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Start your season with a trek at a nature preserve
Published: April 8, 2007
For those who are just dusting off their hiking boots for spring, the J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve in Beverly is a stress-free spot perfect for a start-of-season trek. The 85-acre property, located off Route 97 in Beverly, has almost six miles of easy-grade trails for hiking, biking or dogwalking.
Much of the reservation borders Wenham Lake, which serves as the water supply for Beverly and Salem. A winding, steep-sided esker - a long ridge of sand and gravel deposited by a river that once ran under a melting glacier - looms over the lake. A trail runs along the top of the esker, which serves as a natural viewing platform from which to watch sandpipers, herons, egrets, ducks and geese that make the lake their habitat. Rest on a wooden bench and take in the scenery before continuing the loop back to the trailhead.
While J.C. Phillips' trees - white pines, Canadian hemlocks and oaks - are common to the region, the preserve's wildflowers are said to be the most varied in Beverly. Maple-leaved viburnum, pink lady's slipper, partridgeberry, flowering wintergreen, Canada mayflower, Solomon's seal, Indian cucumber root and baneberry can be found throughout, according to the Beverly Conservation Commission, which manages the property.
The park's history is also interesting. The famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead designed part of the Phillips estate and that of Moriane farm, which borders the property. Olmstead's original carriage path runs along the lake, just below the esker, according to the Conservation Commission.
At the reservation's high point, you'll find the remains of a home that belonged to the Phillips family. The house was destroyed by fire in 1968 and what remains is a concrete and iron gate and several foundations, overgrown with weeds.
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Staff writer Larry Claflin Jr.'s MOVE-ING column featuring hiking, biking, skiing, running and the like is published each Sunday. E-mail him at lclaflin@eagletribune.com.
If you go
r Where: J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve, Route 97, Beverly
* Size: 85 acres
* What to do: Hiking, dogwalking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing (swimming, boating and fishing are prohibited in Wenham Lake).
Much of the reservation borders Wenham Lake, which serves as the water supply for Beverly and Salem. A winding, steep-sided esker - a long ridge of sand and gravel deposited by a river that once ran under a melting glacier - looms over the lake. A trail runs along the top of the esker, which serves as a natural viewing platform from which to watch sandpipers, herons, egrets, ducks and geese that make the lake their habitat. Rest on a wooden bench and take in the scenery before continuing the loop back to the trailhead.
While J.C. Phillips' trees - white pines, Canadian hemlocks and oaks - are common to the region, the preserve's wildflowers are said to be the most varied in Beverly. Maple-leaved viburnum, pink lady's slipper, partridgeberry, flowering wintergreen, Canada mayflower, Solomon's seal, Indian cucumber root and baneberry can be found throughout, according to the Beverly Conservation Commission, which manages the property.
The park's history is also interesting. The famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead designed part of the Phillips estate and that of Moriane farm, which borders the property. Olmstead's original carriage path runs along the lake, just below the esker, according to the Conservation Commission.
At the reservation's high point, you'll find the remains of a home that belonged to the Phillips family. The house was destroyed by fire in 1968 and what remains is a concrete and iron gate and several foundations, overgrown with weeds.
nnn
Staff writer Larry Claflin Jr.'s MOVE-ING column featuring hiking, biking, skiing, running and the like is published each Sunday. E-mail him at lclaflin@eagletribune.com.
If you go
r Where: J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve, Route 97, Beverly
* Size: 85 acres
* What to do: Hiking, dogwalking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing (swimming, boating and fishing are prohibited in Wenham Lake).
* Directions: Take Route 114 East to Route 62 East, toward Beverly. Follow for 6.9 miles and turn right on Route 97 North (Cabot Street). The property's entrance is half a mile up on right. Street parking is limited.
