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Walden Pond, Concord, MA

Photo: Erik Granlund, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

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Walden Pond

Walden Pond is an outdoor activity in Concord, MA, part of the Boston guide. Cost: $25 to $50.

915 Walden St · Concord, MA

Why you should go…

Walden Pond is a kettle hole pond formed by retreating glaciers 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, now protected as a state reservation. Henry David Thoreau lived on its northern shore for two years starting in the summer of 1845, and the stay became his 1854 book Walden. You can swim, boat, fish and walk the trails that ring the pond, and granite posts mark the site of his cabin. A visitor center that opened in 2016 sits across Route 126, and a replica of his one-room cabin stands on the grounds.

  • #thoreau
  • #swimming
  • #hiking
  • #state park
  • #literary landmark

What's around here?

The closest stops to Walden Pond, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Minute Man National Historical Park

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  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Lexington Battle Green

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    Walk the town common where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired on April 19, 1775.

    5.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Hilton Garden Inn Boston-Burlington

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    A 180-room Hilton Garden Inn off Interstate 95 in Burlington, about 14 miles from downtown Boston, with an indoor pool.

    7.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Nashoba Valley Ski Area

    $25–$50

    A family ski and snowboard area near Boston with 17 trails, a terrain park and a tubing park.

    9.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Free

    Arnold Arboretum

    Free

    Walk 281 acres of trees, shrubs and lilacs in Harvard's arboretum, a free link in Boston's Emerald Necklace.

    15 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Boston Public Garden & Swan Boats

    Free

    America's first public botanical garden, weeping willows, the Make Way for Ducklings statues, and famous Swan Boats.

    15 mi awayMore like this