its effect on people throughout time.

Join the Trustees to celebrate National Trails Day with a guided hike of Ravenswood Park in Gloucester. On this intermediate hike, you will enjoy a ~3 mile loop with moderate elevation gain, as you are guided up the rocky and narrow Ledge Trail up to a scenic overlook of the harbor and then descend via the broader and flatter Salem Road carriage path trail. You’ll pass through an old quarry, rocky trails lined with beech, pines, ferns, and rare wetland plants. This glacier-shaped landscape provides shelter for a variety of wildlife, look for scat, tracks and dens along the trail! Our naturalist guides will share the human and natural history of this property, including how the Trustees maintains the properties many trails for all to enjoy.

One of the best was to enjoy the natural beauty of the Massachusetts North Shore is kayaking the placid waters of the Great Marsh—the largest continuous stretch of salt marsh in New England, extending from Cape Ann to New Hampshire. The Castle Neck peninsula on the Crane Estate is a vast barrier beach that protects the tidal estuary of the Essex River basin. Running along its back side is the Castle Neck River, a superb location for paddlers of all skill levels to explore these sheltered waters.

Coastal exploration with a side of shipwreck! Participants will be guided on a Castle Hill hike to Steep Hill Beach, where we will explore the beach and discover treasures washed up by the waves. Piece together clues to learn what is living under the sand and below the water line. We will use field guides to identify shells, egg cases, seaweed and more to tell the story of what creatures inhabit the beach. We will also share the fascinating tale of the schooner Ada K Damon, wrecked on Steep Hill Beach in 1909. Participants will have the chance to search for remnants of the shipwreck and make observations and measurements of what they find.