        
 | Property Description | 600 acres | Established 1993 | Long treasured by residents of Gloucester and neighboring towns, Ravenswood Park offers a tranquil wooded setting for walking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing along almost ten miles of trails and carriage paths. Visitors may enjoy the overlook to Gloucester Harbor and traverse a boardwalk through the Great Magnolia Swamp, home to native sweetbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana). A plaque marks the spot in the woods where naturalist Mason "The Hermit" Walton built his cabin in the 1880s. The history of Ravenswood Park begins in the late nineteenth century with Samuel Sawyer's plan to preserve woods in Gloucester. Over many years, Sawyer, a noted businessman and philanthropist, purchased woodlots, old pastures, and swamp near his home on Freshwater Cove. Upon his death in 1889, Sawyer left the land -- by then more than twenty-six parcels -- to a board of trustees to be turned into a park. Sawyer included an endowment and instructions that the park "be laid out handsomely with drive-ways and pleasant rural walks" and required that it be named Ravenswood, for the castle in Sir Walter Scott's The Bride of Lammermoor. Over the next twenty-five years, the Trustees of Ravenswood Park carried out Sawyer's vision and continued to acquire adjacent parcels of land. In 1993, the Trustees of Ravenswood Park transferred the property to The Trustees of Reservations. |
| | Trails | | 10 miles of trails and former carriage roads. Moderate hiking. Carriage roads are covered with dense crushed stone and are generally wheel-chair accessible. |
| | Literature | | Printed trail maps are distributed free from bulletin boards in parking areas. Please understand that supplies periodically run out. You may also download trail maps from this web site or mail order trail maps in advance of your visit. |
| | Quests | The fastest-growing family recreational adventure this side of the Atlantic comes to Ravenswood Park! The Hermit's Haven Quest is a treasure hunt through the trails—following the clues reveals the Hermit's tales. The Quest brochure is available at the parking lot bulletin board but we recommend that you download a copy by clicking here. This will give you a chance to look it over before you arrive. FREE to all. Allow two hours. Recommended for families (ages 8 and up). To learn more about the history of questing at Cape Ann, click here. |
| | Property Acquisition History | | Gift, with endowment, of The Trustees of Ravenswood Park in 1993. Additional endowment given through bequest of Edward Hyde Cox in 1998, and gifts of Dorothy Addams Brown. |
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Telephone:
978-526-8687 E-mail:
neregion@ttor.org When to Visit:
Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of 2 hours. Admission Fees & Permits:
Free to all. On-site donation welcome from nonmembers. Regulations / Advisories:
Dogs must be leashed in parking area.Dog waste must be disposed of properly – use waste barrel.Mountain biking permitted only on designated trails May 1 to February 28. Trails are closed March 1 to April 30 during muddy season. How to Get There:
From Route 128, take exit 14 (Route 133) and follow east towards Gloucester for 3 mi. until it dead ends into Route 127. Turn right onto Route 127 and follow for 2 mi. to entrance and parking area (12 cars) on right. Road Map:
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