Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area

Located along the Merrimack River, the 103-acre Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area includes oxbows, back channels, and high terraces that host a dynamic collection of overlapping natural communities. A walk down the Les Clark Nature Trail takes visitors past a pine forest planted in the 1960s, a wooded swamp and beaver-influenced wetlands, a maple-oak-hickory terrace community, and a native silver maple floodplain forest.

The floodplain offers a natural sanctuary for not only people, but also for wildlife, including turtles, beaver, migratory waterfowl and other birds such as the cardinal, oriole, and bald eagle.

The Merrimack River Outdoor Education and Conservation Area is one of 170 reservations owned and managed by the Forest Society for multiple values, including unique natural communities, timber, public recreation, water quality, and wildlife habitat.

The reservation is open to the public daily from sunrise until 8:00pm. Visitors can swim and hike, among other outdoor activities. Dogs are permitted. Visitors must abide by "Leave No Trace" principles and carry out any trash and animal waste. Parking is available in the parking lot at the trailhead. Parking on the street is strictly prohibited.