Shaker Conservation Lands

Starting from Ann Lees Road, this trail travels through tall pines and boulders and crosses a wet meadow near Ayer Road. The trail serves as a useful connector for townspeople living on Ayer Road, Old Mill Road and Glenview Drive. There’s also an option to connect with Holy Hill from Ann Lees Road. The trail is not suitable for horses in the wet areas or over the bridge.

Holy Hill – The “Holy Hill of Zion” is the name of the worship area created on this land by the Harvard Shaker community from 1842 to 1843. Community members cleared, leveled and fenced off half an acre of land on high ground, planted a double row of maple trees around it, and placed a special “Lord’s Stone” within the fenced-in area. Elaborate religious ceremonies were held on Holy Hill.

Following the trail from South Shaker Road, you will come to the area where part of the uniquely designed fence was reconstructed after the land was purchased by the Conservation Commission in 1972.

From the Holy Hill of Zion, there are three trail options. The first trail leads down Maple Lane, where adjacent private fields are preserved under an agricultural preservation restriction. Walking toward Shaker Village, you will pass by a bridge constructed of massive granite blocks. The bridge reaffirms a Shaker precept, “Do your work as if you had a thousand years to live, and as if you were to die tomorrow.”

The second trail eventually runs along Bennetts Brook, which the Shakers turned into a small canal. From there, the trail leads to Shaker Road.

The third trail goes directly to Ann Lees Road, where you can connect with Blomfelt. For a longer walk, connect with the Poor Farm Conservation Area.