Borderland State Park

November 3, 2019 Sunny

Borderlands State Park is a large preserve in the towns of Easton and Sharon southwest of Boston. The natural areas encompass the Ames Mansion (circa 1910), and several movies have used the grounds or mansion for film scenes.

The day we visited, the park was buzzing with families, and appears to be a well-known local attraction. We first stopped by the well-kept visitor center with exhibits and restrooms. From there we decided to walk around Leach Pond, heading first toward the edge of the pond to a stone lodge. This lodge was used in the filming of the 2008 movie “Shutter Island”.

Behind the lodge we found an area with benches and a great view of the main sections of the pond.

We then continued on a wide, flat trail around the pond. A few sections had benches.

At the boundary with the Upper Leach Pond the trail crosses a small bridge and follows a narrow strip of land to the other side of the pond. For a longer walk you could continue around the entire pond, pictured below left.

From the other side, we emerged in a scrubby but very colorful area of the pond.

We soon crossed a large field that was originally part of the Smith Farm (circa 1880) and came upon the old farmhouse, neatly restored, and some rusty farm tools and plows.

The trail then followed a wide, straight path along a marshy area of the pond with plenty of ducks swimming near the shore.

A forested trail eventually led back to the old Ames Mansion, pictured below. The stone house was solid and grand. Looking through the windows, we could see a large, formal library inside.

After a tour around the house we headed back to the visitor center, passing some disc golf goals.

Borderland State Park has a great mixture of scenery, history, and recreational opportunities. It was a real gem among the parks we’ve visited.

The great visitor center, variety of scenery, and the old mansion made this an outstanding park.
This park has everything – lake, woodland, historic mansion, etc. A gem.
The mansion was cool… my favorite part was the porta-potty. The lake was fun but Ryan (↓) kept throwing rocks at me, so that was a bummer
The mansion was very interesting and the lake was nice
I like the lake. The disc golf is pretty cool.