Walden Pond State Reservation

November 10, 2019 Sunny

Walden Pond in Concord, MA was made famous through the writings of Henry David Thoreau in Walden; or, Life in the Woods in which he describes his experiences living on the north shore of the pond starting in the summer of 1845. Thoreau lived a mostly solitary existence there for around 2 years.

Today the pond is a beautiful and popular destination, especially in the summer for the small beach, and in the fall for the colorful foliage.

Our first stop on this November day was a short film at the visitor center. Afterwards, we visited an accurate reproduction of Thoreau’s cabin, a very small one-room structure with simple furniture, a wood stove, and an attached woodshed.

Miles was amazed how barren and simple it was. It’s hard to imagine that what we saw was all that Thoreau owned. Miles stopped at the writing desk to meditate on the visitor log.

We crossed the road and down the path to the small beach, the starting point for our walk around the pond. From there, we continued hugging the shore to the north side of the pond, pictured in the background of the picture below.

Just past a marshy area next to the pond, the path leads away from the shore a small distance to markers that show the original cabin location. Having just seen the reproduction, it was easy to imagine the cabin on this spot, and a stone marked the chimney foundation.

Immediately beside the foundation markers is a striking site – a pile of stones, some plain and some adorned, placed there by visitors over the years. A sign also shows one of the more famous quotes from the opening of Thoreau’s book Walden.

Continuing around the pond offers several great views.

When we visited in the fall, the water was strikingly clear, seemingly invisible apart from the ripples.

Returning to the visitor center, we learned more about the history of the area and the pond. Miles also learned how Thoreau took detailed depth measurements from a small boat, using a knotted rope.

Our last stop was the small gift shop next to the visitor center, which had a great selection of books by Thoreau and related thinkers of his time.

Walden Pond State Reservation has always been a favorite for our family and visitors, who enjoy the history, scenery, and recreation that the pond offers.

Walden is a really lovely and well-kept destination, but can be overrun by visitors during the summer.
One of my favorite places. The visitor’s center is very good at introducing Thoreau’s ideas. The pond is pristine.
We’ve been to this place a bunch of times and every time it’s very boring… just a museum about some guy who lived by a lake because he liked nature. Plus there’s NO CELLULAR SERVICE!!! What a stupid wasteland.
The movie was really cool and the walk was nice.
I like going in the cabin. The pond is beautiful.