Quabbin Reservoir & The Trustees: Bear’s Den

A black, white, and dark blue striped header image with the text Quabbin Reservoir & The Trustees: Bear’s Den

On the same day I made quick history stops in Petersham, MA, I visited Quabbin Reservoir and the conservation site Bear’s Den, which is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. These quiet walks allow visitors to enjoy nature while offering glimpses of the industrial past.

A dirt path lined with autumn trees runs parallel to water with a tall hill in the background The dirt path is lined with large autumn trees on the left and smaller trees on the right. The water on the right is sparkling and clear. A beach with dark brown sand fades into tall grasses and then a woods with autumn trees in orange, red, and green.

Quabbin Reservoir is a massive supplier of drinking water to about three million people in Massachusetts. The reservoir has a capacity of 412 billion gallons (1.560 trillion liters) of unfiltered water. The 181 miles (291 km) of shoreline surrounding the reservoir are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk, although pets are not allowed in order to protect the water. I visited on a sunny day in October when the colorful leaves reflected onto the sparkling water. The trail where I walked was once the site of the Swift River Branch of the Boston & Albany Railroad. Also called the Rabbit Run, the branch was 47 miles (76 km) long and traveled between Springfield and Athol.

A sky blue sign with a white t logo on the lower right and bright yellow-green text reading "Bear’s Den" at top A sign under a wooden overhang. The sign includes maps, photographs of wildlife, and text about the history and ecology of the area A kiosk with an overhang. The sign includes a trail map, landscape photographs, and information about the history and ecology of the area.

In 1935, the railroad tracks were removed as part of the Swift River Act of 1927. This law ordered people living in the Swift River Valley, including the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott, to leave by 1938 when the valley would be flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir. These “ghost towns” are now underwater, although foundations of some buildings dot the shore. The children’s book Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen published in 1992 detailed the fictionalized account of a girl whose town was drowned and remains one of the best resources for understanding the event.

A wooden post with three metal signs. The signs point to trailhead parking, the falls, and the mill site. Sparkling blue water under a clear blue sky. The trees and shrubs on the shore frame the water Black glacial rocks of varying size.

Nearby in New Salem, MA, the area now known as Bear’s Den once used the Middle Branch of the Swift River to power an early industrial mill. The stone walls of the buildings remain in the area, but the machines are long gone. During spring, a waterfall drops 12 feet (3.66m) into the rocky creek, but when I visited in the fall, the water was mostly dried up. I wonder if the rerouting of Swift River into Quabbin Reservoir, which is a few miles downstream, caused this change in water levels.

A narrow stream flows through sparse forest amid dark, jagged rocks. Short stone walls about four feet in height stand perpendicular to a narrow stream. Stone walls about 8 feet tall form a rectangle with a 5 foot wide opening at one corner. A man who is just under 6 feet tall stands in the entrance as a size reference.

Bear’s Den gets its name from the divots in the rocks near the waterfall. A black bear had been killed in the area, although it seems unclear if the bear was living in the divots. The other piece of local legend from this site happened in 1675 during King Philip’s War when the Native American leader Metacomet, called “King Philip” by colonists, met with other leaders to coordinate an attack on the nearby colonial settlements of Deerfield, Hadley, and Northampton. Bizarrely listed as a “Fun Fact” on signage, this information instead reminded me that animosity between indigenous people and colonists occurred regularly throughout the colonial period. While visiting Cogswell’s Grant operated by Historic New England, I saw a “witness bowl” recovered from a raid on Deerfield in 1704, almost thirty years after the event at Bear’s Den.

A hole in the rock wall to the left of a trickling waterfall. The walls are made of dark stone and surrounded by young trees, likely less than a hundred years old. The stone wall is obscured by several trees and ferns

Bear’s Den is open from dawn to dusk throughout the year. A small parking for three to five cars is located at the trailhead. The trail is only 0.25 miles (0.40 km) in length on 6 acres (0.02 sq km) of land but can be difficult to navigate, as the terrain is steep and rocky. I do not recommend the branch to the waterfall for families with children under eight years old or those with limited mobility. While dogs are permitted on the property, most dog breeds would have difficulty walking the trail. Adventurous hikers may enjoy this short trail to practice technique while local histories may opt to visit just the mill site.

Location: Bear's Den, 60 Neilson Rd, New Salem, MA 01355, USA

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