Trails at Habitat

Explore more than 3 miles of trails at Habitat including the Weeks Pond Trail where you can explore the pond and meadow beyond. There is also the Western Greenway Trail, which runs 7 miles from Habitat to the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham. 

Near visitor parking, watch your children scramble on and over stumps, logs, and wood chip mounds in our nature play area, enjoy a picnic in the designated picnic area and explore our community garden.

Suggested Trail Routes

Turtle Pond Loop (All Persons Trail)

Length: 0.5 miles (from parking lot kiosk at the head of the Meadow Trail and back)
Details: Around the pond, in spring, look for skunk cabbage pushing up through the mud at the pond’s edge and the tiny yellow flowers of the wetland shrub spicebush. In summer, watch for turtles basking and listen for frogs calling and plopping into the water. Enjoy the colorful scenery in autumn. Look for animal tracks at the pond edge in winter.

The Turtle Pond Loop is an ADA-compliant, universally accessible All Persons Trail with an audio tour that can be activated by calling 617-449-7520. Wide, gently sloping path with a smooth, packed surface designed to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility devices, as well as baby strollers.

Highland Farm Loop

Length: 0.9 miles (from Highland Farm kiosk on Somerset Street and back)
Details: This trail traverses 45 acres of changing landscape. In the grassy meadow you might observe red cedars, butterflies, tree swallows and flickers. Beyond the meadow, pitch pine-oak woodland transitions into white and red pine forest, a favorite haunt of great horned owls.

Weeks Pond Trail

Length: 0.65 miles (from Lee’s Way trail head on Somerset Street and back)
Details: Listen for woodland birds like the wood thrush and red-eyed vireo. At the pond, covered in duckweed in summer, see a mother duckling leading her young, bullfrogs peeking through the tiny floating leaves, and damselflies skimming the surface. 

Weeks Meadow Trail

Length: 1.05 miles (from Nature Center kiosk and back)
Details: A continuation of the Weeks Pond trail after you reach the pond. Follow the signs for the Weeks Meadow Trail and look and listen for meadow birds including Baltimore oriole, bluebird, various sparrows and house wren. Sometimes our small herd of goats can be observed grazing in this meadow.

Western Greenway

Habitat is part of the Western Greenway, 1,200 acres of interconnected open space in Waltham, Lexington, and Belmont. View the Western Greenway map