Features

Land at Headwaters Conservation Area that was once cleared for farming is now growing back with young saplings and thick meadows of ferns. (Image: Greg Stone)

Although it’s located just outside the city of Fall River, Headwaters Conservation Area’s impressive array of habitats feel far from any urban area. Explore dense hardwood forests, forested wetlands, and former farmland, where young trees and ferns are reclaiming the fields. This property is also known for its flowers in the spring, including wild roses and dogwood trees.

Trails

Headwaters Conservation Area has approximately 2.5 miles of trails that wind through diverse woodland habitats. The red trail is the property’s central walking path, with a loop at its far side and smaller side trails offering extensions to your walk. (Download trail map)

The red trail slopes gently upward as it leaves the parking area and enters the woods. After about a quarter mile, the trail passes through a striking stand of young white pines with ramrod-straight trunks. Hop onto the blue or yellow trails, which branch off from the red trail close to the parking area, for an excursion through bird-filled forested fields.

Stay on the red trail to continue on this easy-to-follow loop through the woods. The green trail, which is part of the loop at the far end of the red trail, brings you close to the wetlands of Bread and Cheese Brook; as the weather warms in spring, you might hear the calls of frogs coming out of hibernation.

Habitats & Wildlife

The trails at Headwaters Conservation Area pass through several fields where plants and trees are growing back after being cleared for farming in the past. These fields are particularly beautiful in spring and summer, when a dense meadow of ferns glows bright green beneath the young trees. The open space between these trees is a great place to stop and look for birds.

True to its name, Headwaters Conservation Area helps protect the headwaters of Bread and Cheese Brook, an important coldwater stream that feeds the East Branch of the Westport River. Protected forests like these help filter out pollutants, preventing them from entering streams like Bread and Cheese Brook and ultimately Buzzards Bay.

Property Owned By

Westport Land Conservation trust

The Westport Land Conservation Trust is a nonprofit corporation that has worked since 1972 to acquire and preserve natural resources, farmland, and wildlife areas for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.