Looking for a new trail to hike in Harvard? The “Conservation Trust” trail (also dubbed “The Muller Trail”) is a great one! You’ll find the marked trailhead and parking for about 4 cars just past 74 Littleton County Road. This land, donated by Erhart and Ruth Muller almost 50 years ago, is full of surprises! And if you picked up on “50 years ago…”, here’s a fun fact: Erhart Muller was one of the founders of the Harvard Conservation Trust back 50 years and this is the first land that was donated and is now part of hundreds of acres that’s been preserved for wildlife and our community.
You can spend hours here on foot or horseback. There are a couple of big, well-marked loops that have gradual inclines, so the difficulty is easy to moderate. It’s shady and dry, even after a hard rain! Head down the narrow trail to get started. In about a 1/4 mile you’ll pass an open, green field on the right; it’s a great picnic spot, just be sure to always “carry in-carry out”! Clearly this land was used for pasture and grazing many, many years ago because there’s a labyrinth of stone walls. At one spot, five come together! You’ll cross a bridge over a stream and wander into some mature yellow birch trees, showing off their paper-like bark. Here’s where the surprise comes: If you stayed to the right, you could cross over private property owned by National Grid and arrive at Horse Meadows Knoll, another Harvard Conservation Trust land and you would stumble upon the Horse Meadows Reservoir! Another fun fact: The Trust has been working to secure official rights from National Grid to connect these two lands. Then you will see official trails on your maps! (For now, you will have to enjoy these properties and their trail networks separately).
