The Crusher Lot is also known as the West Woods or the Ottoson Woods.

Located within a section of western Arlington encircled by Massachusetts Avenue, Quincy Street, Gray Street, Oakland Street, and Appleton Street, the Crusher lot is characterized by rugged, wooded terrain crisscrossed by unpaved paths. The Ottoson Middle School is located at the northwestern edge of this six-acre parcel. To a great degree, the undeveloped Crusher Lot contributes to the rustic appearance of residential areas that border it on the east, south, and west.

The Crusher Lot is an undeveloped parcel with a mature stand of oaks, maples, ashes, and other tree species. The underbrush includes wild brambles, pyracantha, and volunteer mock orange. Ground cover includes native species such as jack-in-the-pulpit and wood anemone but also introduced lily-of-the-valley and wood hyacinths, and too much poison ivy and garlic mustard. Downed trees are for the most part left as is, to decay and support the ecosystem.

The Crusher Lot is home to an unexpected abundance of wildlife, including foxes, coyotes, and the occasional deer, along with gray and black squirrels, raccoons, possums, screech owls, turkeys, woodpeckers, flickers, and many other species of birds. There’s also a shallow seasonal spring and a small vernal pool that provides water for the wildlife in the spring.