Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit

Great Meadows NWR--Concord Unit

Monsen Road Concord, Massachusetts 01742

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Official Website

About this Location

The Concord unit, located on Monsen Road, offers visitors a chance to explore diverse habitats and observe various wildlife species, especially birds. The unit features four trails and an observation tower that overlooks two small lakes that are drained every summer to create mudflats for shorebirds and waterfowl. The Concord unit was the location of the first shots fired in the American Revolution on April 19, 1775. 

The Concord unit is located off Monsen Road, Concord, Massachusetts which is off of MA-62.

About Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

See all hotspots at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Just twenty miles west of Boston lies an oasis for wildlife, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Roughly 85 percent of the refuge’s more than 3,800 acres is comprised of valuable freshwater wetlands stretching along 12 miles of the Concord and Sudbury Rivers. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service protects and manages Great Meadows as nesting, resting, and feeding habitats for wildlife, with special emphasis on migratory birds. The diversity of plant and animal life visible from refuge trails provides visitors with excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing and nature study. A great diversity of birds has been recorded at Great Meadows NWR; an annotated list of over 220 species is available in a separate brochure.

In 1944, Samuel Hoar, a hunter, donated the first 250 acres of land that now makes up the refuge. The refuge now consists of two units of land in seven historically significant towns: Billerica, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland.

The refuge is open year-round from sunrise to sunset and has an entrance fee of $4 per vehicle or $2 per person. Pets and bicycles are not allowed on the trails, but restrooms are available at the parking lot.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Entrance fee

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Official Website

Last updated December 26, 2023