Mystic Link Trail

Mystic Link Trail

A vibrant network of connected open spaces between the Merrimack Valley and Mystic River watershed into Boston.

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Swan Pond

One of the large beaver-created lakes that is too far from houses to create trouble for humans.
Beaver here are free to engineer as they wish.
Another lake in formation by beavers. It is true that beaver dams kill trees, but they also created great habitat for water birds and other water-dependent critters.
Swan Pond is a typical mix of evergreens, hardwoods, and many types of shrubs.
The forests are mixes of pines, maple, and oak.
The old stone walls at Swan Pond remind us that this was once all farmland.
There is a an understory of small pines below the canopy.
Look for some impressive boulders, glacial erratics, left by the ice age.
The large lake is not accessible and has many very large houses on its shores.
Some areas of the forest have just towering pines overhead.

Swan Pond in North Reading is a water supply lake, but is also a large natural area with many other ponds, wetlands, and great walking trails. While the big lake is off limits at least on of the other ponds has spectacular beaver activity where these critters are creating their own ponds and lakes.

/* NORTH ANDOVER */ NORTHANDOVER /* ANDOVER */ ANDOVER /* TEWKSBURY */ TEWKSBURY /* WILMINGTON */ WILMINGTON /* NORTH READING */ NORTH READING /* READING */ READING /* BURLILNGTON */ BURLINGTON /* WAKEFIELD */ WAKEFIELD /* WOBURN */ WOBURN /* STONEHAM */ STONEHAM /* WINCHESTER */ WINCHESTER /* ARLINGTON */ ARLINGTON /* MEDFORD */ MEDFORD /* SOMERVILLE */ SOMERVILLE /* RIVERS */ MERRIMACK RIVER MYSTIC RIVER /* DOTTED LINES */ /* BOXFORD */ BOXFORD FORESTWINDRUSH FARM /* HORN POND */ HORNPOND /* MILL POND */ MILLPOND /* FELLS */ MIDDLESEXFELLSWEST & EAST /* SWAN POND */ SWANPOND /* QUANNAPOWITT */ LAKE QUANNAPOWITT /* MARY CUMMINGS */ MARY CUMMINGSPARK & WHISPERINGHILL WOODS /* LANDLOCKED */ LANDLOCKEDFOREST /* SAWMILL */ SAWMILL BROOK /* BARE MEADOW */ BAREMEADOW /* MAILLET */ MAILLETTHELIN /* READING FOREST */ READINGTOWN FOREST /* CHANDLER */ CHANDLERWELL FIELDS /* ROGERS */ ROGERSPARK /* TEWKSBURY */ TEWKSBURYSTATEHOSPITALPARKS /* WILM FOREST */ WILMINGTON TOWNFOREST /* GOLDSMITH */ GOLDSMITHFOSTER’SWILKINSON /* HAROLD P */ HAROLD PARKERSTATEFOREST /* WARD HILL */ WARDHILL /* POMPS */ POMPSPOND /* INDIAN BAKER */ INDIANBAKER’SDOYLE /* FISH HAMMOND*/ FISH BROOKHAMMONDBALD HILL /* RETELLE */ RETELLERESERVATION /* JAMES WOODCHUCK */ JAMES SWAMPWOODCHUCK HILL /* TOWN BRUIN */ TOWN FARMBRUIN HILLFARNSWORTHFOSTER FARM /* OSGOOD*/ OSGOODWEIR HILL /* CARTER MAZURENKO */ CARTER HILLMAZURENNKO FARM /* LUBBERS*/ LUBBERSBROOK /* CANAL*/ DOG PARK &MIDDLESEX CANAL /* MENOTOMY*/ MENOTOMYROCKS /* MYSTIC*/ MYSTICLAKES /* SOMERVILLE RAIL TRAIL*/ RAIL TRAIL /* IPSWICH RIVER PARK */ IPSWICHRIVER PARK /* LAKES */ /* DOTTED LINES */ /* LABELS */ NEARBY OPEN SPACES BAYCIRCUITTRAIL THE MYSTICLINK TRAIL

More Resources:

There are no links to Swan Pond on the North Reading town website, nor from any others. The trails are listed in AllTrails, but not featured. But this is a lovely place.

Mystic Link Trail • 2025

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