The East Quabbin Land Trust encourages visitors to all of its preserves. Please be respectful of the land and other visitors. EQLT has several policies that guide use of the land, including a Dog Walking Policy, Hunting and Fishing Policy and Recreational Trail Use Policy. The basis of the trail network is an old logging road that leads westward to the East Branch of the Ware River. A side walking trail, labeled as Henry’s Trail, marked with blue diamonds leads visitors through stands of planted red pines and larch among other forest stands. We encourage you to go explore Henry’s Grove. Click here for a map.
Henry’s Grove is a 94 acre woodland on Lombard Road in Hubbardston. The land was purchased in the 1950s by Henry Howe as a woodlot. The land was severely impacted by the 1938 Hurricane and much of the lumber was salvaged with a portable sawmill. The Howes began the restoration by planting conifers – such as spruce, fir, larch and pine – on the open land.
In 2016, Mr. Howe’s daughters, Judith Bothwell and Joyce Lofgren, placed a Watershed Preservation Restriction (WPR) on the land and donated the property to the East Quabbin Land Trust. Funding for the WPR came from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program as part of the Quabbin Reservoir to Wachusett Mountain Grant, which protected 3,000+ acres in central Massachusetts, including Henry’s Grove.
The East Quabbin Land Trust will continue the Howe family stewardship principles for high-quality forest products, diverse wildlife habitat and allow public recreation. The trail network allows walkers, bird watchers and other passive recreationists to enjoy the rolling landscape and wetland meadows along the Ware River. Wood duck nest boxes and a barred owl box were installed in 2023 to promote nesting and use of Henry’s Grove by these bird species.