Thoreau kind of annoys me sometimes. In the age of the Pony Express he made a big deal about camping in his backyard and talked about living simply while sending his laundry out… which I guess is a pretty simple thing to do. Still though, if it weren’t for him (and Don Henley) Walden Pond would probably have condos all around it. So, thank-you Hank.

Walden as it stands is a pretty cool place. Other than the main beach (which they occasionally have to close down due to diaper rash epidemics) the water is clean. The two-mile trail around it is well-maintained, and the ticks are nowhere near as bad as they are in Connecticut.

The downside of Walden is having to pay for parking which I think is like seven bucks now. Easy way around that: ride in. The pond is a short and relatively flat fifteen miles from CrossPoint.

Full directions: Follow the Bruce Freeman trail all the way to the end and take a left onto 225 followed by a quick right onto Blane St which becomes West St before becoming Westford Rd. Then it’s a right turn onto Lowell Rd for a couple of miles (heavier traffic) before taking a right onto Keyes, a left on Main and a quick right onto Walden. Follow Walden a couple of miles to cross Rt 2 at the lights and Walden Pond is less than half a mile up. Bike racks available.

If you’d like to preview the ride just to make sure you’ve got it all down please watch the video from the comfort of your stationary bike. Enjoy.