Walden Pond

Directions to Parking for Walden Pond

In New England, if not all across America, if you live and breathe, the shortest route to Walden Pond is in your genes.  Leaving nothing to chance, however, we offer this navigational refresher.

But first let us say that, although Walden's sixty-two acres make it the largest body of water in the Reservation, it's not the only one, nor is it necessarily the most scenic. Little Goose Pond and several smaller, less well known bodies also have much to recommend themselves. So, acting on the premise that everyone who hasn't visited Walden on their own will one day, the Pond's not our focus; we use it as a gateway to off-the-beaten-track destinations in Lincoln and Concord like Pine Hill, Emerson's Cliff, the Adams Woods, Fairhaven Hill and its magnificent bluffs, the Sudbury River, and Fairhaven Bay.

All of this comes with a price tag; much to our regret, the State imposes a machine-collectable parking fee ($5 when last we visited) on users of the Walden Reservation lot. There are several strategies for minimizing the toll's impact. One is to become a senior citizen, obtain a free pass (good for all state parks), and remember to bring it. Another is to car pool from Concord-Carlisle High or Fairyland. Yet another is to interpret the fee as a means of regulating summertime traffic and assume the regulating body's intent was to encourage off-peak use by waiving it at other times of year. Let your conscience be your guide.

From Route 128/95

Take Exit 29B for Route 2 west (toward Concord, Fitchburg, etc.). After something like 3.5 miles, Route 2 turns sharply left at a set of lights; stay on it (i.e., go left) and drive about another mile to Walden Street (Route 126). There are signs here denoting this as the exit for Walden Pond; go left, taking the sign's advice, and drive about a quarter mile to the Walden Reservation parking lot entrance (on the left).

Alternate routes

For those who are Route 128 averse, some viable options are:

From Lexington: Massachusetts Avenue to Route 2A (or drive 2A from downtown) to Route 2, turn right and go west on Route 2 to Walden Street (Route 126), then exit left on Walden Street and proceed a quarter mile or so to the parking lot.

From points south: From Waltham, Weston, Lincoln and other points south, drive Routes 20 or 117 to Route 126 north, take 126 to Walden Pond and, almost precisely across from it, turn right into the parking lot.

From points north: From Bedford and Burlington, take Route 62 to the fork at Pine Hill Farm in Concord, go left onto Old Bedford Street, and continue to Route 2A (Lexington Street) at historic Merriam’s Corner. Turn right on Lexington Street, drive about a mile to Heywood Street (on the left), turn left onto Heywood, drive a stone's throw to the stop sign at Walden Street, turn left again, then drive about 0.9 miles to Route 2, cross it, and continue a short distance to the parking lot.

*** Good Luck !!! ***

For those navigating to the start with MapQuest or a GPS system:

955 Walden St, Concord, MA 01742 or N42 26.408, W71 20.054

 To contact us call 978-808-0900