Parking: each of the lots on the property requires a Cambridge resident sticker to park there.  There are no unrestricted public lots nearby.  However, there are many businesses.  Those closest to the pond are likely to tow as parking pressure is high.  Your best bet is probably to park at the far end of the Fresh Pond Mall parking lot.  On Sundays, resident parking restrictions on streets are not in effect, and it may be possible to park along Huron Ave on the south side of the pond.

Fresh Pond provides an important migratory stopover and winter habitat for waterfowl. The most abundant and frequently cited species are typically Ruddy Duck, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, American Coot, and Pied-billed Grebe. Other species frequently observed include Canada Goose, Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, and Bufflehead. Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls are observed regularly and in abundance. In addition, the Black Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Redhead, Common Loon, Gadwall, and Wood Duck have been observed infrequently.

Fresh Pond is a large body of water located in west Cambridge. As recently as the late 1800s, Fresh Pond was still located in a wetlands complex of the Alewife Brook drainage. Subsequent landfilling and drainage, primarily for commercial development, has destroyed most of the wetlands, although several small ponds remain in the vicinity of Fresh Pond. The pond is a recreational and ornithological oasis in a densely populated semi-urban landscape, and as described below it is an important migratory stopover for waterfowl. The pond perimeter is fenced and surrounded by a dirt-and-paved, heavily used, walking trail. A very narrow strip of trees line the pond along the inside of the fence, and a wider belt of woodland surrounds most of the pond. The vegetation of the woodland is a mixture of native and non-native species and naturally established and planted individuals. The western boundary of the pond is level and includes a nine-hole public golf course; the eastern border of the pond slopes steeply upward to Fresh Pond Parkway.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Fresh Pond.