Brewster's Woods (Mass Audubon)

Brewster's Woods (Mass Audubon)

Concord, Massachusetts 01742

Official Website
Brewster’s Woods map

About this Location

Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary is a 130-acre property along the banks of the Concord River. This historic site was formerly part of the country homestead of William Brewster (1851-1919), an early leader in American ornithology and curator at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the first President of Mass Audubon.

In the early 1890s, William Brewster purchased the 300-acre October Farm in Concord as a respite from his city life in Cambridge. Here he embarked on extensive fieldwork taking full advantage of the forest, meadows, and extensive wetlands on the banks of the Concord River. 

The sanctuary is predominantly forested with extensive wetlands on the eastern side and smaller wetlands throughout. Two sizeable meadows provide some open habitat, while the floodplain forest along the Concord River hosts the most abundant natural diversity found on the property. A large riverside marsh was created by William Brewster to provide habitats for ducks and other water birds.

Notable Trails

Explore 1.6 miles of trails at Brewster’s Woods Wildlife Sanctuary. The trails are easy to rugged and lead you through the shade of mature woodlands into open fields and along the edges of the Concord River floodplain. The trails are also great pathways for birding, photography, and sketching. 

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website

Last updated December 11, 2023